July 11, 2002 - In the midst of last month's World Cup fever, it seemed appropriate that Britain’s Coventry University School of Art and Design again chose Coventry City Football Stadium to host their annual Design Degree Show.

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The 2002 show, entitled “Ideas as big as your head” included work from the Transport Design, Consumer Product Design, Graphic Design, Communication Authoring and Design, Industrial Product Design and Automotive Engineering Design courses.

With over 30 students on the long-running BA (Hons) Degree in Transport Design, plus 40 graduates on the new MDes in Transport Design, the Show is the largest in Europe for automotive design graduates.

A re-interpretation of vintage Bentley design language and proportions provided Gareth Thomas with his inspiration for a new Bentley roadster for the 21st Century. The 2-seater proposal features a long bonnet and compact W8 engine behind the front axle line with a retractable roof which folds forwards in front of the scuttle and behind the engine.

The use of sheer surfaces relieved by a deep concave scallop gives an understated look without resorting to typical retro cues. The vertical aluminium scuttle graphic deliberately splits the car into bonnet and cockpit sections, while the instruments are contained in the retractable aeroscreen. The rich, open cockpit is finished in burgundy leather draped over polished aluminium tubing.

A Volvo lifestyle double-cab pick-up is the work of Andy Harrison. The design shows typical Volvo cues of a broad shoulder from headlamps to taillamps and a bluff nose but adds a coupe-like 4 door cabin and tail covered by sliding panels. By repackaging the occupants more forward and higher up allows a long 3200mm loadbed – enough for a jetski or a pallet – within a compact 4800mm length. The tailboard has a flip-up load restraint with integrated lamps and warning triangle.

Dimitrios Zacharopoulos’ Ford “Exodus” proposal showed a new 2+1 approach for a compact crossover vehicle. Aimed at urban DINKS to escape to the country at the weekend, it features a 3-seater layout with the 3rd occupant mounted centrally and slightly aft for a more sociable seating arrangement. The facetted door shoulder is repeated through the interrupted DLO, which is directly inspired by city architecture. Continuing this theme, Zacharopoulos selects 2 matte paint finishes which allow the vehicle to sit better when viewed on city streets.

Thomas Eaton’s project also takes influences directly from city architecture. His proposal for a self-guided street taxi is meant to enrich the city aesthetic. The unusual, even slightly sinister, design shows a copper-coloured shell on one side with full open sliding glass doors on the adjacent kerb side. The use of this non-automotive patina and graphics is meant to inject new interest in this form of semi-public transport. The package seats 5 passengers seated in a semi-circular format, which is reflected in the exterior design, with differing plan-view shape and wheelbase on each side of the vehicle.

Oliver Way chose to study whether elegance is possible in a small car. The final design is a refreshing study for a 2-seat car with the emphasis on lightness and non-aggressive forms. By splitting the body into a central aerodynamic pod and external leaf-like fenders the result reminds one of 1920's cyclecars, such as the Amilcar. The use of narrow section tyres combined with dainty aluminium torsion bar suspension and a mid-mounted engine gives low weight and good performance in a compact 3600mm x 1600mm package. The use of pale yellow and silver finishes adds to the feeling of delicate elegance.

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