The University of Huddersfield Transportation Design course recently exhibited the work of this year's graduating students as part of the School of Art and Design degree show. Huddersfield's course is very much a transportation – rather than purely automotive design-based degree – and the work of this year's graduating class therefore spans a broad range of projects, from automotive design, bikes and trains through to work that draws strongly from the world of product and interior design.
Land Rover LRS-1
Paul Davey
Research into the history of the Land Rover Defender, which included extensive research with owners old and new, led Davey down the route of defining a new entry-level model for the company. At just 3000mm in length, the LRS-1 is an urban quadricycle designed for similar usage scenarios as the Mega Truck or Piaggio Tuk-Tuk. Davey's belief is that such a vehicle could be sold to large fleets and small businesses alike, suiting a variety of working briefs. The LRS-1 therefore features easily changeable pop-off body panels similar to a Smart, mirrors that detach to become a torch and a surface treatment that means graphical transfers can be easily applied or removed. The boxy, utilitarian aesthetic is in-keeping with what Land Rovers of the past stood for, and features a DRG that references historic models, while creating a friendlier, less aggressive appearance befitting of the vehicle's intended city habitat.
Flying Fox
Peter Lyburn
Recent trends for extreme escape and off-grid living are behind Lyburn's Flying Fox, designed for rental as part of an adventure holiday in the Australian Outback. So that users can survive completely independently with just one vehicle, every element has a dual function. In driving mode, a canopy protects driver and passenger from the sun's intense heat, but when stopped this canopy doubles as an overhead unit through which collected water can be pumped so that they can take a solar shower. It can also be removed altogether and used as a boat. Clever detailing and thinking abounds – headlamps double as lanterns, mud guards as seats, heat from the catalytic converter is channeled to a hot plate for cooking, while roll hoops form a cable stay from which hammocks are suspended – keeping occupants off the ground while they sleep.
American Dreams
Richard Evans
The American Dreams touring bike is a vision of American bike culture projected 20 years into the future. Focusing on the experience of the rider, and the visceral thrills of being exposed to the elements, Evans' bike combines aluminum, carbon fiber and leather for a modern take on 50s style. The bike features a fuel-cell powertrain, driving a front wheel with inbuilt suspension similar to Michelin's active wheel. Push-pull controls replace a traditional twist grip, while a fully immersive biking experience is guaranteed thanks to the dedicated rider suit, designed specifically for the bike.
The Hive
Adam O'Brien
Solving the needs of a growing number of motorsport and track day enthusiasts, O'Brien's 'Hive' is a transport/race car support vehicle for those who need to tow a specialist race vehicle to a track, and have accommodation and support facilities over a race weekend. Designed to accommodate a Morgan race car (based on a design completed in a previous project by O'Brien and course mate Henry Ward) the Hive becomes a rest and sleep area for the driver and his team when the car is unloaded. Constructed from aluminum, the concept has a strong product design aesthetic, featuring an irregular architectural glazing graphic along its side, which allows elements of the race car to be seen from the outside as it is trailered from race track to race track.
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