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Corvette C9
Paul Nichols
"One of the most difficult tasks a designer can be challenged with," says BA student Paul Nichols, "is reinventing something which already has a well established pedigree." Automotive icons don't come much more established than the Corvette, yet Nichols' C9 – three generations on from the current model – transforms the model's established proportions while retaining its iconography. So while it is now mid-engined and its proportions strongly cab-forward, its taught surfacing, intersected by sharp creases, and the use of fragmented Corvette design cues retain the brand aesthetic. The main aim of the project was to engage a younger customer base to the Corvette.
Toyota Bionic+
Tomas Jankauskas
As its name suggests, Tomas Jankauskas' Bionic+ project is centered around the principle of bio-material usage in vehicle manufacture. Its chassis and body panels are produced from kenaf, after exploring the idea of genetically engineer trees to grow in the shape of major components. Carbon nanotubes – a real buzz word this year – are used as solar power conductors.
Jankauskas looked to Toyota's 1965 2000GT for stylistic inspiration, which is particularly evident in his design's wrap-around DLO and curved rocker outline.
Alfa Cento
Henry Cloke
To celebrate Alfa Romeo's centenary, Henry Cloke was inspired to create what he describes as "a new era of elegance." Its most dramatic elements are its fragmented shards of bodywork which emanate from its turbine engines. Its surfacing and wheel design are inspired by human muscles, with taught, sinewy detailing.
(mini)2
Christopher Cheng (MDes)
Christopher Cheng's vision of a more compact Mini is a reaction to the current range's adoption of the original's styling cues but not its innovative packaging.
Designed within the footprint of Issigonis' 1959 design, Cheng's solution is based upon the findings of his MDes research, resulting in a central driving position and space for two passengers behind. This seating arrangement, allied to a higher H-point, allows the car to adhere to today's safety legislations, while reinventing the Mini in its original role as simple, compact urban transport.
Simple transparent panels are attached to a safety shell, which incorporates neat nods to the past such as a roof-mounted Union Jack flag and a quartet of front spot lights.
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