Storied car designer Chris Bangle reflects on his career and teaches valuable lessons in his new book
It is the holiday/beach read time of the year, and for those who wish to move beyond the typical romance/mystery/espionage books that dominate the summer market, Chris Bangle is here for you.
Reading Between the Lines of Car Design is sourced from Bangle’s many sketchbooks created over the years at major OEMs, and in private practice. The sketches, most of them loose and cartoon-ish are quick notes that recorded larger and very serious ideas from which he (and now, we) can draw instruction and inspiration.
The book is organised into 102 short (3 or 4 page) chapters with a sketch illustrating each concept. The subject matter ranges from car design at a conceptual level to the history of the car, to design culture and the organization of design studios. Each subject is presented in a light, breezy way, but has a way of sticking with you long after you close the book, which is no doubt what Bangle intended.
In the opening essay, Bangle, makes the difference “auto-mobiles” and “cars”. (Sorry, no spoilers here-read the book). From there, Bangle takes on a host of complicated and deceptively easy-looking topics such as car design history, design philosophy and thinking, design culture (in and out of OEMs), cars as avatars, and even the skills most needed for success in car design and in life. Many of these could be a subject of a book in themselves- heavy topics that Bangle presents here with a light and often humorous touch
Bangle doesn’t spend a lot of time analysing or reviewing the design process of the many cars that he penned. But the GINA- BMW’s fabric-skinned prototype from 2001 and REDSPACE EV, from 2017 do receive special attention, as Bangle sees these cars as predictors of a possible future for car design.
At the end of the book Bangle presents a list of helpful design books for car designers. Only one actually deals directly with car design. The others deal with typography, architecture, sexual politics, and musical composition, and comics. The most surprising is The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form by Sir Kenneth Clark, which Bangle claims is the greatest book on Car Design ever written. Why? Well, substitute the word “car” for “nude” and you will be close to the mark. Bangle dedicates a whole chapter in his book to this classic tome.
Reading Between the Lines of Car Design is published by Minerva* in Italy. It is available in physical book form in Italian only. E-book can be copies are available on major platforms.
We highly recommend it as an essential addition to your design library. If you can read Italian, grab a copy here.
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