Book review: Abarth, Radbourne Racing and Me "I have always ignored what ifs, so called Abarth HQ and asked for 'Mr Abarth'... The meeting went very well" Freddie Holmes
Goodwood 2025: highlights from the Cartier lawn Read on for the top ten classic cars from Guy Bird's annual pilgrimage to the Style et Luxe lawn Guy Bird
Ten cars that defined the Art Deco era Car Design News looks back on an era of fabulous automotive designs, many of which emerged in some of the darkest moments in modern times Karl Smith
UAE studio Peec reimagines local icon The Nissan Patrol might seem an unlikely candidate for the luxe treatment, but its connection to UAE culture means it makes more sense than you might think Freddie Holmes
Ten strange and wonderful car light designs We see some wild lighting schemes on concept cars every year. But few make it into production. Here are a few that managed to slip past the censors Karl Smith
Sex and mystery vs. tech and trends – Italy’s design battle CDN talks to designers at Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Estrema and Bertone about the history of Italian design and what the future might hold Michael Nash
Keep it simple: can a mono-material strategy reshape interior design? In this abridged feature from the Spring 2025 issue of Interior Motives, we consider how one material for key interior structures could boost recyclability and celebrate sculptural form over visual complexity Freddie Holmes
Caterham design boss Anthony Jannarelly on his new ‘Art Car’ capsule range Car Design News catches up with the French designer as he launches his new carbon-panelled, Ferrari-based Ælla-60 Stephen Dobie
Five minute sketch: Ford Escort MK1 by Wayne Burgess Experienced car designer Wayne Burgess sketches a front three-quarter view of Boreham Motorworks’ blueprint-accurate reproduction of the Ford Escort MK1 Car Design News
CDN’s highlights from Rétromobile 2025: rare concepts, modern classics and auto merch heaven Guy Bird was in Paris for Retromobile 2025 earlier this month and found an impressive mix of cars, clothes and auto-related curiosities Guy Bird
Designer realises childhood dream with James Bond’s Bentley Continental The James Bond novel Thunderball saw Ian Fleming vividly describe a Bentley Continental Mk2, a car that didn’t outside the pages of fiction. Car designer Tony Hunter remedied this by designing and building his own Trinity Francis
Inside DRVN design and the art of the Continumod Car Design News gets a behind-the-scenes tour of the Coventry studio and the design team led by Wayne Burgess Freddie Holmes
Book Review: True Spirit of XJ13 “In July 1973, the XJ13 was displayed for the first time. From this point on, it would be an ambassador for Jaguar marketing worldwide, its elegant lines assuring success and creating a legend” Freddie Holmes
Audi revives Auto Union Type 52 Schnellsportwagen Ninety years since the idea was first dreamed up by Porsche’s designers, Audi has finally built the Auto Union ‘Schnellsportwagen’ Trinity Francis
Pininfarina CCO on restoring Honda’s first ever concept car The Honda HP-X has been beautifully restored by Pininfarina, capturing an iconic glimpse in time. But instead of feeling nostalgic, the design team is looking ahead to challenge market convergences Michael Nash
Jaguar reimagined: new restomod launches amid brand revamp As Jaguar launches its new marketing campaign ahead of a complete makeover, British firm TWR has revealed a tribute to the XJS Car Design News
Italian coachbuilder reimagines Maserati Biturbo with new restomod Italian coachworks Modena Automobili has revealed its first restomod which reimagines the Maserati Biturbo Freddie Holmes
Audi gives apprentices the chance to reimagine iconic A2 as one-off concept Apprentices at Audi’s Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm training facililties put forward the idea to reimagine the A2 as an EV – and leadership obliged Freddie Holmes
In pictures: Kia Pride is an electric 90s hot hatch The Pride EV was commissioned to celebrate the brand’s 80th anniversary Car Design News
bb-Auto: Looking back at fifty years of innovation As the storied German customiser heads to Monterey Car Week, we look back on a half-century of bespoke Porsches – and others Karl Smith
A storied bloodline: the Jeep Wrangler and its design legacy Jeep design lead Vince Galante looks back on the history of the Wrangler and how the brand has continued to update it for the modern era Michael Nash
Resurrecting the Ford Capri – pros and cons Great design, just don’t call it a Capri – or maybe do? Guy Bird
British firm reimagines classic G-Wagon The ‘Soujourn’ aims to bring a touch of refinement to the original Geländewagen Freddie Holmes
EyesOn Design 2024 showcases history's icons, gives nod to Gordon Murray This year’s EyesOn Design show was a continuation of a theme: great cars, great designers and good times – all for a good cause. Laura Burstein
Ex-Mercedes designer reimagines iconic 190E EVO II With rich experience of working on Mercedes-AMG projects, Edgar Chu jumped at the chance to reimagine the EVO II. He tells CDN the challenge was in balancing past and future Freddie Holmes
Considering luxury at the Geneva Motor Show 2024 The juxtaposition of old and new at Geneva 2024 invited fresh considerations of luxury
Flashback: car seats that swivel First designed as a convenience and a novelty, the swiveling seat may yet have something to say about the future of the automotive interior Karl Smith
Flashback: the era-defining Cord 810 Karl Smith takes a look at the short-lived yet iconic Cord 810, a symbol of mid-1930s glamour Karl Smith
Flashback: Driving with a joystick A science fiction dream car from GM previewed a controller far removed from the steering wheel. And what happened to the pedals? Karl Smith
EyesOn Design weekend celebrates revolutionary designs, honours Ralph Gilles The annual charity concours, held every year outside Detroit on Father’s Day, is a star-studded affair where automotive artistry meets philanthropy. CDN’s Laura Burstein served as a judge for this year’s event and got the inside scoop Laura Burstein
Review: London Concours 2023 Car Design News went along to the 2023 London Concours where a mix of old and new sat side-by-side. Here’s our take on some of the standouts Car Design News
Porsche and Petersen team up for a diamond anniversary celebration The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles teams up with Porsche for a celebration of the marque’s 75th anniversary Karl Smith
Renault champions versatility with new 4 concept Car Design News speaks to Renault’s head of concepts about the new Renault 4 concept and what it signals for the brand moving forward Freddie Holmes
In pictures: a fresh take on the 2CV van Following its redesign of Citroen’s timeless Type H van, Italian coachbuilder Caselani has tried its hand at an even more iconic shape: the 2CV Freddie Holmes
Rumpler Tropfenwagen – the first streamliner Largely forgotten, the pioneering Rumpler Tropfenwagen was a decade ahead of the designs of the time. But its legacy lives on in a new generation of aerodynamic research and in automotive design Karl Smith
Italian coachbuilder modernises classic Citroen vans Starting as little more than a pet project, one Italian coachbuilder has secured a deal to produce modernised Citroen HY vans of the 1950s under license. It signals a growing appetite for classic aesthetics with modern technology Freddie Holmes
Inside the one-off Porsche that sold in Monterey for a record $3.6m Porsche designer Grant Larson gives North American correspondent Laura Burstein an exclusive walkaround of the custom 911 GTS created with Pixar and sold for charity Laura Burstein
In pictures: Pierre Gonalons’ retro Renault 5 Diamant Renowned interior designer and architect Pierre Gonalons has reimagined the classic Renault 5 in art deco form with the Diamant Car Design News
Review: Cartier does it right at Goodwood 2022 The Cartier lawn at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is always a treat for classic car enthusiasts, with stunning examples on show from Bugatti, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia and Lotus to name but a few Guy Bird
Second Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is a pearler Rolls-Royce revealed its latest Boat Tail model at the Concorso D’Eleganza in Lake Como and Mark Smyth was there to chat to its designer, Alex Innes for Car Design News Mark Smyth
Watch: Back to the Future of Interiors Watch this Car Design News livestream featuring General Motors, Group Lotus and Lawrence Technological University as they reflect on changing interiors over the last 20 years and as they look ahead to the next 20. James McLachlan
Review: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed has become the premier UK car show with a variety of cars both old and brand spanking new on display. What’s more its outdoors which means Covid restrictions are a little less stringent. Armed with camera and notebook, longtime CDN contributor Guy Bird reports
Radford returns: coachbuilder that defined the swinging sixties is back Legendary sixities coachbuilder Radford, which counted the Beatles and Peter Sellars as customers is back, helmed by a high-profile team including former F1 star Jensen Button James McLachlan
Obituary: The French maestro Robert Opron One of the finest car designers of the 20th Century, Robert Opron, passed away last week, aged 89. Responsible for masterpieces for Simca, Citroen, Renault and Alfa Romeo from the late 1950s to the late-80s – and one of the few recipients of the Car Design News Lifetime Achievement Award – we salute his life and influence, via still vivid memories of visiting his house south of Paris back in 2016 to discuss his career over Scotch and Pringles… Guy Bird
A trip down Skoda’s memory lane – designers breath new life into old icons A collection of historic Skoda models have been re-imagined and re-designed with modern adaptations Michael Nash
Design icons: Citroen 2CV Charleston turns 40 The iconic Citroen 2CV had several limited edition runs, with the Charleston variant starting in 1980 Michael Nash
Design icons: Volkswagen K70 Following its 50th birthday, we look back on the design of the Volkswagen K70 and see how it inspired a range of other models Michael Nash
An English Car Designer Abroad: Peter Birtwhistle talks about his life Designer Peter Birtwhistle has released a new book in which he describes his work at GM, Audi, Porsche and Mazda Jens Meiners
Frank Stephenson on the Ferrari F430 How design gave the 430 a bit more bite than the Ferrari 360, and became a little bit more unfriendly
Frank Stephenson on the new Mini project Designing the new Mini based on the original design, balancing the need for both brand recognition and modernisation Car Design News
Design Essay: The Strange Allure of Ugliness From Edsel to Marcos Mantis, Reliant Robin to Pontiac Aztek, ugly cars have been assaulting our eyeballs since the dawn of the automotive age Aidan Walsh
Iconic BMW Designs: the i8 BMW fan and M-car obsessive Steve Carter highlights his five favourite BMW designs of all time – and this time we’re keeping things current… Steve Carter
Iconic BMW designs: the 2002tii BMW fan and M-car obsessive Steve Carter highlights his Top 5 BMW cars of all time, starting with the legendary BMW 2002tii Steve Carter
Exclusive: Roberto Giolito on the Fiat ESV 1500 In Part 1 of this series, Fiat’s design maestro takes CDN on a tour of his favourite designs in the Fiat Heritage Hub in Turin Guy Bird
Designer Interview: Roberto Giolito on the Fiat 500L (2012) Architect of the Multipla, the Fiat 500 and many more cutting-edge designs, Roberto Giolito also worked on the 500L launched in Geneva in 2012 Joe Simpson
Goodwood Festival of Speed: Cartier concours Alongside the new models haring around at Goodwood this year were some cracking classics. We walked the lawn Laura Burstein
Concept Car of the Week: Quasar Khanh’s Unipower City Car The Unipower City Car, a tiny rolling glass box, was introduced in the 1960s, and designed by an unlikely engineer-turned-car and furniture designer, Quasar Khanh Karl Smith
The cars of Ian Callum: Aston Martin DB9 The car the defined a decade of Aston Martin design, explained by its designer Michael Gooderham
Opinion: Why honest design matters Mild misdirection or visual lying? Here’s a firm view on the trend of design fakery Aidan Walsh
LA 2017: Subaru Ascent, er, 360 The new estate/SUV is solid enough, but look at its grandma – the 360 – Subaru’s first production model in the US Joe Simpson
Concept Car of the Week: Volvo Tundra (1979) In 2013, Volvo unveiled the Concept Coupé – a good reason for Flavien Dachet to take a look back at another Volvo coupé concept from 1979 – the Tundra Flavien Dachet
Driven: Mercedes 190E and Evolution II AMG It’s not often you get a chance to drive mint-condition classic cars carefully restored and garaged by someone else, so when the opportunity arose to captain two very different Mercedes 190s back to back – a less-is-more 1984 190 and its definitely more-is-more 1990 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II cousin – we grabbed both steering wheels with all hands available Guy Bird
