TOP 25 GREATEST HITS OF ALL TIMES | United States
Hen AA editors suggested I name the 25 greatest designers cars of all time, it seemed a simple enough task, but after the first obvious names, it became clear that the choice just a dozen people torque thousands people who have practiced the profession in the past hundred years and more impossible Keep in mind that few of them are or were individual practitioners for the most part when you name the chief designers, you are in fact reference to sizeable teams of talented and skilled people, many of which worked repeatedly for two or more large groups.
So this is not can not be an exhaustive list instead of the names of designers whose work has influenced the industry and was very impressive for me personally, I learned of all, and I had the chance to meet many of them during my 60 years -More in automotive design.
Car design before World War was rooted in French culture designers around the world, including Americans like Howard Dutch Jean-Pierre, have benefited from the Parisian atmosphere.
Important French Nationality decades 1910s-1940s active work in 1912 Turcat M ry Knight Ren Knyff Panhard Skiff 1922 Hispano-Suiza Type H6B Skiff Torpedo.
In the quarter century beginning of automobile construction, no one really knew what the car should look Many were literally horseless carriages, and formal inspiration came from locomotives, ships, even Labourdette houses, a master the design of the horse-drawn vehicle, created what may have been the first really beautiful car in 1912 skiff body on a Panhard et Levassor chassis sleeved valves his boat bound skiffs, Labourdette continued to build some of the first aerodynamic body retired, he is the author of a definitive treaty, a century of french Coachbuilding photography by Michael Furman, courtesy of Mullin Automotive Museum.
Decades French nationality in 1930 significant assets work in 1937 Delage Aero Coupe 1937 Peugeot Type 402 Eclipse 1938 Bentley Embiricos.
He pioneered integrating scientific research in aerodynamics beautiful designs A dentist by education, Paulin has created several models of Peugeot chassis, including a dramatic sedan four doors with a central tailfin, he created the Bentley Embiricos who ran several times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans before and after the Second World war his career was cut short when the Nazis executed him for his work in the French resistance.
Car design has changed from being an artisan craft individual to an industrial function to a point fixed to June 23, 1927, that was when the president Alfred P Sloan Jr. Hired Hollywood custom car builder Harley J Earl to create the Art department General Motors and color.
GM was the first, but every car manufacturing company today, all brands, has in-house design capability, employing a total of thousands who may well be called bodybuilders Over the decades, the tools and methods have changed, but the principle is the same as Sloan and Earl had found a company can sell more cars if it makes them more beautiful.
Nationality American Decades active 1910s-1950 Significant work 1938 Buick Y-Job and 1951 General Motors Le Saber concepts.
Earl was the first of all the leaders in the design of today's businesses and by far the largest As head of General Motors design 1927-1958, he was responsible for forms of about 55 million cars he also found, hired and fired many design leaders during his GM career three decades Earl was a great assimilator design ideas from European sources and many wonderful designers who have worked for him many key names in the American automobile design was used once or more by the art of Earl and color department or its staff later Styling Photography by Patrick M Hoey.
American Nationality decades of the 1930s-1980s important working assets 1938 Cadillac 60 Special, 1941 online Cadillac, Buick Riviera, 1963.
A flamboyant, dramatic showman who proved a poor fit with the bureaucratic GM crop, Mitchell had no solid backup Alfred Sloan provided Earl and his physical presence was nothing like the intimidating stature that was extremely beneficial to 6 feet 5 inches Earl Mitchell's designs were more on the sculptural form as the kinds of details that intrigued Earl as wraparound windshields, later, very large tailfins, fake scoops and trinkets chromium Mitchell show cars were less extravagant than Earl's, the Corvair Monza GT even influence the Lamborghini Miura photography by Patrick M Hoey.
A great artist, Exner joined in the automotive sector at GM in 1934, becoming the head of the studio Pontiac Recruited from GM, where Earl asked him to stay, he worked for Raymond Loewy's account Studebaker He then became a used Studebaker before moving to Chrysler, where he became the first vice president design, he worked with Carrozzeria Ghia to make the show cars for a fraction of the cost to build Michigan's career was cut short by a heart attack, but he continued with his son, as a consultant for Chrysler and Ghia Photography by Patrick M Hoey.
Nationality American Decades 1920s-1960s important assets work Approximately half of the Duesenberg Model J and SJ body ever built, 1936 Cord 810 and 1937 Cord 812 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II.
Buehrig worked for Harley Earl twice in the 1930s and achieved the first expressions of his revolutionary style ideas in a design competition model is within GM that it was not remotely enjoyed with his mid 30s Cords, Buehrig broke half a century of practical car design, which makes horizontal entry front air rather than a vertical indication of the radiator behind the grid many other manufacturers have adopted elements of the design of the body Buehrig cord, hidden gas cap, no moldings to window sills, and lack of functioning tips He also worked for Auburn, Duesenberg, Ford and Budd Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
Nationality American Decades 1930s-1940s important working assets 1932 Ford Model Y 1937 Ford, Mercury 1939-1949.
Another graduate GM, the first chief designer in Ford, he created the look of the 30s with its sloping grid-British model Y subsequently applied to American Fords and Citro n Traction Avant.
Like many designers, Teague trained Art Center College of Design and began his automotive career at GM, but he returned to his native California in 1951 as an illustrator said he could have the job of head designer at Packard, he returned to Detroit, stay with Packard until it collapsed he moved to Chrysler until a political struggle, which he joined American Motors, where he became the VP design after three years he remained until retirement in the authoring process design the best compact SUV, the Jeep XJ Cherokee Wagoneer 1984-2001 Photography by Martyn Goddard.
America led the world in terms of production design in 1930, but the leadership of the design idea is distinctly European and more often than Italian.
Italian nationality decades of the 1930s-1970s asset Significant work in 1947 Cisitalia 202 series Ghia Supersonic 1963 Chrysler turbine car.
From the center of the door toward the front, is a mixed composition timeless pure design Savonuzzi, from there back pure Pininfarina.
Savonuzzi, a trained engineer with a fine eye for the line, essentially establishes the Italian line in the post-war period with its cups Cisitalia, with a line of cover below the peaks of the front bumper, it established the postwar dominance of Italian design through its several race-sports car Cisitalia those leads to Cisitalias Pininfarina and Ghia Supersonic its series of cuts define a style for many derivatives, including VW and Volvo P1800 Karmann Ghia he made some of the most extreme performance cars of the 1950s, then aesthetics essentially abandoned Chrysler chief engineer After leaving Chrysler, he returned to Italy and served as a consultant in engineering from Fiat little known, he was undoubtedly one of the most important designers of all photography by Julia LaPalme.
Nationality Italian Decades 1950s-1970s asset Much work 1962 Triumph Spitfire 1961 BMW Neue Klasse.
Michelotti was extremely prolific, with 50 more cars to the only auto show in Turin in 1953, it turned out custom Fiat 1100. Dozen, and it also forms the iconic Ferraris built by Vignale and production models for BMW, BMC, Daihatsu, Fiat Daf and His Triumph Spitfire was a huge success by combining British tradition with an Italian touch in a cheap model, it was the first Italian designer to work for the fledgling Japanese auto industry.
Nationality Italian Decades 1930s-1960s important assets work 1931 Cadillac V-16, most of the first Ferraris, including the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet.
Battista Farina has become so well known by his nickname Pinin Shorty that the Italian government allowed him to change his last name Pininfarina in 1960, and his descendants are all now his creations were always with simple elegance, expression of classicism that became the hallmark of renowned design house in the years before his death, he turned his Carrozzeria his son Sergio and his brother-son Renzo Carli, which has expanded its production capacity over the 84 years of its existence, Pininfarina has used dozens of brilliant designers and the company he founded has become one of the magnetic poles of the Italian school.
Italian nationality decades of the 1930s-1990s important working assets 1954 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1966 Lamborghini Miura 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero.
Bertone was the other pole of Italian design Arguably Nuccio Bertone was not really a designer, and in the sense that he never made sketches and illustrations and layouts in real size, which true, but as Harley Earl of America, he led creative people to get the results he wanted Bertone was very open about how it worked, and it allowed all the credit to his designers, three of which are on this list, but in my opinion, the big names who worked for him all achieved their greatest designs under the tutelage of Bertone subsequent work after leaving Gruppo Bertone was wonderful, but not quite as good that it was when Bertone uttered, scolding, demanding, and get the absolute maximum of their abilities Photography by Scott Williamson.
Nationality Italian Decades 1950s-1970s asset Significant work from 1953 to 1955 Alfa Romeo B A Series T 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV.
Scaglione has considerable influence but as Savonuzzi, historically unpopular Bertone has found his work habits too erratic and artistic, in the end the fire account when he discovered young Giugiaro Scaglione was truly a master of instinctive aerodynamics; his 2 0-liter Alfa Romeo Sportiva were cut as fast as 3 0 liters Mercedes 300SL despite only 138 hp but died in obscurity and is rarely mentioned today.
Decades 1960-present active major Italian national work 1966 Lamborghini Miura 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero 1971 Lancia Stratos HF 1972 Lamborghini Countach 1972 BMW May 1982 Citro n BX.
Lello Gandini is an imaginative designer, having designed and engineered housing, helicopters, production Lancia Stratos, and a large number of outstanding production cars for French manufacturers, German and Japanese He designed bestseller for rivals french Citro n and Renault prices -winning trucks, and several ultra-simple car proposals, ultra-cheap s people, none has yet been approved for mass production.
Nationality Italian Decades 1960s-2010s asset Much work 1967 Ferrari Dino 206 GT 1968 Ferrari 365 Daytona GTB4 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS 1975 Ferrari 308 GTB.
After engineering studies, Leonardo Fioravanti joined Pininfarina at the age of 26 Stay for 24 years, he became design director and created some of the most iconic Ferraris, including Daytona, Dino Berlinetta Boxer, and 308 GTB He was alsoresponsible for Peugeots production Lancias, Alfa Romeo, and many dramatic show cars it has patented and licensed several of his inventions, including a swivel hood used by the Ferrari 575 Superamerica and Photography by Renault Wind Evan Klein.
One of the most prolific designers of automotive production Giugiaro said he had worked for everyone, but Honda and I will one day Except that he won t his business and talent are now owned by Audi.
England is the home of the most extreme style variations in the automotive world for each beautiful Jaguar XK-E hit, there are three or four equivalents Lea-Francis Lynx Each Range Rover, there are dozens Austin absurdities A-30, greater than they are wide.
British Decades 1930s-1970s important assets work 1935 SS Jaguar Airline Saloon 1948 Jaguar XK120 1968 Jaguar XJ6 sedan.
Double bubble fairings projectors lasted from 1968 into the 21st century.
Lyon had a will of iron, an iron fist, and delicate aesthetic sensibility Sá hard to find blend of characteristics that have served a boy Blackpool fine Lyons worked mainly in prime tôlier offsetting forms full-size metal and put together under the direction of Lyon But the best Jaguar design ever, the E-type, was designed by Malcolm Sayer dynamicist aero, which has had full support of Lyon.
British Decades 1950 1980 1970 significant assets work Rover Range Rover 1963 P6 1976 Rover SD1.
Bache cleaning the exterior surfaces of Spencer King Gordon Bashford mechanical design for an elegant boilerplate city and country SUV, Range Rover 1970 Embraced by the royal family and by farmers working as well, it remains one of the most SUV looking for all time.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire has produced many legendary engineer Ferdinand Porsche and Hans Ledwinka among them, but only a world class body designer, Erwin Komenda own Austria.
Austrian nationality Decades 1920s-1960s Active 1938 Significant work runner Volkswagen Berlin-Rome 1947 Cisitalia GP 1948 Porsche 356.
Say what you will about the highly profitable truck and manufacturer Porsche sedan is today, the cars that have made the reputation of the company all been shaped by one man revisionist story line of business attributes the legendary 911 model, now in its 51st year of continuous production, a grand-son of the founder, legendary Ferdinand Porsche, but the iconic aerodynamic shapes of the first production road car Porsche, the 356 series and 911. Following all came to mind and hand Komenda He showed us the first iteration of the classic shape Porsche in 1938 with the runner Volkswagen Berlin-Rome.
Two recently retired design leaders were powerful influences of industry and mentor to many of the top designers practicing today.
German born Italian Decades 1950 1990 significant assets work in 1989 Mercedes-Benz SL.
As a child, Sacco was captivated by the M Germany rklin electric trains, he decided early in his career, which began at Carrozzeria Ghia, he wanted to work at Mercedes-Benz Hired by the venerable company in the mid 1950s, he worked in research and engineering before taking the direction of the design department Regarded by his peers as the designer of the designer, he oversaw the design of all production models Mercedes-Benz, including trucks that were the financial foundation of the company as Earl, Pininfarina and Bertone, he has trained many very successful designers working around the world today, including the current head of Porsche design.
French Nationality decades 1960-2000s important assets work truck Ford Cargo 1993 1996 Renault Twingo Renault Sc nic.
The ment Qu was Renault, a phlegmatic producer owned socialist ideal of popular cars, a design strength, the place where young designers wanted to be, he and designers trained dozens of nations Most designers french today have benefited directly or indirectly, its successful transformation of body sculpting engineering design Indeed, Peugeot's design leaders, Citro n, and the new DS brand ment are former members of the Qu staff.
Modern designers have freedom less creative than their predecessors Blame crash regulations, discussion groups, and a cutthroat business environment, but these names not cast in concrete stand.
One way to look at Freeman Thomas job is to say it is the first cartoonist His little offhand sketches inspired the Audi TT, New Beetle and the Chrysler 300 Thomas first industrial design work was Porsche, a heady start for a young designer fell in love with the brand, he led both the Chrysler Pacifica and the Ford Motor Company's advanced design studio in his native California.
Pires has spent his entire career within the VW group is now in the advanced design head for Audi, after designing the Bentley Continental and leader Italdesign It started as an interior designer and outside Skoda, so it worked in all price ranges, up and down and always with success.
Active German nationality decades 1990 this important work in 1997 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder.
A completely new design that respects all previous Porsche racing and sports cars Komenda work ahead excellent.
Starting in 1995 with Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, Mauer ran his design studio advanced in Japan in 1998, moved to Saab as design director of management, then moved to Porsche in 2004 as a designer chief, where he is responsible for the 918 hybrid and the last and the next iteration of the 911 theme.
Head-hunted personally by Elon Musk, Franz von Holzhausen has the kind of management support that Harley Earl had 80 years earlier Will Tesla become a true volume player in the automotive If so, von Holzhausen is perfectly placed to become one of the key designers of the next quarter century Photography by AJ Mueller.
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