Speed Read Car Design: The History, Principles and Concepts Behind Modern Car Design

by Tony Lewin, Gerry McGovern (Foreword by)

Overview

This beautifully designed and illustrated essential guide to car design from Motorbooks' Speed Read series traces the inspirations of the first car designers and tracks the craft, the art, and the science that have propelled successive generations of designers and shaped the contours of the vehicles we see all around us.

Never before has the car-buying public been more aware of how a car's design fits into their everyday lives and what it communicates about the driver behind the wheel. Like all design, car design is complex subject. Every part of a car represents myriad decisions by the design team ruled by engineering, aesthetics, human interface, and emotion. Speed Read Car Design helps the you understand the hows and whys of that design process, offering an engaging review of history, theory, key concepts, and key designers. It’s a book for car enthusiasts, design fans, and anyone with a desire to better understand why our wheeled world looks the way it does.

In sections divided by topic, you'll explore the birth of car design, how it evolved over the last century, successes and failures in innovation, the elements that make up a car's style, the engineering behind the design, the creative process and design fads, and finally the road ahead in car design.

Each section ends with a glossary of related terms, and informational sidebars provide fun facts, historical tidbits, and mini-bios of key people in car design. Sleek illustrations of the cars give clear design examples throughout.

With Motorbooks’ Speed Read series, become an instant expert in a range of fast-moving subjects, from Formula 1 racing to the Tour de France. Accessible language, compartmentalized sections, fact-filled sidebars, glossaries of key terms, and event timelines deliver quick access to insider knowledge. Their brightly colored covers, modern design, pop art–inspired illustrations, and handy size make them perfect on-the-go reads.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760358108
Publisher:	Motorbooks
Publication date:	12/05/2017
Series:	Speed Read Series , #2
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,005,354
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Tony Lewin is a lifelong automotive commentator and industry analyst and has spent most of his career testing cars, analyzing them, and reporting on the ups and downs of the global enterprises that build them. He has been a regular writer and editor for Automotive News Europe and launched several pioneering titles for The Financial Times as well as contributing regular columns for other national and international publications. Today, Lewin divides his time between journalism, books, and translation work. His titles for Motorbooks include BMW Century, How to Design Cars Like a Pro, The Complete Book of BMW, and Speed Read: Car Design. He also translated Junkyard: Behind the Gates at California’s Secretive European-Car Salvage Yard for Motorbooks. He lives in East Sussex, England.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Why Good Design Resonates 6

Introduction 8

Section 1 The Birth of Car Design 10

Introduction 12

Evolution of the Species 14

The Golden Age of Car Design 16

Power to the People 18

Harley Earl 20

The Emergence of Style 22

Glossary 24

Section 2 A Century of Changing Shapes 26

Introduction 28

Streamlining: A Vision of the Future 30

Form versus Function 32

The Need for Speed 34

Small is Beautiful 36

Tough Talk 38

Room to Move 40

Retro Design 42

Pininfarina 44

Glossary 46

Section 3 Innovation 48

Introduction 50

Concept Cars 1: Setting the Imagination Free 52

Concept Cars II: From Show Stand to Showroom 54

Excess All Areas 56

Great Idea, Bad Timing 58

Ugly Ducklings, Lemons and Lost Causes 60

Citroen 62

Glossary 64

Section 4 The Elements of Style 68

Introduction Flow to Read a Design 70

Giorgietto Giugiaro-The Master 72

Masterclass: Giugiaro's Greatest Hits 74

Windows, Arches, Pillars and Doors 75

Wheels 78

Lines of Beauty 80

Light and Shade 82

Lighting, Jewelry and Decoration 84

Identity and Branding 86

The Name of the Game 88

The Style that Lasts 90

Glossary 92

Section 5 Engineering, Interiors, And Space 94

Introduction 96

Architecture, Engines and Drivelines 98

The Revolution Ahead 100

Interior Architecture 102

Instruments and Displays 104

Driving Controls 106

Audi Design 108

Color and Texture 110

The Details that Count 112

Glossary 114

Section 6 The Creative Process 116

Introduction 118

Origins, Ideas and Inspiration 120

Car Design Step-by-Step 122

Techniques and Tools 124

Fashions, Fads and Corporate Styles 126

Anthony Lo 128

Glossary 130

Section 7 And What Comes Next? 132

Introduction 134

Continuity or Clean Break? 136

The 2020s Take Shape 138

New Power, New Forms 140

The Urban Dimension 142

The New Era: Self-driving Vehicles 144

Mercedes versus BMW 146

What Makes a Classic 148

Could Computer-controlled Cars Become Classic? 150

Glossary 152

Key Designer Timelines 154

References and Sources 155

Index 156