Who are the world’s top auto designers? That’s a question that egos around the industry would love to have answered.
Some time ago, Motor Trend did a breakdown of the Top 7 automotive designers based on the work they have done designing our guiding design of a vehicle. The list is decidedly director-focused, meaning that the “Designers” are mostly heads of Design Studios, often not in the trenches sketching any more.
Here’s MT’s list:
1) Ian Callum – Aston Martin Vanquish, Jaguar XK Coupe
2) Frank Stephenson – Mini, Alfa Romeo MiTo
3) Luc Donckerwolcke – Lamborghini Murcielago & Gallardo
4) Simon Cox – Cadillac Cien, 2008 CTS
5) Walter de’Silva – Audi R8, Alfa Romeo 156 & 147
6) Martin Smith – The leader of Ford Europe’s “Kinetic Design” form language
7) Chris Bangle – BMW Z4, BMW’s “Flame Styling”
Full Article Here:
Motor Trend’s Top 7 Designers
What are YOUR top designers?
5 Responses
My dick is bigger then you dick, lets cock fight……
This is why people hate car designers……They should rate the designers who’s design’s made the most money for said design studio……. now that would be great to see.
Posted on August 29th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Same media BS everytime. They don’t differ between the people who led the design team and people who actually DESIGNED the car.
Bangle is a brilliant designer but he didn’t design a single car for BMW. Anders Warming designed the Z4. And the Flame Surface theme were established by two concept cars: The Z9 (Adrian van Hooydonk) and the X-Coupe (Chris Chapman).
Same goes for DaSilva. He did not design the R8. He might be one of the best designers out there but I lost a large part of my respect to him when he claimed that he designed the A5 while he didn’t. It was Satoshi Wada, who also designed the Q7. DaSilva just led the team.
Anyway, i think that Henrik Fisker is missing here. A brilliant designer with an incredable sence for forms and lines: Aston Martin DB9, Vantage V8, BMW Z8.
I’d also add Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s head of design.
Posted on August 30th, 2008 at 9:08 am
How much money did these designers make, and also Husseiin, how much money does henrik fisker make along with shiro nakamura so far?
Posted on August 31st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Actually, I believe Bangle penned the BMW Z3 M Coupe. To my knowledge that is the only vehicle.
Anyhow, this is just pure literary poopie, and only serves the ego’s of those who were nominated.
Now lets go design some karz…..
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I don’t know how much money they make. enough I’d say, but they deserve it because they#re brilliant designers. what i was bithching about is that they’re credited for the work they didn’t do. But that’s the media’s fault not their’s.
As for the Z3 Coupé, that news to me, but anyway it’s a derivate of an existing model and can’t be considered an indipendant design. The Z3 was designed by Joji Nagashima who also designed the predecessor of the current 5-series and the current 3-series.
Posted on September 6th, 2008 at 7:36 am
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