Design: March 2008 Archives

There are few things in this world that are at once insanely eccentric, staunchly traditional and devoutly practical. In most circumstances there is no room for tradition while technology and design are forging new and improved paths, especially in an environment that is obsessed with innovation - the motor industry. From the moment Henry Ford rolled out his Model T, the race has been on to be the most modern, the most advanced, the quickest, the safest.  

How extraordinary, then, that a small, privately owned British car company, Bristol, has for 60 years turned its nose up at fashion and convention in favour of what some might see as archaic practices in car design. The styling is discreet, penned by aeroplane engineers rather than car designers. Bristol cars are an acquired taste:

“As a company, we have no interest in slavishly copying automotive fashion. We crave instead integrity of purpose and an unmatched level of engineering perfection. We pursue a mindset that designs and builds our cars with a useful life of many decades in mind. The labour hours to build a Bristol are four times more than those of any other specialist luxury cars. This we happily accept as the cost of perfection.”

From their origins as the Bristol Aeroplane Company, they have exhibited a certain Britishness that has always seen them through. Having embarked on a joint venture with car manufacturers AFN Ltd. in 1945, BAC Director HJ Aldington used his military connections to visit the bombed BMW plant in Munich several times that same year. He gathered detailed plans of BMW cars, no mean feat considering Munich was in the ‘American Zone’ and the plant was due to be dismantled and crated up for shipment to the USA. These plans were subsequently declared to be ‘war reparations’ by Aldington. The first car then, the 1947 Bristol 400, bore more than a passing resemblance to the pre-WW2 BMW 327. Cunning.

Their motto is ‘Nicely Understated. Never Underrated.’ However the V10 ‘Fighter’ (below) has brought Bristol into the 21st Century with an almighty bellow. Understated? Well, maybe not. But who cares. Its mental, it goes 210 mph and we love it.

I really enjoyed the BBC documentary last night focusing on the life and work of Australian designer Marc Newson.  If you missed it, bad luck. He has a captivating manner and, in spite of his astonishing creativity, was able to explain his motivations and passions in layman’s terms. He wasn’t dumbing down, but rather letting us all into his own little secret - that simplicity and function constitute the key to great design:

“People ask me where creativity happens. For me it’s about aspiring to something functional and then joining the dots. Creativity is the space between the dots."

The program, presented by Alan Yentob, was absorbing for a number of reasons. For a start, the breadth of Newson’s output - he has designed restaurants, boutiques, coat hangers, vibrators, surfboards, bottle openers, cars and marble tables. Furthermore, the guy is likeable. Despite his familiar Lockheed Lounge chairs (see below, one of only 13) going for up to £2.4m each, he remains down to earth and humble, a rarity for one with such prodigious talent. Newson has designed for Ford, Nike, G-Star, Dom Perignon, Alessi and many more. And on top of that he is currently Creative Director at Qantas Airlines and responsible for plane interiors and First Class lounges. If I win the lottery I’ll book a first class trip to Sydney for the soul purpose of immersing myself in his work.