This book’s author, Graham Hull, former designer of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, delves into the world of innovative vehicle design, and considers what makes some stand out from the crowd.
Regardless of production numbers, one litmus test is applied: Was the vehicle an exceptional design solution?
The 1911 Morgan three-wheeler, still in production 100 years on, proves the potency of an original concept. Be it for austerity, off-road, competition or social status, this book follows vehicle rationales where the backdrop is the power of creativity – individuals and teams rattling the cage of convention, and claiming their places in automotive history.
Whether Tyrrell’s four-wheel bogie, or Bond’s mechanical “pony”, such devices bear witness to ingenuity, and the world would be a poorer place without the striving of their creators.
Graham Hull’s original artwork captures the vehicles aesthetically, often technically, and also in action. Each chapter gives a sense of the commercial and social background of the design, considers its function and form, and features personal testimonies and anecdotes.
Graham Hull studied Industrial Design at Harrow School of Art, and the Central School
of Art and Design, London, sponsored by Chrysler UK, under Roy Axe, on the Royal College of Art Automotive Design course.
He joined Rolls-Royce and Bentley, based in Crewe, as a Stylist, in 1971, and became Chief Stylist and head of department in 1984. His career at Crewe spanned 30 years. Apart from all Crewe studio projects, he has worked with various consultants and design houses, on all manner of projects, including special limited-production orders, ranging from Head of State limousines, to two-seater sports cars.
Graham has worked in France, Germany, Italy and America, and his work has appeared in the international design press. In his spare time, he has been involved in three of his own project vehicles, has continued to illustrate cars, and has made several eighth-scale models.
BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE BOOK
• Compelling reading for students of design and automotive enthusiasts.
• 26 vehicle designs that broke new ground and defied convention.
• All the vehicles are now highly collectable.
• An experienced car designer’s visual, technical and social analysis.
• Over 80 original pieces of artwork by the author.
• Some vehicles were made in their millions, others as one-offs.
• From minimum transport solutions to radical racing cars.
• Examples of the marketplace “high-jacking” a vehicle in a way the original manufacturers never envisaged
• Examples of competition success leading to outlaw status.
• Shows that vehicular creativity acknowledges no national boundaries.
Check out two more new books for petrolheads – A Life In Car Design and Icon.
