Who is behind the luxury car designs?
While the names of designers of furniture, interiors and clothes, especially in the media today, are relatively common, almost no one talks about car designers. But when a new car type appears on the market, everybody discusses its appearance, the technology used and its driving characteristics. A few, however, actually think of a question: e.g. Who is specifically behind the unique design? A few, but we certainly do and we can introduce you to Frank Stephenson, a man who has created the appearance of many luxury cars.
Frank Stephenson – a design genius
An American car designer thanks to whom we can drive and admire such beautiful cars as Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, McLarens or the adorable Minis.
He was named as one of the most influential automobile designers of today. He originates from Morocco but he grew up in Turkey and in Spain. Just like everything else that involved cars after graduating he was involved in motocross racing, because motorcycles had been his passion since his childhood. Therefore, his next step led him to study car design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Which of his luxury cars can we be really grateful for?
He started at Ford, where he was responsible for the Ford Escort RS Cosworth and 11 years later when he was at BMW he designed the new Mini and the BMW X5.
He also cooperated with the Ferrari brand – as the creator of both the Maserati MC12 and the Ferrari F430. For the Fiat brand, he created the designs of the Punto and the Bravo.
He also worked for the Alfa Romeo brand and in 2008 he became the design director of the McLaren Automotive brand. Thereby he is responsible for the luxurious McLaren P1 (currently the fastest car) and also for the MP4-12C model.
“I’m looking for inspiration everywhere and I’m constantly sketching and never bored. Just walking along the sidewalk can bring me a lot of inspiration: I find it in the shapes of tiles and in their inscriptions. There’s always something to get one inspired.”
In May of this year, Frank Stephenson returned to BMW to work on the new Mini.
