Coventry University Transport Design Degree Show 2003

The 2003 show, entitled 'Exhibitionists' celebrated the conclusion of either three or four years of study, depending on whether the BA Hons or MDes study routes have been followed.

New this year was an additional Industry Night to launch the opening of the Bugatti Building, a recently completed £2 million full-size vehicle modelling suite, 3D-design research laboratory and virtual presentation theatre within the School of Art and Design.

Senior industry representatives at the opening nights included Anthony Grade (Vice President, Renault Design), Ian Callum (Design Director, Jaguar), Steve Mattin (Senior Manager, Mercedes), Julian Thomson (Chief Designer, Jaguar Advanced Design), Russell Carr (Chief Designer, Lotus), Chris Clements (Chief Designer, Ford), Ian Cameron (Chief Designer, Rolls-Royce), Gerhardt Friedrich (Head of Series Realisation, BMW) and Matthias Marquardt (Head of Aerodynamics, BMW).

With 34 graduating students on the long-running BA (Hons) Degree in Transport Design, plus over 30 graduates on the new MDes in Transport Design, the Show is the largest in Europe for automotive design graduates. Although the final projects are individually chosen by the students in collaboration with staff, this year’s themes focused heavily on super luxury concepts, American cars and fashion labels as car brands.

Kicking off the super luxury concepts was Dominic Najafi’s re-examination of Bentley’s design language. Taking cues from both vintage racers and the current Le Mans cars, he proposed a Bentley 4-door coupe for the 21st Century with a vast 4200mm wheelbase. The complex razor-edged surfaces and use of areas of body-colour tinted glass give an unmistakable nobility to the design which was enhanced by use of a characteristic soft green body colour.

Also displayed was a Bentley powerboat by Lisa Reeves which was modelled entirely using ALIAS software and had been finished with the collaboration of Bentley Motors. The W12-engined luxury dayboat took its inspiration from the 1920s speedboats of Bentley racer Woolfe Barnato, although the concept was entirely modern in its use of jet propulsion, carbon-fibre hull and bespoke luxury materials.

A Rolls-Royce 2-seat tourer was the work of Michael de Bono. The elegant design develops the typical Rolls-Royce front face with a new aerodynamic active-grille device that has been successfully tested in BMW’s wind tunnel in Munich. The top section of the grille steps back to create a vortex which drastically reduces drag on this uncompromising, iconic form. The body sides also introduce subtle negative sections reminiscent of BMW’s current flame surfacing technique but in a subtle, more discreet fashion. As a final touch, the seats fold up to seal off the cockpit as a tonneau cover.

A further BMW project was the 40% scale model of a future limousine interior by German student Julia Ebeling. She had taken the theme of 'dematerialised forms' with minimal structures in aluminium or carbon fibre for main structural elements with additional pneumatic membranes in the seats. The cushions inflate to suit individual body sizes within sporty or luxury modes as required. The design was also notable for its ventilation concept inspired by the burrows of prairie dogs. The major electronic modules are repackaged from the hot underdash environment to beneath the seats where the outgoing cabin air is drawn by underfloor air extraction vents.

Continuing the luxury theme was an Audi Grand Tourer by Leslie Lau which used simple surfaces to define a future two-seat GT for wealthy Europeans – in this case using a mid-mounted diesel V8 biturbo with quattro drivetrain. Unusual details include a new interlocking motif for the grille texture and a wooden rear deck evoking luxury yachts.

Alex Chan was one of several students to choose an American theme for his degree project. His Lincoln coupe used simple, sharp-edged body sections relieved by recessed surfaces and facetted openings such as hood scoops, front fender outlets and front grille to help ‘contain’ the surfaces.