Inspiration can come from anywhere, even the sailfish.
Designing a car is a delicate art. It is often influenced by strict regulations and capitalism. Many of the new cars today started life as ink on paper. Frank Stephenson is a car designer who may not be well-known, but his creations are. He designed the Maserati MC12 and Fiat 500, as well as the Ferrari F340. His latest video demonstrates his deep-diving design skills.
Stephenson stated that he looks at nature often for inspiration. The P1 was inspired by fast animals and the lack of excess material. He took their leanness and applied it to the P1 design, making it as tight as possible. The annoying problem of wind noise around A-pillar was also solved by nature. Biomimicry used biomimicry and a part of the sailfish to create wind noise. It took many attempts to find the solution.
Stephenson starts a new project by using a pen and paper. He draws the wheelbase and then fills in the rest. To improve visibility for the driver, he placed the P1’s cab forward on the chassis. He also made the car’s center point the highest point of its front end to make it easier to maneuver. Stephenson spoke out about how computers can take away the romance and human touch from car design.
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Stephenson wanted to get rid of the P1’s taillights. However, this is not practical for a car that will be driving on the road. Stephenson instead integrated the lights into the vehicle’s trailing edge, giving it a unique lighting signature. There are also front headlights that replicate the McLaren logo. Although computers, bean counters and demanding customers may dictate terms, car design remains an art form.