20 things that aren’t cars designed by car designers

Everybody is entitled to a day off. But what do car designers do when they’re not designing cars? Stick on your best polo neck sweater and grab a macchiato, because we’re about to find out. Here are 20 of our favourite things penned by automotive designers:

We start with the main course. Giorgetto Giugiaro (born 1938), the man famous for designing some of your favourite cars, was hired to design a new pasta. The Italian pasta company Voiello presented the designer with a list of technical requirements, and he presented 12 designs. This was in 1983, the year Fiat launched the Uno, one of Giugiaro’s greatest designs.

The Marille pasta failed. Reports suggest that this was due to poor sales and marketing, along with the length of time it took to cook. In a 1991 interview published on the ItalDesign website, Giugiaro said he owes “my popular fame to that pasta”.

Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999. He joined Centro Stile Fiat as a 17-year-old in 1956, before establishing ItalDesign in 1968 with three partners. The Lotus Esprit, Mk1 VW Golf and Fiat Panda are three of his most famous car designs.

As well as designing firearms, Giugiaro also turned his hand to watches. His relationship with Seiko began in the early ‘80s, when the watch giant asked him to design a collection of new watches for young motorcyclists and car drivers. The Seiko Speedmaster (pictured inset) was worn by Sigourney Weaver’s character in the 1986 film Aliens.

The Nikon F3 of 1980 was the first camera to feature electronic shutter control and an aperture-priority auto-exposure control mechanism. Other highlights included a single line LCD viewfinder display and an optional motor drive designed to work as an integral part of the camera body.

Giugiaro’s design influenced SLR cameras in the 1980s, with the Italian working on further cameras for the Japanese giant. The fact that Giugiaro was also involved in the design of the organ in Lausanne Cathedral suggests that he’s capable of hitting the high notes beyond the world of cars.

Marcello Gandini’s name is associated with some of the world’s finest cars. The Lamborghinis Miura, Countach and Diablo, Lancia Stratos, Fiat X1/9 and Citroën BX, to name just a few.

The Italian manufacturer Heli-Sport commissioned Gandini to work on the cockpit/cabin of the CH7 helicopter. It was marketed as the Angel, reportedly in recognition of Gandini’s work on the Diablo (Spanish for ‘Devil’).

Do you have a favourite truck? For readers of a certain age, we’d wager it would be a tussle between Giugiaro’s Scania GPRT (2-series) and Gandini’s Renault Magnum. The truck launched in 1990 as the AE Magnum, before the AE part was dropped in 1997.

It was a remarkable truck. Renault’s first with disc brakes, along with clever architecture enabling a flat floor cab and 1.87 metres of headroom at launch. The Magnum was named European Truck of the Year in 1991.

Even at the age of 95, the Austrian-born designer Tom Karen is showing no signs of slowing down. Arguably most famous for the Bond Bug and Reliant Scimitar GTE, Karen continues to design and build children’s toys from his home in Cambridge. We say ‘arguably’, because Karen’s influence extends beyond the world of cars.

The Raleigh Chopper – complete with central gear selector akin to that of an automatic-gearbox car - was the children’s bike of the 1970s. In an interview with The Guardian, Karen said of the large back wheel: “It symbolised the power going through the back, like a Formula One car.”

As managing director and chief designer at Ogle Design, Tom Karen was also responsible for the Aston Martin DBS-based Sotheby Special. Of the many unique features, the Montreal Expo ’72 show car featured a back seat designed for one, and a bank of 22 taillights at the back.

He also designed the Marble Run game for Kiddicraft. In an interview with Rebecca Mileham, he said: “I am perhaps more proud of doing the marble run than any car; it’s a great product.”

Innocenti commissioned Nuccio Bertone (1914-1997) to redesign the GP range of scooters. Badged GP (Grand Prix) in the UK, the Lambretta was known as the DL in most other markets. Bertone wanted to move away from the chrome-laden scooters of old and presented a look that was more in keeping with the era (the GP/DL scooters were produced from 1969 until 1971).

The scooter pictured features the GP logo on the leg shield. Legend has it that the ink splat on the DL was a result of Bertone throwing down in his pen in frustration following a disagreement with Signor Innocenti.

At Ford, Patrick Le Quément was responsible for the Sierra and Cargo truck. At Renault, the list includes the Twingo, Avantime, Vel Satis, Mégane and Scénic. At Renault, he became the first car designer to report directly to the president of an automotive group.

He left the automotive industry in 2009, before establishing his own design consultancy in 2010. One of his first projects was to design the 5X catamaran for Outremer. The 60ft yacht was named European Yacht of the Year in 2013.

Pick your favourite design of Walter de Silva (born 1951). Alfa Romeo 156? VW Golf Mk7? VW Up? If it’s the Audi A5, you’re in good company, as de Silva said it was the most beautiful car he oversaw. But what about life away from the automotive industry?

Say hello (or should that be cheese?) to the Leica M9 Titanium. Limited to 500 cameras worldwide, the special edition featured Nappa leather typical of Audi interiors of the time. It cost a cool £20,000.

Walter de Silva retired as Volkswagen’s head of design in 2015, 17 years after he joined as Seat’s design chief. VW’s then-CEO, Matthias Müller, said: “Walter de Silva epitomises creativity and the Italian sense of beauty and style on the one hand and thoroughness, a systematic approach and discipline on the other.”

He has designed lights for the Italian company Performance iN Lighting, and hosted an exhibition of household objects, including a desk lamp. His foray into the world of industrial design also includes Poltrona Frau’s Luft chair, the Codice Icona CON-TATTO table and a range of products for Nicola Trussardi.

Frank Stephenson (born 1959) boasts a formidable resumé. The rebooted Mini and Fiat 500, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Ferrari F430 and a slew of McLarens, to name a few. You’d be tempted to sit back and reflect on a job well done. In 2011, having designed the McLaren MP14-12C, he turned his hand to a watch.

He said: “I love watches and have always wanted to design one myself. The TAG Heuer MP4 12-C Chronograph was a particularly interesting project as we have combined our passion for precision technology, engineering and performance and included some of the most outstanding design features and materials that can be found on the MP4-12C.”

Lowie Vermeersch (born 1974) is one of the lesser-known car designers, but you’ll certainly be familiar with his work. The Flemish designer penned the FF, California and 458 for Ferrari, along with the Maserati Birdcage 75th concept car.

As design director at Pininfarina, he oversaw the redesign of the exteriors and interiors of Eurostar’s E320 trains, trains specifically designed to travel at very high speeds between London, Paris and other parts of northern Europe via the Channel Tunnel. “We wanted to focus on creating a very pleasant experience to travel in, with a lot of attention to the personal environment, and to be able to adapt the space to relax or work in.” Vermeersch also designed the Beast snow groomer for Prinoth.

Ron Hickman (1932-2011) may have died, but his legacy lives on. Indeed, the South Africa designer and inventor was responsible for two iconic, but very different products. Hired by Colin Chapman to work on the Lotus Elite, Hickman made his name working alongside John Frayling on the Elan sports car.

Having left Lotus in 1967, Hickman formed his own design company, where he developed the Black & Decker Workmate foldable workbench (pictured). He earned a royalty of £1 on each one sold; at one point the Workmate was selling at a rate of 15,000 per day.

Few, if any, car designers embraced the concept of ‘retrofuturism’ quite like J. Mays. At VW, he penned the New Beetle and Audi TT, while at Ford he designed the 2001 Forty-Nine concept, the 2002 Thunderbird, fourth-gen Mustang and Flex.

In 2018, J. Mays joined US home appliances giant Whirlpool Corporation as vice president and chief design officer. He will retire at the end of 2021.

Stéphane Schwarz (born 1966) was named design director of Nissan Design Europe in 2004. He joined the company in 1994, working on concept cars and the Primera. He’s most famous for his work on the first-generation Qashqai. His brief for the crossover was to ‘Design a car for people who are tired and bored with traditional functionality.’

Today, Schwarz collaborates with car manufacturers and design houses on a range of products. His experience extends to the marine and aviation industries, watches and this remarkable teapot.

Following the departure of Chris Bangle in 2009, Adrian van Hooydonk (born 1964) became design director for the entire BMW Group. By then, he had penned everything from the BMW 7 Series (E65) to the M1 Hommage concept.

In 2003, the American company Emeco stumbled across a long-lost chair from 1951. Adrian van Hooydonk was drafted in to create a new version of the 1951 original. The designer said working on the chair was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.

Professor Gerry McGovern OBE (born 1956) boasts a formidable CV. Rover 200 Coupé, MG F, Land Rover Freelander, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque, to name a few. He’s the current chief creative officer at Jaguar Land Rover.

A keen cyclist, McGovern worked on the Range Rover Evoque Concept Road Bike. He said: “I wanted to create an indispensable accessory for the Range Rover Evoque, and what could be more perfect than the modern, beautiful, bespoke bike Evoque.”

Giovanni Michelotti (1921-1980) is one of the unsung heroes of the car design world. It’s no surprise that the Italian was drafted in to work on designs for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia and Maserati, but Michelotti also left his mark on the British car industry.

He was responsible for several Triumph cars in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Herald, GT6, Spitfire, Dolomite and Stag. Michelotti also designed the Leyland National bus (pictured) for British Leyland.

Flavio Manzoni (born 1965) is the director of the Ferrari Design Centre. The Italian has dozens of cars to his name, including the Ferrari LaFerrari, 488, Monza SP1 and Roma. He also designed the Lancia Thesis, Seat Tango and the stunning Fulvia Coupé concept of 2003.

In 2011, Ferrari teamed up with Hublot to create a series of watches. Manzoni points to the dashboard of a 1959 California and the air vents on the GTC4 Lusso as inspirations for the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT watch.