The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena is arguably the world's leading automotive design school. So when I was invited to participate in a class, the first consideration was not what am I going to wear, but what am I going to drive? After all, I'm going to be talking with tomorrow's design leaders.
Of all the cars in the Inside Line fleet, the 2009 BMW 750i seemed the most logical, given that the last two BMW design chiefs were Art Center graduates: Chris Bangle ('81) and current head of design Adrian van Hooydonk ('92). (Maybe this was why there was a reserved, curbside parking spot for me when I arrived?)
While BMW was not the focus of the outside class, the Bimmer's stance gradually sucked in the attention of the designers-in-waiting. They walked around, peered inside the cabin and one gently traced the lines of the hood with his finger, for added sensory training. Either that or it was a not-so-subtle reminder to head to the car wash next.
Class instructor David O'Connell, former head of Mitsubishi Motors Design, abandoned his lesson plan and joined his students, as did Stewart Reed, the school's chair of transportation design, for an impromptu walk-around.
Nearly two hours passed while the car was inspected from headlamps to lip spoiler. Finally, it was time to say good bye. Pulling out of the tree-lined hillside campus, I couldn't help but sense that Art Center is the 750i's spiritual home.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @18,669 miles
texases says:
03:24 PM, 10/ 8/09
And the consensus was??
subaru123 says:
03:26 PM, 10/ 8/09
Kelly you are so lucky you got this oppurtunity. I wish I worked for Insideline.
And will there ever be links (arrows) added to a long term's vehicle archive so we can see previous posts? And what's up with this "Add a comment | No HTML or JavaScript allowed. URLs will not be hyperlinked."
subaru123 says:
03:27 PM, 10/ 8/09
I also see paragraph spacing wasn't added. Why can't you guys keep the old Inside Line up so the people who actually enjoyed that version can still use it.
sylvia says:
03:38 PM, 10/ 8/09
@subaru123 - if you have questions or comments on the new design, please ask at http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2009/10/welcome-to-the-new-inside-line.html#comments
Thanks!
subaru123 says:
04:03 PM, 10/ 8/09
@sylvia
I've read that post several times and all I got from it is give it time, which I will. Hopefully all of the kinks are worked out by 2010. But as of right now this site reminds me of Chris Bangle. All but a few hated his work but when the next non Bangle redesign came out everyone was praising Bangle for his styling. Maybe I'll love Insideline 2.0 when 3.0 comes out if it ever does but as of right now I like the original Insideline.
hybris says:
04:47 PM, 10/ 8/09
Call me evil but I wish now more than ever that you guys had a H1 Alpha to drive.
All the better to make the future of cars brighter by showing the youth of today the beauty of the boxy unique H1 compared with the cloned aerodynamic blobs like Civics/Camrys/Prius and alot of todays cars.
territorious says:
05:00 PM, 10/ 8/09
Call me crazy, but I have no idea why someone would drive a car such as the BMW 750i to The Art Center College of Design. While it may be better than the last generation, I find it hard to believe that anyone would call the current 7 series a beautiful car. It still looks portly and has front and rear designs that only a mother could love. -
I understand why you chose a BMW as you explained but still can't wrap my head around why anyone would show up to a design school in any of the three BMW's that you have in your stable. Why not choose something that has some great design going on that obviously reflects a new design direction or benchmark. Why not the Audi S5 (praised by many as one of the most beautiful cars on the road) and the Chevrolet Camaro SS (it's iconic and distinctive style are the main driving factors for its great sales).
territorious says:
05:00 PM, 10/ 8/09
Call me crazy, but I have no idea why someone would drive a car such as the BMW 750i to The Art Center College of Design. While it may be better than the last generation, I find it hard to believe that anyone would call the current 7 series a beautiful car. It still looks portly and has front and rear designs that only a mother could love. -
I understand why you chose a BMW as you explained but still can't wrap my head around why anyone would show up to a design school in any of the three BMW's that you have in your stable. Why not choose something that has some great design going on that obviously reflects a new design direction or benchmark. Why not the Audi S5 (praised by many as one of the most beautiful cars on the road) and the Chevrolet Camaro SS (it's iconic and distinctive style are the main driving factors for its great sales).
mikeolan says:
05:46 PM, 10/ 8/09
"David O'Connell, former head of Mitsubishi Motors Design " This is either a compliment or an insult depending on what years....
super_ongoy says:
05:38 AM, 10/ 9/09
@Tortoise: I think driving this car to the school was an intelligent choice. The new 7 seems like it's just an evolved form of what Chris Bangle started. Without pretending to be an expert in car design, I dare say Bangle's BMWs are the most copied and influential design in recent years. From current Camries to various Volvos all copied lines and elements from his design. When you stand next to a 7 series bimmer, you will appreciate its presence (both last and current gen models). I hated how it looked in picture but when I stood next to one in a showroom, I was interested enough to test drive one. While I agree that the S5 would have been a fine choice, I still think BMWs are more relavant (although I see more companies copying Audi's LED lamp designs in recent years).