“As designers it is important we understand the philosophy behind a product before ever putting pen to paper,” Page said as he spoke about the Scandinavian design ethos and highlighted three main aspects – authority, creativity and activity – to show how the region’s culture, architecture and lifestyle provided the inspiration for the design. Fortunately the concept adorned the lawns on the 19th Century Villa di Bagno, where Autostyle attendees had occasion to appreciate the sheer beauty of the car under natural light.
Clearly the interior is Page’s focus, and he drew a wonderful picture depicting his philosophy for creating the Concept Coupe’s luxurious cabin. “I always start with a simple character; clean, clear lines and then add three or four standout details.” The Volvo team achieved this through the use of premium quality materials — many of which are native to Scandinavia, such as the driftwood and crystal elements — jewel-like touch pieces, and by citing the company’s heritage through its detailing.
Alfredo and Maria Paola Stola’s presentation revolved around a project their company created for Mercedes-Benz. StudioTorino has had a relationship with the German carmaker since 1994.
The collaboration started following a meeting in Detroit last year, when Alfredo Stola met with Head of Mercedes Advanced Design Stefan Kohl and began discussing a project to devise an exclusive coupe based on the SL platform. Six design students from Italy’s Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design (IAAD) undertook the project and created proposals for what would be called the CoupeTorino.
Working closely with StudioTorino and the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Como, Italy, the proposals — each with a new grille design, DLO shapes and bodyside treatments — were presented to Kohl at the 2012 Paris motor show and the final model was chosen to be created in quarter scale.
Maria Paola spoke about how welcome the designers at the Mercedes studio made her and the students feel, highlighting what would become a resounding theme throughout the conference — the human aspect of design. Alessandro Maccolini later picked up the theme when speaking about the design development of the Alfa Romeo 4C.
Maccolini’s presentation highlighted the history of the Alfa Romeo brand, taking delegates through the iconic 33 Stradale designed by Franco Scaglione in 1967. “It was a beautiful inspiration for the project,” he said, “And it is still relevant today.”
The dynamic and technical elements were the foremost priority in the 4C’s design, Maccolini said, and only after they had been carefully considered did the exterior design begin to take shape. He described the process through a series of slides of sketches and models and stated that none of the 4C’s design elements were done for show: “Nothing is in ‘style’, it is all functional.”
Drawing on Lamborghini’s design director Filippo Perini’s previous Autostyle presentation — where he spoke about Lamborghini’s all-digital design process — Maccolini explained how clay was the preferred choice for fine-tuning the 4C’s surfaces and cited the importance of touching the model and refining its design by hand. “When possible we always do a model in clay,” he said. “If Filippo Perini were here today we would have had another lengthy discussion about this.”
Just as Page had illustrated the night before, Maccolini spoke about the few ingredients in the interior design and the desire to keep the cabin clear and uncluttered, devoid of extraneous detailing to keep the driver focused on the road.
