According to Hyman Ltd, there were only twenty-six Ghia L6.4s made.  Each one was specially built for its customer — usually a celebrity, an industrialist or a Hollywood star.  This particular example was delivered to singer Dean Martin. It was then subtly customized by George Barris — whose influence can be found in the lozenge-shaped headlamps. Power comes from a 335hp Chrysler 383 cubic inch V-8 with TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission.

From a designer’s point of view, this car is a masterpiece.  The proportion of the body communicates luxury and exclusivity — similar to the way a Lincoln Mark II does.  The chrome detailing throughout is exquisite — from the inset taillamp cans to the individual rings around the gauges. One would expect visuals like these to be accompanied by the rich, almost intoxicating smell of old leather.  A thick, metallic sound when the door closes.  Indeed, this car is completely unrestored, and doesn’t need any work.  It’s hard to look at the images below and feel anything but envy…

All images and information via Hyman Ltd.

Marc Newson is acknowledged by most of us as a very influential product designer. Right up there with the likes of Karim Rashid, Michael Graves, Philippe Starck and others.  His unique, pop aesthetic makes his work instantly recognizable.  So if he suddenly turned around and designed a car, you would expect it to look like a Marc Newson automobile.  The 021C, by all accounts, is most definitely that. But a closer look at the car reveals some interesting design choices — choices that a seasoned car designer might not bother entertaining.

Some people may be tempted to dismiss the 021C as a Marc Newson dish drainer on wheels.  But the simple forms and lozenge lamp shapes are quite appropriate for Ford in particular. A quick glance at the Ford design lineage reveals a tendency towards simple, encapsulated graphics, and an almost product-like approach in surfacing:

In the years following the 021C project, Ford’s concept vehicles took on a slightly more product-oriented appearance in terms of surfacing and detailing.  One could argue that a fresh perspective from the outside helped to kick off this new approach:

Image credits: netcarshow.com

This is how we know the car.  The following names were submitted by Ms. Moore:

And finally, my personal favorite:

“The Edsel Timeline”  The Edsel Pages.  1998-2004  Web.  11 May 2012

“Edsel”  Wikipedia.  11 May 2012   Web.  11 May 2012

As an interior designer, one of the biggest challenges I face is the constant increase of features.  An automotive interior is like an ergonomic jigsaw puzzle — finding a home for all of the features offered can be quite a task;  one that takes patience and a knowledge of ergonomics.  Additionally, interior designers may look for ways to consolidate and simplify the features, both to streamline the interface and the look of the interior.  But too often, these efforts end up confusing the customers (see the BMW iDrive)  and over time, result in their frustration.

However, the interior designers for the 1958 Edsel came up with an ingenious way to consolidate interior features — in this case, the climate controls.  Rather than explain it myself, I’ll quote directly from the Edsel literature:

“Dial-temp is the most convenient, easiest-to-operate fresh air heating and ventilating system ever put in any automobile.  One simple control makes all the adjustments, (and) eliminates a confusing array of knobs and levers.”

In addition to consolidating climate controls, the Dial-temp system itself is quite space efficient.  Most dials have a needle that rotates between static blocks of text. Here, the process is inverted.  The needle remains stationary, and the text rotates with the dial (conveniently, the engaged function always reads right-side up).  So there is no need to take up space outside the dial with blocks of text.

It would be quite simple to employ an idea like this in today’s auto interiors — especially where electronic climate control systems are concerned.  When I bring up the Dial-temp system among my designer friends, all I get are blank looks — even from the older ones.  I guess so much was wrong with the 1958 Edsel, that this one clever design solution got lost in all the drama.  Fortunately, what is old in design can often be new again.  So maybe, someday, the Dial-temp system will get another shot (hopefully in a less polarizing product).

All images credited to the Imperial Web Pages

All images credited to the Imperial Web Pages