Driving Design: Breaking into the Biz
August 3, 2004
Design competitions for would-be automotive stylists are nothing new. Whether
sponsored by the late, lamented Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild or by the various
colleges around the world that offer transportation design curricula, these
contests provide opportunities for the young men and women who will create
tomorrow’s cars to stretch creatively and hone their professional skills by
presenting their work to judges with years of experience in the industry.
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Dixon Tong’s winning entry. (Courtesy Academy of Art University, click to
enlarge)A
recent competition at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University differed
somewhat from standard practice. Rather than working on a theme chosen by
representatives of a major automotive manufacturer, students from the academy’s
car design program—which started in 1996 as an offshoot of its industrial design
department—were given their design brief by members of a car club—the Iso
Bizzarrini Owners Club (IBOC). The club also provided the awards and a majority
of the 10 judges.
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The classic Iso Grifo Series II,
regarded by some as the quintessential Iso. (Photo by Scott Williamson; automobile courtesy Buddy Pepp, click to enlarge)The marque chosen for the competition presented some
unusual challenges for the eight students who submitted designs, according to
Tom Matano, former director of global advanced design for Mazda and head of the
academy’s auto design school since 2002. “Iso cars never had a real brand
identity except for their grilles,” he says. “They had too short a time to
develop design cues of their own.”
That is something of an understatement. In
the decade between 1964 and 1974, Iso produced some 1,800 cars in four body
styles. The first, called the Iso Rivolta, was a four-place grand tourer that
concealed its superb performance and handling abilities under a conservative
skin; it was followed by the Grifo, a two-passenger competitor for Ferraris of
the day, the sleek four-door Fidia, and the final Lele. All but the last Leles
were powered by Chevrolet V-8 engines. Sadly, Isos have been assigned a more
obscure place in automotive history than they deserve.
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