IED collaborates with McLaren to create the crossovers of 2020

The 33, third-year post-diploma Transportation Design students were briefed by McLaren Automotive design director, Frank Stephenson, to create a car capable of 'combining sports excellence, driving thrills and the McLaren performance characteristics both off- and on-road'.

"McLaren Automotive's plans are wholly based on two-seat, mid-engined performance cars," explained Stephenson. "But I was fascinated to hear and see the students' solutions to this project."

Of the 33 initial proposals, 11 were selected for further development, with the students working in groups of three to create interior and exterior designs, each presented in 3D animations. Three finalists were then chosen, of which 1:4 scale models were built:

Torok
Michel di Marco, Andrea Invernizzi and Shariq Virani
Formed of extreme intersections of concave and convex surfaces, the Torok has a distinctly aquatic aesthetic. Its DRG is unconventional thanks to its lack of obvious lighting, while the trademark McLaren 'tick' is picked up in various details, such as its front air intakes. Perhaps its most striking feature is the fully glazed canopy, with its concave windscreen surface. The stark interior features a holographic navigation display in the center of the IP.

Bio Renovatio
Salvatore Cutaia, Vasily Kurkov and Jesus Adrian Solis Garcia
This project balances an SUV stance with a lightweight aesthetic that McLaren is famous for thanks to its outboard wheel – which feature combined fairings and lighting units – as well as a stratified, glazed canopy. There are shades of the seminal F1 in the roof-mounted air intake and the DLO. Metallic detailing mixes with understated fabrics in the interior, which also features a pair of helmets behind the super-thin seats.

Holon
Emanuele Mattia Nava, Federico Pischedda and Roberto Testolin
As with all projects, Holon, by Nava, Peschedda and Testolin features McLaren's MonoCell carbon fiber tub, which it displays as it pierces through the contrasting white bodywork. The lower front graphic is reminiscent of the upcoming MP4-12C, while the hood blends into the winscreen and roof surfaces.

"The Istituto Europeo di Design was very keen to collaborate again with McLaren Automotive," said César Mendoza, Director of IED Turin. "As with our previous design study a few years ago, it has certainly contributed to raising the students' professional outlook, as it required that each team clearly defined the position of each specific feature within the project as a whole."

The models are on display at IED in Turin.

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By Owen Ready