Exclusive: Frank Stephenson to become Design Director at McLaren

Thanks to our contacts in the automotive design community, we've become aware that Frank Stephenson, who until recently was Director of Design at Alfa Romeo, will be taking on a new role as Design Director at McLaren. "McLaren is pleased to confirm that Frank Stephenson will shortly join as Design Director," a company spokesperson told CDN, but would not reveal additional details. Stephenson was not prepared to comment.

Aston Martin Rapide Luxe revealed

The Aston Martin Rapide Luxe For some reason Aston Martin has decided that they need to offer a new trim level on the Rapide – the Aston Martin Rapide Luxe. Which, if this were a rather more prosaic car, we’d understand. You need to define for the punter the pecking order within a range, and you need an excuse to extract a few bob more in the showroom.

CCS Ford Model T project

This past semester, eleven junior-level College for Creative Studies (CCS) Transportation Design students were asked to reinterpret an automotive icon: the Ford Model T. Over the course of the 16-week semester the students created 11 different concepts for a Model T for the future without forgetting the underlying principle - creating an icon that would have equal significance and social impact like the 100 year old original.   On April 30 each of the students presented their research, sketches, renderings and one- quarter scale models judged by Peter Horbury, Ford Executive Director of Design, The Americas and Pat Schiavone, Ford's Design Director for North America Trucks and CUVs. The winning concept, which the judges thought best embodied the spirit, innovation and sociological impact equal to that of the original Model T, was created by Dong Tran, of Cicero, New York.