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Video: Chris Bangle delivers “Empowerment: Design without Designers” talk at Creative Mornings/London

Chris Bangle – the undisputed front man of car design – needs little introduction, so the prospect of the former BMW Design Director and now founder of Chris Bangle Associates giving a talk in our home town of London was too good to pass up. His presentation (which you can watch in full in the video to the left) touched on his time at BMW, but was more focused on the idea of empowering others to create: "design without you in the middle", as Bangle says. From the story of the co-creation of the staircase in his Italian studio to the idea of encouraging people to think about their culture when designing, his philosophies transcend disciplines.

Porsche 918 RSR

Following an absence of four years from the NAIAS, Porsche had been promising an all new concept to its North American contigency. The 918 RSR is exactly that. Evolving from the 2010 918 Spyder concept shown in Geneva, the RSR stays true to the overall theme of the Spyder but adds a roof and race-specific elements.

BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé revealed ahead of debut at 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

The BMW Gran Lusso Coupe by Pininfarina revealed ahead of Villa d’Este Or at least it still does if you expect the new 8 Series to look like a two-door version of the next generation 7 Series, rather than a completely individual model like the old 8 Series. Underpinning the Gran Lusso Coupe is the same platform the 7 Series uses and the same V12 from the 760i, which makes it both easier to bolt the Gran Lusso together and imagine it as future production model. The exterior of the Gran Lusso looks a bit like a coachbuilt version of a big BMW coupe, with most of the BMW design cues intact – if sharpened somewhat – with short overhangs and a long wheelbase.