A fun afternoon at Car Classic 2017 (Photo – ©ArtCenter College of Design/Juan Posada).
For one not versed in the details of car design, the 2017 Car Classic at Art Center, October 22, presented a disorienting, if not dizzying, selection of cars from the early years of the industry, gas guzzlers of the fifties, prototypes of futures vehicles, and everything in between and beyond. The theme of this years was red, white, and blue–a celebration of Italian, American, and French design.
By Garrett Rowlan
Such a collection required a perspective from the grassy hill of Sinclaire Pavilion to see how the cars were arrayed in layers of flag-like stripes, east to west. From above was the only perspective that gave clarity when one was, otherwise, feeling shuttled in a time machine from prohibition-era stalwarts (a 1939 Bentley, 1936 MG) to electric motor-driven prodigies such as the Faraday Future Zero 1, a car that looked more suited to interplanetary travel than to the local supermarket. I would have not been surprised to see a car that had flown down from the stars.
The stars that did appear were the demigods of the design world, as when Jay Leno interviewed Jason Castriota (Ford), Miguel Galluzzi (Ducati), and Tom Peters (GM) on the main stage. Leno, after a jocund remark about the shaky structure of the high chair on which he perched, noted that he had spoken to Chinese students in Beijing who didn’t have the heritage connection with cars as westerners, and as a result they tended to design vehicles with no wheels, or flying pods, though to my perspective the futuristic bent of the exhibit suggested such a context-challenged approach might not be so far-fetched. In conversation, Peters opined that ours was the golden age of car design, Castriota spoke of today’s “dynamic landscape” in car design, and Galluzzi praised the relative freedom of motorcycle design, at least in his experience with Ducati. Another celebrity was Dave Kunz, the car reporter for KABC, who had been used to covering the event in July, only to find this October day to have July-like weather.
ArtCenter Car Classic 2017 (Photo – ©ArtCenter College of Design/Juan Posada).
The four wheel stars
The real stars, however, had four wheels, and unlike Hollywood the older models got the most attention. Around the polished vintage cars (though a few had not fully escaped the ravages of time) people poised, took selfies, and otherwise angled themselves for the perfect shot of the sleek, polished, and sun-drenched VIPs. At times, the camera-ready crowd seemed like paparazzi at a premiere.
Yet there was a human angle too, as when Kunz—who wandered, mike-in-hand across the lot—was told by Dave Marek, in transportation design, that his job was to encourage students to find their strength and, within that discovery, “you can do anything.”
Determination was also apparent in the talk given by Sasha Selipanov, a 2005 grad and current Head of Advanced Design for Genesis, who told a standing-room-only crowd in the Hyundai-Kia Innovation Lab, of how he (with his family) had escaped poverty in Russia, graduated from Art Center, and parlayed his fascination with sketching Ferraris into a successful career.
And even in the less-traveled student lair behind Sinclaire Pavilion, where pencil-welding artists sketched the cars arrayed below, one student, Ming He, displayed a 3D mock-up of a beetle-like car that had been constructed largely with coat hangers. Whatever innovations were displayed below, more were certain to come.
Car Classic 2017 theme this years was red, white, and blue–a celebration of Italian, American, and French design (Photo – ©ArtCenter College of Design/Juan Posada).
Judging
The perspective of the exhibit extended to the judging, and the ten categories in which winners were selected included American (Classics, Performance, Special Interest), Italian (Motorcycle, Exotic, Special Interest), French and Ferrari.
It was an excellent afternoon of design dazzle, and would well act at a prelude for ArtCenter Transportation Design program’s 70th anniversary, coming next year.
ArtCenter Car Classic 2017 Winners
Team: Italian – Motorcycles, Lead Judge: Miguel Galluzzi.
Judges: Marek Djordjevic, Franz von Holzhausen and Geoff Wardle.
- Choice 1:
1929 Henderson Model KJ
Owner: Paul Greenstein - Choice 2:
1976 Morbidelli-Benelli ARMI 125 VR Grand Prix Racer
Owner: Philippe De Lespinay
Team: Other Colors – Lead Judge: Ian Cartabiano.
Judges: Ken Saward and Bradley Arnold.
- Choice 1: Classic
1936 MG SA Saloon
Owner: David Spiegel - Choice 2: Performance
1958 Morgan 4/4
Owner: Larry Guzin - Choice 3: Special Interest
1938 Bentley 4.25 L Special Roadster
Owner: Gary Wales - Honorable mention:
1951 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster, Roger Zrimec
owner: Strother MacMinn
Team: American Classics – Lead Judge: Frank Saucedo.
Judges: Chuck Pelly, Dave Marek.
- Choice 1:
1953 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe by Ghia
Owner: Petersen Automotive Museum - Choice 2:
1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Continental Cabriolet
Owner: Beverly and Ronald Cressey
Team: American Performance – Lead Judge: Derek Jenkins.
Judges: Jonathan Ward, Jason Castriota and Richard Pietruska.
- Choice 1:
1955 Chevrolet Corvette
Owner: Paul and Sherrill Colony - Choice 2:
1966 Shelby GT-350
Owner: Craig Kuromi
Team: American Special Interest – Lead Judge: Chris Chapman
Judges: Tom Peters and Fireball Tim Lawrence.
- Choice 1:
Blastolene “Blown Ranger” Fairchild XFR0001 Roadster
Owner: Michael Leeds - Choice 2:
1936 Ford Pickup Custom
Owner: Joe Magliato
Team: French – Lead Judge: Jae Min
Judges: Sasha Selipanov, John Sahs and Jason Hill.
- Choice 1: Classic
1976 Renault Alpine A110B
Owner: James Selevan - Choice 2: Performance
1981 Renault R5 Turbo 1
Owner: Bruce Milner - Choice 3: Special Interest
1949 Voisin Biscooter Prototype
Owner: Scott Boses
Team: Italian – Ferraris, Lead Judge: Freeman Thomas
Judges: Rich Plavetich, John Krsteski and Dennis Campbell.
- Choice 1:
Year: 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica
Owner: Donnie Crevier - Choice 2:
1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Euro
Owner: Bella Classics, Inc. - Choice 3:
1990 Ferrari F40 Coupe
Owner: Rick Principe - Choice 4:
1951 Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta by Touring
Owner: Don and Carol Murray
Team: Italian – Exotic/Sport/GT, Lead Judge: Richard Kim
Judges: Christopher Rhoades, Kevin Hunter.
- Choice 1:
1976 Lamborghini LP400
Owner: Chuck Gayton - Choice 2:
1955 Fiat 8V Zagato Berlinetta
Owner: Milani Classics Collection - Choice 3:
1969 De Tomaso Mangusta
Owner: Erik Goplen
Team: Italian – Special Interest, Lead Judge: Miguel Galluzzi
Judges: Marek Djordjevic, Franz von Holzhausen and Geoff.
- Choice 1:
1927 Lancia Lambda 7th Series Airway
Owner: The Byrd Family - Choice 2:
1958 Fiat Multipla
Owner: Rudy Pock - Designer’s Choice
– 1960 Chevrolet Cunningham Corvette Le Mans Roadster
Owner: Bruce Meyer (Tom Kenney accepting)
– 1932 Bugatti Type 55
Owner: Peter and Merle Mullin – Mullin Automotive Museum
– 1972 Citroen DS 21 Pallas
Owner: Po Shun Leong
– 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Owner: David SK Lee
– 1962 Fiat/Abarth 1000 Coupe
Owner: Thomas Shaughnessy
– 1957 BMW Isetta
Owner: Bruce Heavin
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