Car design is fickle art. The hand of capitalism and strict regulations often guide it. However, even then, many of today’s new cars start life as ink on paper. That’s true for car designer Frank Stephenson, who may not be known, but his creations are: the Maserati MC12, the Fiat 500, and the Ferrari F340, to name a few. He also designed the McLaren P1, which is the subject of his latest deep dive design video.
Stephenson said he often looks to nature for inspiration, and that was true for the P1, observing fast animals and how they lack excess material. They’re slim, and he took that idea and applied it to the P1’s design, making it look as “tight” as possible. Nature also helped solve the annoying wind noise problem around the A-pillar, using biomimetics to replicate part of the sailfish on the stems of the side mirror to reduce wind noise. It took several attempts to find a solution.
When Stephenson starts a new project, start with a pen and paper and draw the wheelbase before completing the rest of the design. For the P1, he wanted the cab to be placed forward on the chassis to improve driver visibility, and he made the center of the wheels the highest point at the front of the car to help drivers maneuver the supercar. Stephenson mentioned how computers take away the romance and human touch of car design.
One of the most eye-catching features of the P1 is the taillights, which Stephenson wanted to remove, although that’s not practical for a road car. Instead, Stephenson integrated the lights into the rear edge of the vehicle to give it a unique lighting signature. Then there are the headlights that mimic the look of the McLaren logo. Computers, bean counters, and picky customers often dictate the terms, but car design remains an art form.
