Iterations?

Now I am going to start a little series on this blog all about car design. If you have read my most recent post you would have already heard my slightly synical opinions of new Range and Land Rovers. However, that was more about finding a product that translates my feelings about design context. Now I am just going to talk about car design.

So for a bit of background about this post, I want to talk about design iterations and why they happen. I am going to do this through the lens of a classic Mercedes. The SL.

The evolution of the SL

See that 2001 model, my dad had one of those (yes it was prime mid-life crisis) and I loved it.

Now beyond my sheer love for that model year is a really interesting approach to a car that has existed for almost 70 years. Mercedes's design style has always focused on luxury. The kind of car a CEO would drive. Their mission statement is to "inspire and create an exceptional place to work and to do business". This is personified in the SL. To show this I want to compare the oldest and newest SL interiors.

Oldest

Newest

This is where I see Mercedes design style being the most consistent through iterations. This is of course if you discount the infotainment system and modern features seen on the new model. Both of these interiors tell a story of sheer class and elegance. Leather seats and trim, stainless steel dials, and intricate stitching all tell the consumer that these are luxury items. This is what Mercedes is all about.

However, the most interesting design changes are seen in the exterior of the oldest to newest cars.

Right, I am going to be upfront here, I am a sucker for the old design. It is Mercedes in a car. The tucked-in alloys that are covered by the encompassing wheel arches look amazing. I also love the bonnet sloping into the ground with the embossed lines creating a slightly aggressive tone to the car. This aggressive bonnet compliments the sleek line made from the roof to the bonnet expertly. The only things I am not a massive fan of are the headlights and the front grill. However, after a bit of research, these were just "of the time" (in term of manufacturing limitations). Also my favorite bit... gullwing doors!!!

You just can't hate those!!!

So why has the design style changed so much? Well from looking at the evolution of the SL its sporty nature has stayed in the design, however, it has become a much more aggressive-looking car. The slightly sloped obtuse lines have been replaced by sharp lines. The front splitter, black side skirts, and large alloy wheels have also added to this aggressive styling.

I have seen this become much more apparent in the vast majority of modern cars. Here are some examples.

Old cute little round front (Mx-5)

New sharp front lines (Mx-5)

New racing side skirts and spoilers (Golf GTI)

Old boxy styling (Golf GTI)

New Complex front splitter (Toyota Supra)

Old simple round front air duct (Toyota Supra)

Now I am not saying in any way that all of the new cars are better than all of the old cars. In fact, I absolutely love that old supra. However, the aggressive design style that we see in modern cars is much more appealing to me than the often simple design choices of older cars.

Now the question that we have to ask is what has sparked this design style change? Well, the first thing to mention is manufacturing methods. It has become a lot simpler to make the complex parts needed to give cars their aggressive looks. I also believe that people want this style. People want something that looks like it could beat an F1 car in a drag race. I certainly do! This is where Mercedes SL design styling was led. This is why I believe it is the best example of the evolution of car styling throughout iterations of the same car.