Sorry for taking forever and a day to update this but here it is. I will focus on mainly aesthetics and attempt to explain why certain cars hit that certain erogenous zone within our minds. Let’s go.
We are going to start off with my favorite car of all time and what I believe is the pinnacle of road-going super cars. There may be other cars out there now that are faster, more powerful, and more technologically advanced but none of these cars have seem to capture the raw essence of design. That’s right, we are talking about the Mclaren F1.
The reason why the Mclaren F1 has managed to attain such a timeless look is due to its proportions. One of the most important characteristics to good car design is proportion and that is what Gordan Murray and company have managed to master. To give an idea on the size of the Mclaren F1, a normal road-going 1999 Honda Civic coupe measures 4,448mm in length while the Mclaren F1 measures 4,287mm. That means the Mclaren is about 16cm or 6in shorter than the Civic. I think that if the car had been any longer, the vehicle’s design cues would not look as stunning as they do now.
The Mclaren F1’s design has managed to become so timeless due to the fact that it has the perfect blend of edges and curves. Take for example the headlights. The inside corners meet at sharp, straight edges while the outside corners have a flowing natural bend to them. The fluid curves on the outside edge of the headlights help to enhance the semi-bulbous fender line while the sharp edges of the the opposite corners accentuate the design cues of the hood. If you look carefully, you will notice that the vehicle’s hood has rounded edges that match the outside of the headlights while the scoop is composed of just straight lines that match the inside of the headlights. That is ingenious.
When you put all of these styling cues together, it just works. The angle of the cornerlights and headlights work in conjunction with the bonnet and hood scoop to sort of give this invisible racing stripe down the center of the car. The roof scoop is also the correct proportion and continues on the lines of the hood scoop. It is very difficult to achieve a balance between edges and curves but Gordon Murray and company have managed to do just that.
Part 2 coming soon.


Such a dynamic and timeless design.












































