Design

Automotive legend Carroll Hall Shelby passed away yesterday at age 89. Born in Texas on January 11, 1923, Shelby was a leading race car driver, then race and performance car designer who became a household name for his exploits. Read More

Desolate stretches of Saharan sand, bustling urban downtown – those two elements couldn't have less in common ... until artist Markos Aristides Kern and his visual design firm brought them together with the help of a beast of an automobile known as the Multimedia Offroad Vehicle, or MMOV. Read More

For a coffee table with attitude, look no further than Adriano Designs' Intervallo by Teckell. If you like the idea of having your coffee table do double-duty as a foosball machine, the intervallo is for you. If you just want the most beautiful foosball machine available, then might we suggest the limited edition, crystal and aluminium Cristallino Gold LE, the gold-plated star of a range of designer foosball machines that are exquisite office and den amusements but not for the feint of wallet. Read More

Audi has purchased Ducati Motorcycles. Not Volkswagen Group (Audi's parent) , but Audi, which is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. It seems a very good fit. It's early days and the announcement has just been made, but as a fan of motorcycles in general and Ducati in particular, we'rew all running around here like rats with a gold tooth in reaction to the announcement. Audi has the enthusiast spirit in its DNA to appreciate the magic of the Ducati Brand and empower it. It will ensure the resources are there to enable the brand to prosper. The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition today in Hamburg. Hang in there Valentino, the cavalry are coming. Read More

Salone Internazionale del Mobile has been showcasing the latest in home-furnishing design from Italy and around the globe since 1961. This week we were lucky enough to be in Milan to preview the best the show has to offer and also meet with talented graduates at the Salone Satellite - a parallel exhibition which brings together the brightest young designers under 35. Stay tuned for more details on some of the exciting new projects we encountered, but in the meantime we hope this photo journal will give you a taste of the fascinating designs gracing the Milan Fairgrounds this week. Read More

If you’re in Monte Carlo on May 12, you’ll have a chance to purchase a bit of of history when design legend Raymond Loewy’s 1972 Avanti II Coupé goes on sale as part of Bonhams auction house’s Les Grandes Marques à Monaco. Not only is this one of only a handful of Avanti IIs in France and one that was owned by a celebrated designer, but it’s also distinguished by the fact that its original owner was the man who created it. Read More

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Grandson of the founder of Porsche, the designer of the Porsche 911, the founder of the Porsche Design studio and the architect of Porsche design culture, passed away yesterday, April 5 in Salzburg, aged 76. His design credo was that “design must be functional and functionality has to be translated visually into aesthetics, without gags that have to be explained first.” Some of his other well known statements on design include, “a coherently designed product requires no adornment; it should be enhanced by its form alone”, and “Good design should be honest.” Vale F.A. Porsche. Read More

Ducati has released a series of photos of its revolutionary Panigale 1199 superbike without its clothes on, showing exactly how the bike is held together in the absence of a traditional frame. But while the monocoque chassis is pretty fascinating to look at in the flesh, what strikes us most is just how incredibly compact the bike is - every component has been squeezed into the tiniest possible space. In fact, you can't even see clean through the bike at any point until you reach the rear hugger. This is mass centralisation and weight shaving taken to a whole new level… Good luck trying to service the thing yourself! Read More

When the Great Depression claimed E.L. Cord’s industrial empire, the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg marques went with it. The Cord L-29 was perhaps one of the most distinctive cars ever produced, thanks to the extra long bonnet necessitated by the straight eight engine and front-wheel-drive system. Though cloaked in various bodies, the long low lines of the L-29 are unmistakeable. The world's best known Cord, winner of countless awards, fell under the auctioneers hammer yesterday, and sold for a record US$2.42 million. Great piccies. Read More