For a Christmas present with provenance, and a chance to lend a charity some support, look no further than car design guru Frank Stephenson. The designer of such legendary cars as the modern-era Mini, McLaren P1 and Maserati MC12 is selling a series of limited-edition sketches in support of a charity.
Stephenson – who also penned the Ferrari F430 and Ford Escort Cosworth, revealing how the Escort almost had three wings on its hatchback – has produced a limited run of prints based on the sketches he drew for his How I Designed… YouTube series.
One hundred prints are available of each of the five sketches, printed on high-quality art paper and complete with a handwritten certificate of authenticity. An additional two prints of the Mini and McLaren P1, which feature annotations explaining the designer’s train of thought and are limited to 60 examples, are also available to mark the launch of a documentary about Stephenson’s work called Chasing Perfect.
The sketches describe how the BMW-era Mini was influenced by another British icon, the bulldog, while the McLaren P1 is said to have taken inspiration from the cheetah.
Each standard print costs £35, while the more detailed sketches are £95 in A4 format or £225 in A3 scale, plus postage. The money raised will go to the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy charity. Visit his website to order yours in time for Christmas.
Via Hagerty US
I remember Peter Stevens once said on a TV show on C4 that the look of a BMW was influenced by a particular type of German horse and cart! I was to do with rake and wheel placement, honest!