Before we were actually old enough to get behind the wheel how many of us spent time drawing cars, dreaming of being a designer? I'm guessing I wasn't the only one. Trouble is, despite the cool image, funky specs and sleeker wardrobe than the nerds in the engineering department I fear it could be one of the most thankless tasks in the whole business.
Countach went from the sublime...
Design is meant to be about purity of vision and creative genius. But in most cases by the time a car has made the journey from the sketch pad or concept stage and onto the road all that has been relentlessly whittled away by regulatory or practical expediency. Reference Audi's Dr Hackenberg discussing the Modular Sportscar System (MSS) platform that underpins both the Lamborghini Huracan and forthcoming second-gen Audi R8. "The designers can have their dreams," he told us, before asserting that in the end the platform is king and really dictates what the car will look like. It may have been lost in translation but I've a feeling Dr H knew exactly what he was saying. Off and play with your sketchpads and markers boys, we'll tell you when we need you...
Every now and then a car makes it off the drawing board and straight onto the road but examples are few and far between. The Smart Roadster and Roadster Coupe, Alfa Romeo SZ, S1 Elise, Citroen C6 and, dare I say it, Range Rover Evoque would be some examples of designer's doodles seemingly made real. But rare ones. Witness the Boxster Concept's metamorphosis from slinky show star to slightly dumpy production reality for just one example of how it more often goes.
...to the ridiculous courtesy of Mr Pagani
But to the central thrust of this argument; namely that if you're of an aesthetic disposition and really care about design the original version of a given car is always the best. We're talking purely at a styling level here; I'll not contest that facelifts and updates often bring significant improvements in technology and performance. But nine times out of 10 the attempt to 'freshen' the styling ends up perverting it.
And once that purity of the original design has been lost you're often left with a bit of a pudding. Witness the Lamborghini Countach's transformation from the stark and edgy LP400 into the gaudy and overly fussy 25th Anniversary. True, the 5000QV's unashamed muscularity brought some added drama to the shape and made the Countach an 80s icon. But clap eyes on an original - preferably a Periscopo - and you really understand the drama and impact of that amazing piece of design.
He's not learned either, or so it seems
There's a common thread in the work of Horacio Pagani here too. The 25th Anniversary Countach is credited as his project and the evolution of the Zonda from one of the most startling, stunning and original looking supercars of recent years into a parody of carbon and aero-bedecked excess suggests an inability to say enough is enough. Honestly; would you rather be seen in an early C12 or a Revolucion?
Originality
Mainstream brands aren't averse to cocking about with what little purity was able to make it into production come facelift time. Jaguar and Land Rover aren't averse to some heavy-handed bumper'n'LED slap in an attempt to giddy-up otherwise smart looking vehicles - witness the modern addenda bolted onto the graceful X350 XJ in its evolution into the X358 in 2007. OK, so the XJ needed modernising. And they didn't muck about with the introduction of the current car. But the halfway house was worst of both. See also the facelifted Range Rover Sport; you could argue the original wasn't a beauty but it was at least clear in its intent and hardly improved by the blingy makeover.
Sharp edged original the best for R129 SL
Most of the German brands are far too conservative with their original designs to go beyond a few extra LEDs and addition/removal of chrome trim strips (according to which they did last), with the notable exception of Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes design seems to bounce from one extreme to the other, one minute all hard edged and severe before veering in the other direction and becoming all organic and swoopy. Several models over the years have had the misfortune to be caught in the transition between the two and suffered the ignominy of worst of both worlds.
The modernist purity of pre-facelift R129 SLs, complete with the moulded in fairings on the underside of the front bumper, remains a textbook example of late 80s Mercedes design as it shrugged off the chrome and chintz of its past and embraced the modern age. Then it suddenly decided it wanted to go swoopy and increasingly heavy handed and blobby bumpers were grafted onto it, jarring with the still straight-edged metalwork they couldn't alter.
70s Lotus Seven not an enduring look
It's happened again with the current E-Class. The pre-facelift W212 was a canny return to Sacco-era severity, combined with artful references to E-Classes of the past with the Ponton-style swoop above the rear arch. In the facelift this has been hastily converted into an ugly slash along the side where the original rear quarter meets new doors, the attempt to modernise and bring the E into line with the C- and S-Class an unconvincing mish-mash.
Other examples? Lotus has had its moments, from the beautiful minimalism of early Sevens to the heavy handed Series 4 and overly fussy additions to the S2 Elise over the purity of the S1. See also the Esprit. Renault didn't do the Clio 197 any favours with the gopping facelift into the 200, even if it still drove brilliantly, while the Fiat Multipla displayed perhaps the most comprehensive capitulation from bold to bland in one move with its lily-livered facelift. At this point we should probably raise the McLaren 12C's evolution into the 650S too...
Anyway. I've ranted long enough. I'm sure polo-neck wearing PHers can come up with many more examples. But when it comes to design I strongly believe original is best. Of course, now is your opportunity to tell me I'm wrong. Even if the fact all design is subjective means I can't be!