Giorgetto Giugiaro retires from automotive design

3 July, 2015

Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro has retired from automotive design at the age of 76. Known as one of history’s most influential car designers, Giugiaro penned cars for brands including Volkswagen, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, BMW, and Bugatti. In 1999, Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation, before going on to be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 1968, alongside Aldo Mantovani, Giugiaro founded the design and engineering company Italdesign Giugiaro. Little did the pairing know that their work would become revered worldwide. Giugiaro left Italdesign on the June 28, after the company’s final shares were sold to Audi.

Most well known for his work designing cars, Giugiaro designed many other things, including cameras for Nikon, guns, and even a form of pasta (well, he is Italian).

But, it will always be his cars that he will be best remembered for. Here’s five of his best.

5. 1981 DeLorean DMC-12

Most famous for its spot in the hit movie franchise Back to the Future, the DeLorean DMC-12 actually fell flat as a road car, with journalists labelling it slow and unreliable. But, its design, particularly its gull-wing doors have ensured that decades later, it still looks like something from the future.

4. 1977 BMW M1

The M1 remains BMW’s only mid-engined car to date, which is a shame, as its timeless looks are still relevant. Design cues from the M1 can still be seen in many of BMW’s current cars, including the recently launched i8.

3. 1995 Lamborghini Calà concept

Next to the majority of Lamborghinis, with their harsh lines and jagged angles, the Calà looks comparatively svelte and reserved. It was originally slated to replace the Lamborghini Jalpa, but was sadly shelved after the company was sold to Volkswagen Group in 1998.

2. 1984 Saab 9000

You know a design is good when it still looks fresh over a decade after its debut. This must have been Saab’s plan when they introduced the Saab 9000 in 1984, as the design hung around, largely without change, until 1998 — some 14 years later. Not just pretty, the 9000 also set the tone for Saab’s brand identity, with certain features remaining on their cars for years, until Saab Group’s ultimate demise in 2011.

1. 1974 Volkswagen Golf Mk1

Giugiaro’s Golf Mk1 helped lay the foundations for what would eventually become Volkswagen’s best-selling car. While the Golf was initially built as a replacement for the immortal Beetle, it would become a heroic car in its own right. It was, and remains, one of the most influential hatchback platforms ever made.

Grand Routier — in the french tradition

10 July, 2025

Sitting in Paddy and Patsy Williams’ Dunedin garage is a stunning example of one of these rare French grand routier sedans. It is a 1949 four-door Lago-Record Factory Berline sedan, to give its full name. Daughter Cath let us know how proud she was of her dad, who had been tinkering away in his garage on this car for so many years.
Without exaggeration, it has been a mammoth task. I first saw this Talbot-Lago in mid 2019. The long-nosed, sweeping, curved four-door saloon, clothed in its misty green metallic paint, was quite breathtaking. There’s more than a little English influence in it, too, harking back to company owner Tony Lago’s involvement in the Clement-Talbot-Darracq era. The long front wings and bonnet, usually multi-louvred, highlighted with artful touches of chrome bling, are typical of the era, but these were indeed luxury length. Interiors provided leather-clad, armchair-style seating and ample legroom, with touches of wood and surprising details such as dainty childproof interior locks — a far cry from today’s lozenge boxes.
Paddy, a retired civil and structural engineer, knows his way around a lathe. He has a well-equipped garage-workshop to assist in any machining tasks along with his other passion for restoring classic motorcycles.

The Great River Road

4 July, 2025

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.