This project tries to combine my love of both history and automotive design, along with some infographic design which always fascinates me.
The purpose of this project is to create a timeline of automotive history, cataloging an entire brands history into simple, easy-to-recognise images for each design over time. Each vehicle drawing is created as simply as possible, with only main shape and important character and shutlines shown to give only the most relevant information. I found this was the easiest way to compare two vehicles designed almost a hundred years apart.
The eventual goal is to complete a broad range of vehicle histories from different brands around the world in order to tell a story of the ever changing shape of automotive design.
By positioning the vehicles in a timeline based on the year of their introduction (with a line stretching the lifespan of the vehicle for sale in the market described) and arranging them in order of size or market position, it becomes clear to see the lineage of design for each vehicle.
As the project continued, it became easier to discover trends and further analyse the designs through time. For example, just looking along the flagship Lamborghini model range (Miura, Countach, Diablo, Murcielago) the fashion of each era is obvious; from classic curves in the 1960s through the wedge shape of the 1970s, wings and fenders in the 1980s through to a more sedate but extremely proportioned, rounded shape in the 1990s. The modern era appears to bring even more extreme shapes and proportions, especially with the lower volume special vehicles such as the Sesto Elemento and Veneno.
The early experimental nature of the company, with the low volume 350GT, Islero, Miura and Espada through the 1960s is also obvious in comparison to the more thinly spread model range by the 1980s. The influence of new ownership in the late 1990s is also apparent as the model range expands dramatically in the later years.
Throughout the entire timeline the entire shape-change of the automotible in the twentieth century can be seen. Vehicles get lower whilst wheel and wheelarch openings get larger. Cabins move further and further forward from the beginning of the Front wheel drive era and beltlines slowly rise and become more raked down towards the nose of the car in the modern period.
All images copyright Michael Gillett 2016. No reproduction without permission.
