As the automotive world shifts gears—electrifying, diversifying and expanding its cultural vocabulary—four legacy marques show how thoughtful design can bridge past and future with quiet confidence.
Lexus GX
The luxurious new Lexus GX appears ready to conquer remote rocky trails, despite the fact that most will spend their lives on pavement shuttling between supermarkets, school runs and sports practice. For the new GX, Lexus designers nevertheless eschewed the luxe, suburban look of its immediate predecessors. Instead, the new car seems to draw upon traditional Japanese architecture to bring the outside in; the SUV’s warm earth-tone cabin, for example, serves as an extension of the natural scenery outside the windows.
Lexus designers also cast their eyes back to the original boxy 1950s Toyota Land Cruiser and its dozens of spinoff models adapted for international audiences. Toyota made more affordable, hardy Land Cruisers for developing countries, eco-friendly models for Europe and more luxurious ones for North America. All of them seemingly inspired the tough, square-jawed look of the new GX. Note the contrast-coloured roof and pinched grille that evokes 1960s Land Cruiser Wagons, or the flat windshield and upright silhouette of the famous Land Cruiser J40 Series. Boxy SUVs are back.
Porsche 911
No car is more stubbornly designed than the Porsche 911. Like the 1963 original, today’s engine is in the “wrong” place, out behind the rear tires where luggage should go. Its design, too, has remained remarkably consistent. Its chief architect was a student of Bauhaus philosophy: simple, purposeful form. Successive designers made the car larger, safer and more digital, adding Bluetooth, navigation and touch screens.
One could argue that international influences have crept in: curves that resemble the arches of grand Eastern architecture; egg-shaped mirrors reminiscent of Henry Moore sculptures; metal bodywork that brings to mind the smooth forms of artist Isamu Noguchi. But at the end of the day, the 911 only—and always—looks like the 911. It’s an icon that’s earned the right to be a little stubborn.
Cadillac CELESTIQ
Cadillac’s chrome-bedazzled cars with their jet-age tail fins epitomized the American dream in the 1950s. Today, the company is out to recapture that old glory with the CELESTIQ, a $495,000 electric sedan gunning for Rolls-Royce. Design director for Cadillac interiors, Erin Crossley, one of few women in the field, takes inspiration from modern European designers. For example, she’s a fan of Peugeot’s colourful interiors and of Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen’s neo-futuristic aesthetic and bold use of form. Indeed, the car has an optimistic, almost utopian quality about it that seems very Saarinen.
And, we can’t help but notice a zen-like sense of spatial harmony in the CELESTIQ’s serene cabin, which is yet another example of global influences shaping modern car design. To channel its golden era for the electric age, the design team revisited classics like the 1934 V16 Aerodynamic Coupe and 1957 Eldorado Brougham. The new car has the V16’s fastback roofline and the Eldorado’s swagger and scale. At 5.5 metres long, the CELESTIQ channels the imposing presence of those old land yachts. It’s every bit as ambitious too.
Range Rover
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In the late 1960s, the Range Rover was conceived by British engineer Charles Spencer King, who observed that not everyone with a 4×4 was using it to cross the Sahara or tend to the farm. Just like that, the luxury SUV was born. The first model, released in 1970, was an immediate hit, finding eager buyers far beyond the ranks of England’s aristocracy. Since then, the Range Rover has gone global, chasing new pockets of wealth, all without straying far from its original design. The cabin on the newest model was subtly influenced by clean Scandinavian design, and now features eco-friendly textile from Kvadrat.
The Range Rover’s timeless exterior design has similarly evolved to appeal to a broader customer base. A stretched Range Rover with first-class rear seats appeals to export markets such as China, where chauffeurs are more common. There’s even an all-electric version coming soon to court eco-conscious drivers (and European regulators). With its cross-cultural appeal, it’s no surprise the Range Rover has become a global status symbol—favoured by celebrities, tycoons and suburban families alike.
