BMW Design Goes The Path Of Trans-Humanism Or Something

The Frank Files is a series of deep dive critique on design, produced by noted Art Center College of Design graduate Frank Stephenson, primarily focused on the creations found in the world of motor culture. Image Credit: Frank Stephenson (2022)

BMW Design Goes The Path Of Trans-Humanism Or Something

In a day and age tainted by fears of a Virus pandemic response raging for almost two years, causing major auto-makers to forego displaying at places like the LA Auto Show in 2021, BMW, with the release of its latest designed SUV tabbed the XM, has adopted a confusing design language that seems to be speaking in tongues.

This impression is not just a "one-of" by a writer who follows Motorsports and Motor Culture as a main focus, but one that was recently paraphrased in a video presentation produced by famed vehicle and products designer who once contributed to this BMW design legacy (noted through the MINI rebirth & the X5), Frank Stephenson.

Another impression shared on Frank's posted META/FB timeline by a Motor Press Guild colleague, John Grafman plays out as follows: 

the bmw design is indeed confusing. 

all roads may lead to rome, but all the lines on the xm are leading nowhere. furthermore, the surfaces, which are iffy too in this illustration, will only be more muddled in the real world where the lighting is not ideal.

sadly, it's easy to see how the design could be pulled out of the trash bin, but unfortunately it's too late for that.

did bmw clinic this design before moving forward? were those that were survey inebriated? were there no designers brave enough in the studio to say that the emperor has no clothes?

i saw the initial oversized grill design on a bmw (vision) concept five or so years ago in person at a centennial celebration down at barker hanger. that car had numerous unique features that were most likely not destined for production. i thought the grill was one of those. i was wrong ... and so was bmw.

ENDS

BMW must have been impressed through some of the elements put into design lexicon by Lamborghini and soon thereafter adopted by Toyota.

Squared and angled wheel well defining element harkens to a mathematical influence found through a computer program as opposed to a natural flow. Image Credit: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (2021)

The designers of the Toyota RAV4 could not resist the addition of the black plastic defining shape around the wheel well introduced by Lamborghini earlier in the year. Image Credit Toyota Motor Corporation (2021)

Algorithms may be the cause of this confusing display of surfaces and elements. A trend is emerging out of the advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) where the Human brain of a specific Human being might be replicated/reproduced. 

This image was resourced through the postings of Joe Allen, publisher of Singularity Weekly found at joebot.xyz. He alerts all of us about the impending influences and possible transformation in Humanity of Artificial Intelligence technology and the replication of the Human brain imported into a baseless & faceless machine(s). Image Credit: The Next Web (2021)

This trend and line of study is called Trans-Humanism or Singularity. What if this was being applied through automobile design with a room full of replicated Trans-Human designers? Where every successful design language is fed into the Singularity designers and this was the best they could come up with?

Heck, first time Electric SUV (2 models) manufacturer from Vietnam, Vinfast, seems to have had a greater grasp on the definition of their language in design than BMW. They even managed to not replicate the no-grille bull-nosed front end famously used by Tesla (and others).

Vinfast VF e35 front end. A front end that looks a bit more like a grille as opposed to just a plug. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Vinfast VF e36 rear quarter view. Tail lights that enhance the nameplate of the manufacturer. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

At its base, vehicle design is art. In a two dimensional world, we have great examples of impressionistic extremes - Picasso, Dali, Pollock, Kahlo, Warhol, Bradford, and etc.. - each with their own themes. When one is confronted visually through so many themes and elements as one is with this BMW XM release is left asking, exactly, "Where is the art?" 

Upon first impressions and review of the BMW XM, we are left with a design that speaks to the observer in tongues, and not a one is left wagging.

... notes from The EDJE

FEATURED ARTICLE >>>

TAGS: BMW, XM, SUV, Frank Stephenson, The Frank Files, critique, design, Vinfast, Lamborghini, Toyota, Joe Allen, Singularity Weekly, Trans-Humanism, brain-computer interfaces, The EDJE

Future Of Transportation As Articulated By Frank Stephenson Captured By 2025AD

The world where art and science intersect, is where Designer Frank Stephenson feels alive and is most comfortable. Image Credit: 2025AD Screengrab (2020)

Future Of Transportation As Articulated By Frank Stephenson Captured By 2025AD

Speaking to 2025AD - The Autonomous Driving Community powered by Continental, Art Center College of Design trained and world renowned designer Frank Stephenson highlights his ideal way of getting from A to B, the future of vehicle interiors and of course, our move towards autonomous vehicles.

One of the world’s most successful and prolific automotive designers, Frank Stephenson has created some of the most instantly recognisable cars out there, ranging from the ubiquitous (Fiat 500, BMW X5, New Mini) to the unique (McLaren P1, Lilium flying taxi.)

For many, creating something iconic is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, based on hard work, good timing, and the right conditions. For Frank Stephenson, whose work creating icons has come seemingly naturally, is now turning his attention away from the car design world and towards the future of transportation.

"Chasing Perfect" is a bio-documentary that gives one insight into the complex world of designing for the masses while maintaining the integrity found in the definition of perfect. Find out more of what influences drive and inspires the designer behind what gets us around and surrounds us with space that speaks to our mobility & stylistic needs.

"Chasing Perfect" can be acquired via digital download order, streaming, and DVD purchase through the following resources.

Amazon
iTunes
Google Play
REDBOX
VUDU

... or, just Search for your favorite portal of choice.

... notes from The EDJE

Featured Posting On Electric Vehicles & Hybrid News




TAGS: Frank Stephenson, 2025AD, Autonomy, Continental, Chasing Perfect, Salon Pictures, Lionsgate UK, Head Gear Films, Ford, Escort, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, BMW X5, Mini, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Art Center College Of Design, The EDJE

Air Taxis Are 'A Thing' To Be A Mobility Option Soon

Lilium, which is partly financed by Chinese tech giant Tencent, made the debut flight of its two-seat aircraft in 2017. Further, has performed over 100 vertical take off and landing test with great success with their latest 5 passenger model. Image Credit: China Daily

Air Taxis Are 'A Thing' To Be A Real Mobility Option Soon

Priority transportation landscape will be changing sooner than most prognosticators think.

Electric-powered air platform concepts from several manufactures are beginning to prove themselves in testing through a wide variety of design platforms. Many that take their lead from traditional drone configurations to multi-engine fan jets that will achieve their flight lift through airplane wing style solutions.

EHang claims its new vehicle, dubbed the 184, is the world’s first electric, personal autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) that will “achieve humanity’s long-standing dream of easy, everyday flight” for short-to-medium distances. Image Credit: CGStudio

This excerpted and edited from China Daily -

Market for air taxis set to take off
By Angus McNeice in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2019-10-15 21:07

For a show that first aired almost 60 years ago, The Jetsons was impressively prophetic about future technology.

The cartoon about a family living in 2062 predicted jetpacks, holograms, smartphones and 3-D printing — and now approximations of the Jetson family's nifty "aerocar" can be added to the list.

Several major transportation businesses, including Boeing, Airbus and Uber, are conducting test flights of all-electric flying machines that promise to revolutionize urban travel through ride-sharing air taxi services.

A handful of startups populate the increasingly crowded market, including Volocopter and Lilium, two German companies backed by Chinese investment.

Hangzhou-based automaker Geely led a $55 million funding round for Volocopter, which held a demonstration flight for its dronelike passenger carrier in Stuttgart in late September.

Lilium, which is partly financed by Chinese tech giant Tencent, made the debut flight in 2017 of its two-seat aircraft, which looks more like a small plane than a helicopter. The company also recently completed a test take-off and landing for a five-seat prototype.

The technology is in such an advanced stage that most air taxi companies are predicting commercial launches between 2022 and 2025.
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Regulation, costs and public acceptance stand in the way of widespread use of air taxis, according to Tim Schwanen, director of the Transport Studies Unit at Oxford University.

"It's not only about the technology, and in some ways, technology is the easy part," Schwanen said. "There are issues around regulation, there are issues around markets. Do we want these services? Do we need them?

"Visions like The Jetsons where people are flying everywhere, an explosion of flying taxis — that won't happen for a very long time. We're talking decades."

Volocopter GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturer based in Bruchsal and founded by Alexander Zosel and Stephan Wolf. The company specializes in the design of electric multirotor helicopters in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft, designed for air taxi use. Image Credit: Volocopter GmbH

If and how existing air traffic control systems will incorporate air taxis is also a sticking point, as is the limited availability of landing pads in many major cities.

A recent report from London-based industry analysts L.E.K. Consulting predicted that a substantial uptake in air taxi services will not occur within the next 10 to 15 years.

Whatever the time scale, governments seem to be getting on board with the idea. This year, the United States Federal Aviation Administration expressed support for trials, and the European Union Air Safety Agency published guidelines for manufacturers of electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft.

In China, Guangzhou-based air taxi company Ehang began conducting supervised tests with the Civil Aviation Administration of China this year, while Geely's and Tencent's investments suggest they believe there is an appetite for the technology in China.

Veteran car designer Frank Stephenson, who designs Lilium's aircraft, said companies must make safety their top priority.

"The moment one of these things has an issue, you're going to lose a lot of public confidence and trust," he said.

Lilium said its service will be affordable, and it expects that early routes will run between airports and city centers.

"The intention is absolutely not to make it for the elite," said Stephenson. "It's mobility for everyone — from the student or the teenager who needs to visit his grandma ... all the way up to the VIP."

Uber predicts its service Uber Air will initially cost $3.60 per passenger kilometer, and the company aims to get this down to $0.27 per passenger kilometer, making it competitive with car ownership.

But Schwanen of Oxford University doubts that such low prices will be achievable early on, even in today's business environment replete with money-losing companies that value growth over profit.

Schwanen said he thinks service will be "on a limited scale for the super-rich. It's going to be people who are able to afford this, and who may have properties where they can land."

Removing pilots from the equation will help drive down costs, and the majority of companies say they will eventually switch to automation.

With more than a dozen companies working on air taxis, determining which operators emerge as market leaders will largely come down to design, efficiency and range, according to Stephenson, who believes Lilium is ahead of the pack on all three counts.

Lilium says its aircraft will have a range of 300 kilometers, around double the distance offered by most of its competitors.

The company also says its planes will use around 90 percent less energy than drone-style aircraft, due in part to wing-assisted flight.

The wings on the Lilium plane contain rows of ducted fans mounted in flaps that swivel 90 degrees, pushing air down during takeoff and landing and backward while cruising.

"Wings give you lift, so it's a lot more energy efficient," Stephenson said.

"You need a lot of electrical power to go up and down, but not that much to go horizontally."

Lilium aims to have people in the air by 2025 — outdoing the Jetson family by a generation.
[Reference Here]

So, maybe the vision of the cartoon future world of The Jetson's isn't here,  but the conceptual vision of priority transportation for select applications and markets is really just around the corner.

This timeframe of 15+ years will become telescoped once the safety and autonomy issues get locked down and being able to hop onto one of these platforms, to travel 150 miles in about an hour, all made possible with non-airport requirement electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, personal capability (1 to 5 passenger) aircraft.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: electric vertical takeoff and landing, eVTOL, aircraft, Lilium, Ehang, Volocopter, L.E.K. Consulting, Frank Stephenson, Geely, Boeing, Airbus, Uber, Tim Schwanen, China Daily, The EDJE

Lessons Learned In The Needs-Satisfaction World Of "Chasing Perfect"

Lessons Learned In The Needs-Satisfaction World Of "Chasing Perfect"
The first half in a life lived as a motorcycle competitor, artist, pursuer of nature, perfectionist and ... mobility solutions designer, Frank Stephenson.

"Chasing Perfect" is a documentary style film production by Salon Pictures and Lionsgate UK that is a biographical look behind the curtain of the creative and commercially productive life of Casablanca born, Frank Stephenson.

So, just who is this man who was placed into our everyday mobility consciousness?

Listing of the documentary that Salon Pictures, with a distribution partnership through Lionsgate, found as the working title of an active project on the Salon Pictures website. Image Credit: Salon Pictures (2018)

Many people are not aware, but they are met with Stephenson designed solutions when outside of their homes through the traveling designs of the Ford Escort, the BMW X5, the re-birth of the MINI, the modern version of the Fiat 500, as well as the establishment of McLaren in the world of (can this be said?) everyday drive and affordable supercar - a calculation most supercar creators and purveyors do not consider when they create a near 200mph, or better, transportation solution that is meant to be reliably driven (as opposed to being tinkered with in the tune-up shop) everyday.

To label Frank as an artist minimizes the totality of what evolves through the many influences and points of information designer Stephenson has to consider and digest before he is given a target assignment objective and places a drawing instrument to a sheet of paper.

Caught in the act of enjoying pursuits of perfection in the McLaren presentation space along the 18th Fairway at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - Frank and his wife, partner, best friend, co-pilot of "Riverbreeze", and co-lover of Bernese Shepherds, Linda Stephenson. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

This documentary evolves into an enticing study in the life of an eternally young man who understands that perfection is elusive but for one convergent moment, achievable, given that ultimately, what's produced has to deliver its desired effect, one customer at a time.

This is the very reason why anyone who engages in pursuits that are designed to hit their target, be it a grocer, a lawyer, a boat builder, a healthcare specialist, a government services employee, a salesman, a teacher, a small business owner, or even a CEO would benefit from sitting down and investing an hour and thirty-one minutes experiencing "Chasing Perfect" with one who is never satisfied ... even when the project is over.

These viewing minutes will deliver many lessons when one wishes to become competent at chasing the concept of perfection throughout one's life.

"Chasing Perfect" can be acquired in North America as of July 9th, 2019 via digital download order, streaming, and DVD purchase through the following resources.

Amazon
iTunes
Google Play
REDBOX
VUDU

... or, just Search for your favorite portal of choice.

Author - Notes From The EDJE and Managing Editor - Performance & Racing Tech Talk Edmund Jenks appears in the documentary at about 3 minutes and 50 seconds stating "Between the MINIs, the Fiat 500s, the uh, BMW X5s ... when you just drive around & you are not even thinking about Frank ... Frank is in front of you everyday. Image Credit: Salon Pictures/1091 (2019)

UPDATE:

Chasing Perfect - PLEX (free streaming portal)

Chasing Perfect - CRACKLE (free streaming portal)

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Frank Stephenson, Chasing Perfect, Salon Pictures, Lionsgate UK, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, 1091, Ford, Escort, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, BMW X5, Mini, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, ArtCenter College Of Design, Stewart Reed, The EDJE

A Key To Evolutionary Design - Variations On A Theme

BMW’s 2020 7 Series has a slew of new additions for the sixth-generation, including an enlarged kidney grille. Image Credit: BMW via Robb Report (2019)

A Key To Evolutionary Design - Variations On A Theme

Ever wonder what makes an artist a great automotive designer?

It comes down to the discipline one achieves through years of training, experiment, understanding materials, the balance of form & function, the creation of trash bin failures to grand acceptance and market success.

Just ask Art Center College of Design standout graduate, Frank Stephenson, who actually designed for, and penned the rebirth of the MINI Cooper and the first SUV platform produced by the famed German automobile manufacturer, the X5.

Frank Stephenson said in a 2017 interview published at The Drive "I'm flat-out not fond of modern-day cars," he told R&T. "They're going to where ugly cars are the new beautiful. Everybody loves the '50s and '60s in terms of what those cars were like. And we've kind of lost that romance of the design from that period, where the goal was to design a beautiful car, and people would love it at first sight. Nobody had to 'get used to' the design." ... 'nuff said.

Then there's this, from Andres Bastidas ...

So, it's "GET USED TO IT!"

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Kidney Bean Grill, BMW, Frank Stephenson, Art Center College of Design, Andres Bastidas, MINI, X5, SUV, Facebook Timeline, The EDJE

ArtCenter Meet-Up With Recognized Automotive Designer Frank Stephenson

Frank Stephenson enjoys sharing the passions of the folks he designs solutions for. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

ArtCenter Meet-Up With Recognized Automotive Designer Frank Stephenson

An absolutely enthralling late morning and afternoon was spent with friends, scholars, fans and colleagues of "Rock Star" &  ArtCenter College of Design​ educated designer of the BMW MINI, rebirth of the Fiat 500, BMW X5 SUV, certain models of Ferrari​ - Maserati - Alfa Romero, and for the last 7+ years Design Director at McLaren Automotive - Frank Stephenson.

Listing of the documentary that Salon Pictures, with a distribution partnership through Lionsgate, found as an active project on the Salon Pictures website. Image Credit: Salon Pictures (2018)

A meet-up was arranged at ArtCenter for a few lucky folks to help give some background to a documentary being produced (Salon Pictures/Lions Gate) about Frank with a working title of ... My Design Life.

Simeon Panda and Frank Stephenson share some treasured stories, on camera, about body-building, challenges, perseverance, and cruising on Frank's wood hulled electric water craft in and around London. Good times. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

During this time that was shared, a production crew interviewed many of those who showed up at the gathering that was announced, almost in passing, through a Facebook posting on Frank's FB timeline.

Frank Stephenson signed several passenger side dash board panels of iconic designs he placed back into our motor culture consciousness. Here, Frank has signed the dash of a silver BMW MINI and is about to sign the corresponding accessories card the owner plans on mounting on the wall of his home. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

Beyond the engaging nature of Frank and the interesting design critiques of his own collaborative result of his produced road-worthy works, the breadth and nature of the people gathered stood as a testament in a most interesting wake trailing behind a designer's life lived.

Top of the line Fiat 500 Abarth brought to the meet-up by Grant Delgatty co-founder of the personal transportation device known as URB-E. Another winning design, another signed dash, and another story of the joy Frank's Design Life brings to all it touches. We all know - this is the easy part. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

On the critique side, Frank took on a recently purchased McLaren 720S, owned by @garagegoals.official, that graced our meet-up. The critique was entertaining, informative and insightful given the nature of our gathering.

With motion back and forth across the horizontal design element, Frank Stephenson illustrates his point that visually, and functionally, this area could have been handled differently. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

First, was the trailing "bubble" or accent-line indent just behind the front wheel and under the rear-view mirror. Frank's attitude from further reflection is that "less is more" and that the horizontal element that began at the wheel well accent curve should not be there - it was unnecessary and too busy. The finished look should be a continuation and fade out blending of the wheel well accent curve and that would be that.

Triangle in satin finish. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

Second, the triangle support guide at the leading, or front of the door, where the cabin side window is mounted should have been covered in a gloss black, as opposed to a satin finish or murdered out black, in order to repeat the reflective nature of the glass. After-all, the pillar that forms the roof structure is gloss black - notice how it fades into the background. McLaren offered as the reason for not changing the finish of this triangle element ... cost.

Two-piece vent finish solution. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

Lastly, along the McLaren's "signature" side body channel airflow vent access, this should have been a single defining piece, or cover. The two-piece cover that was the final solution leaves an eyebrow style edge or line that left the designer in Frank less than comfortable.

Ahhh, the ever-pursuing mind of a design perfectionist.

Frank Stephenson looks skyward as he waits for the production crew of My Design Life to finish another interview of some of the folks who had gathered at this impromptu meet-up at ArtCenter. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

A grounded career takes flight.

Frank Stephenson's next designing chapter will begin May 7th, 2018 for a Munich, Germany company who brought him on to shape a five seat version of their two seat prototype of a vertical takeoff and vertical landing 150+ mph autonomous air transport taxi.

As Frank was overheard saying when asked, Why? "Look up, there's a lot of room up there!" ... as he smiled and looked skywards.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Frank Stephenson, @artcenteredu, Stewart Reed, @_Garagegoals, @simeonpanda, @urberides, Grant Delgatty, #FSACCD, #ACCD, #salonpictures #lionsgate #film #mydesignlife #la #california #design, @The_EDJE

McLaren Automotive Ups The Supercar Game With The New 720S

Aerodynamic winglet and vent behind the front tires combined with inlet airflow access that double as headlight position ports are just a couple of subtle design notes that signal the 720S is equipped to perform. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

McLaren Automotive Ups The Supercar Game With The New 720S

This week saw the official release by McLaren Automotive of their next new lead model car, the 720s.

Since the the original birth of McLaren as a commercial car producer with the MP4-12C, the 720S - from the design pen of McLaren Automotive's Design Director Frank Stephenson, on first impression, can be best described as the epitome of the blending of pure design art and pure engineering science - welcome to the McLaren Automotive 720S!

The McLaren Automotive 720S at it's first unveiling at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show March 9th, 2017. Image Credit: Frank Stephenson via Facebook (2017)

To start, Frank Stephenson hits this evolution of design out of the park - so sophisticated, refined, and unpretentious. Much more masculine and with the recognition of race car aerodynamic notes being incorporated leaves one with the air of confidence when one approaches the signature dihedral driver's side door to hop in and give this high-performance transportation platform a whirl.

The face of the new 720S imparts a bold, no nonsense masculine look. not a lot of swoop or swirl - pretty much . Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

This excerpted and edited from The Drive -

2018 McLaren 720S: First Impressions, Straight from Rome
BY LAWRENCE ULRICH - The Drive - APRIL 27, 2017

I'm still tingling as I write this, having just driven the spectacular, $288,475 McLaren 720S back into the pits at Autodromo Vallelunga, the high-speed Italian circuit that hosted the Rome Grand Prix back in the Sixties.  
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Here are my first impressions—minus driving impressions—of McLaren’s new 212-mph supercar, which replaces the 650S.
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It wasn’t hard to see McLaren’s own triumphant Rome tour as a kind of British wink-wink, or maybe an outright “screw you,” to the Italian supercar establishment of Ferrari and Lamborghini. McLaren executives flatly denied this, but they were smiling when they said it. Then I drove the 720S through a picturesque Italian hilltop village, where a flock of charming schoolchildren ran into the street, shouting, to snap cell phone photos of the McLaren. I stopped smack in the middle of the lane and let them photograph to their hearts content, while cars lined up behind me. Not one person honked, but more than one older bystander tipped their caps to the McLaren. Conquering heroes, indeed.
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Your body is the hand and these seats are the glove with all that is needed at one's fingertips. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

It’s the prettiest McLaren yet - Stepping onto a carbon-fiber limb, I’d say the 720S looks better than the legendary F1, and better even than the seven-figure P1 hypercar. The P1 appears alien and imposing, but the 720S carries itself more like a real road car, and it’s a distinctive visual rival to the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Highlighting its formidable active aero functions, that sexy, slippery design is also a worthy building block for multiple McLarens to come.
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McLaren (finally) has a hit soundtrack on its hands - A stickler might say this is a “driving impression,” but I beg to differ: The 720S sounds lusty and expensive even when it’s standing still. Thank a “Loud Start” function that, when you hit the Engine Start button in selectable Track mode, cuts the twin-turbo V-8’s ignition spark and squirts some unburned fuel out the exhaust valves. 

“Instead of lighting the fuel in the combustion chamber, you’re lighting it in the exhaust,” says Ian Howshall, product manager for these Super Series models. The result is a proper burp-and-bark that will wow bystanders or enrage snivelers.
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Let There Be Light - Whether it’s darting scooters in Rome or bike messengers in Manhattan, the McLaren lets you spot looming danger better than any mid-engine competitor, thanks to outward views inspired by a jet fighter's canopy. The latest iteration of McLaren’s F1-based, carbon-fiber Monocell allows incredibly slender roof pillars. Naked carbon fiber forms the windshield A-pillars. Ogle the McLaren from the back—destined to be a regular occurrence—and the unbroken expanse of glass can fool you into thinking there are no rear pillars at all. Ah, but there they are, a glazed pair as skinny as a Milan model’s forearms, disguised below the tinted glass.
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Three Coins in the Fountain - Let’s raise a glass to McLaren’s health, a company whose expansion into a successful road-car manufacturer was by no means assured. McLaren was formed as a racing builder in 1963, but McLaren Automotive wasn’t spun off until 2010. Just seven years later, McLaren is on track to sell about 4,000 cars this year, after moving 3,200 in 2016—a 99-percent jump from 2015. After founding its first retail shop in central London, the growing company now has 80 stores in 30 markets, including about a dozen in China, with plans to top out around 100 locations. The company has already taken 1,400 deposits on the 720S, meaning the first year of production is “oversubscribed,” a fancy word for “sold out.”  Wisely, 30 percent of company profits are being plowed back into R&D and products. 
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Travel Light, Travel Heavy - Combine a 710-horsepower, 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with the lightest curb weight in the class—including the bulkier Ford GT—and you’ve got one shrieking-fast supercar. The base model 720S boasts a dry weight of just 2,828 pounds, which rises to a DIN curb weight of 3,128 pounds for our Luxury model, topped with fluids and  a 90-percent-full tank of gasoline. With performance checked off, the 720S gives owners and passengers more excuses to test it, with its supple, adjustable Proactive Chassis Control suspension and generous cargo space. There’s no glovebox, but the 720S adopts the sleekly trimmed rear Luggage Deck from the more-affordable 570GT model. Add a surprisingly large trunk below the hood, roughly the size of a Porsche 911’s, and you’ve got nearly 13 cubic feet of cargo space.
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These Numbers Don’t Lie - Until I can publicly parse the subjective performance behind the McLaren’s specs, try these numbers on for size: 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds (0-100 kph, or 0-62 mph, is 0.1-seconds slower), 0-124 mph in 7.8 seconds, and 0-186 mph in 21.2 seconds. The latter, license-shredding acceleration figure is four seconds faster than the departing 650S.  McLaren says that, fitted with standard Pirelli P Zero street tires, the 720S will circle many racetracks faster than the 650S did with Pirelli P Zero Corsa track rubber. Those stickier, faster-wearing Corsa tires will be a no-cost option on the 720S, so let your imagination run wild.
[Reference Here]

Trademark flow design of the McLaren rear end. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

And this excerpted and edited from Road & Track -

McLaren 720S: First Drive
What started with the slightly predictable 12C has now become the wonderfully bonkers 720S.
BY CHRIS CHILTON - Road & Track - MAY 2, 2017

"They got hit over the head. We all know it, that the car didn't demonstrate enough energy, creative energy – passion, you could call it. It never looked wrong, it just looked ho-hum. It's like an athlete with an incredible figure wearing a sack."

That's what McLaren Automotive's Design Director Frank Stephenson had to say about the company's original supercar, the MP4-12C, a car that had its design finalized before he even started.

The front end of the McLaren Automotive MP4-12C as it was debuted in Southern California. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

In approaching its comeback supercar with a race team's focus, McLaren made a crucial miscalculation. The 12C lacked the one thing that you can't put a number on: wow factor. And that was something the Band-Aid 650S rebranding could never fully fix. The 720S doesn't have that problem. Not close. This car is all wow.

The 720S is as polarizing as the 12C was bland, as innovative as its ancestor was predictable. Take the eye-socket headlamps, which cleverly, but controversially, take a tip from the tuner world, turning the headlamp hole into air intakes, and use slim LED lamps bridging the chasm for illumination. You might not like the way they look, but you'll admire them a whole lot more once you appreciate the science behind the styling.

Same with the rear quarter panels. The gaping air intakes convention says all mid-engined cars need between the rear wheel and the door are gone. They're hidden behind a fake door skin, the McLaren 570S's door 'tendon' bar taken to the next level.

If the visual effect is striking from the outside, revealing the long wheelbase in all its glory, like a drag motorcycle with its extended swing arm, it's no less jarring from beneath the bubble canopy. From the driver's seat I can see the division between the inner and outer body panels as I power down the start finish straight at Rome's Vallelunga race circuit. I've driven here a couple of times before, most recently in an Audi RS3, and before that for the launch of the original Lamborghini Aventador. So, basically never in anything that actually wanted to turn. Consider that remedied.

The McLaren 720S turning in high-speed corners is enhanced with an airbrake effects articulating spoiler. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

The 720S loves to turn. The steering is weightier this time because of geometry changes that increase the castor, but that only adds confidence as you nudge the wheel away from center, feeling the tires filtering the vital messages back to your hands.
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Who'd have believed, even 15 years ago, that a supercar this powerful could be so forgiving? Driving the 720 hard feels entirely natural from the first corner as you push to the front tire's limits, feel the wheel lighten as you brush the brakes, then ease back on the gas to gently load up the rear tires. 
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Only a few weeks before this I drove the Bugatti Chiron, a car whose acceleration is so freakish it feels like it could sieve your internal organs through the pores of the skin on your back. A car that wants to convince you that trick's enough to forgive a gargantuan curb weight. Driving the 720S reminds you that it's never forgivable to let a sports car knock on the door of 4500lb, no matter how much performance it offers in payback.

The 720S weighs 3128lb full of fuel and a driver, and no doubt could have come in even lighter if McLaren had used the conventional sway bars it gave the 570S rather than the hydraulic roll control system the more senior cars get. 
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Gadget fans will also appreciate the telemetry option that shows sector and lap times for the circuit, plus a trace that rises and falls to show braking and acceleration. 
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Airbrake mode as the McLaren 720S settles into the track. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

Taking the jink right after the pits with your foot buried deep into the carpet, pulling the car left again then standing on the middle pedal with all your might, marveling at stability the 650S never had, and catching a glimpse in the rear view mirror of the now-full-width rear deck spoiler hurling itself into the slipstream in airbrake mode: hot lapping the 720S an absolute scream. The only thing it can't do is scream back.
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A longer stroke takes it [the engine] from 3.8-liters to 4.0. Power is up from the 641hp of the 650S to 710hp, or 720PS. Even the P1 only made 727hp before you factor in its hybrid add-on, and that car cost four times as much. This is proper next-level performance, taking the ordinary mid-range supercar to hypercar levels of go.

On paper, it's a monster, dispatching 62mph in 2.8sec and 124mph (200kmh) in 7.8sec. A Ferrari 488 GTB needs 3.0 and 8.3sec respectively. On pavement, it's no less impressive, spinning to 8000rpm, and feeling noticeably less laggy in this incarnation thanks to some new low-inertia twin-scroll turbos.
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There's no flamboyant fanfare when you push the start button. Push the gas pedal and there are no sonic fireworks. If you want crazy noise, opt for the sport exhaust, which McLaren says is 30 percent louder and has a feature called 'loud start.' 
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The carbon chassis, which, along with the dihedral doors is unique in this sector, is now a 'monocage' including an integrated central roof bar, rather than a simple tub.
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That's the surprise about the 720S: it looks like a nightmare to live with but is anything but. The visibility is excellent, both forward, past the A-pillars with their exposed carbon weave, a nice show-off touch–and more surprisingly, at the back.
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Factor in the generous 5.3cu ft space in the nose that swallowed two rolling bags full of camera gear on our way to the airport and you're looking at a supercar that thinks it's a GT.

A functional and artful design that is anything but boring. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive (2017)

And rides like one. Italy's roads are as rough as Germany's are smooth. The pavement is frequently broken and uneven and strewn with irritating little Fiats that we swat away with a squirt of right foot. The McLaren doesn't care. No, it's not an S-Class, but for a supercar like this, the McLaren is exceptionally comfortable.
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Last time the sticking point was the 12C looked too boring. This time, the only real gripe is that the 720S sounds a bit dull, and the sport exhaust doesn't put the 720S on par with a naturally aspirated note. 
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What McLaren has built is what we always knew the 12C and 650S could and should be.
[Reference Here]

There is very little to have to settle for with the purchase of this supercar splurge ... except for maybe a little more change in one's pocket to spend on lodging as one joyfully travels about the countryside, or to the track, for some of the highest level of art and engineering placed into one enjoyable and affordable high-performance driving platform - welcome to the McLaren Automotive 720S!

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: McLaren Automotive, Frank Stephenson, MP4-12C, 650S, 720S, Road & Track, Chris Chilton, The Drive, Lawrence Ulrich, airbrake mode, The EDJE

McLaren MP4-12C Makes Its Southern California Debut

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

McLaren MP4-12C Makes Its Southern California Debut

I spent time over lunch, Tuesday, interviewing my new best friend, Frank Stephenson - Design Director for McLaren Automotive Limited. The silver McLaren MP4-12C was flown from London to the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) to be debuted to select members of the Automotive Press. The $238,000, nearly 600 HP piece of exquisite supercar engineering is expected to go on sale sometime this summer ... so save your nickels.

In Southern California, there will be two dealerships (Newport Beach / Beverly Hills) up and running by Summer 2011.

Designer Frank Stephenson discusses the roll-out of the new McLaren car. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

The first year's production run will be for 1,000 cars worldwide with about 30%-35% expected to be bought up here in California. The car they flew out has a governor that limits the speed of the car to about 15 mph. This summer, they will have test drive capable models, in many colors, available to the right potential client.

New McLaren MP4-12C as first unveiled at Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

What McLaren Automotive Limited had to say for itself -

Through a combination of carbon fiber expertise, innovative Formula 1-inspired technologies and development programs, and a desire to launch a range of ‘pure McLaren’ road cars, the groundbreaking new McLaren MP4-12C has redefined high-performance sports car benchmarks.

By March 2010, when the 12C was first revealed, McLaren Automotive was close to achieving its own high performance targets within the intensive testing and development program. Key segment targets included:

· highest power with fastest acceleration and braking across all typical benchmark speed and distance parameters

· lightest weight, and therefore highest power to weight ratio All within a package of more subjective, but equally important, benchmarks: comfort, practicality, drivability, and ownership costs.

To be a success, and bring innovation to the market, McLaren knew the 12C had to be the first genuine ‘no compromise’ highperformance sports car.
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Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

30 years of carbon innovation

In 1981, McLaren Racing introduced the carbon monocoque to Formula 1: it offered an unbeatable combination of strength and lightness. In 2011, McLaren Racing will compete with its 200th carbon fiber chassis.

The legendary McLaren F1 sports car was the first road car to feature a carbon chassis when it launched in 1993. With 2,153 SLRs manufactured in its seven-year production run from 2003 to 2009, it is still the largest volume car built on a carbon-fiber chassis.

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Now, the 12C takes carbon innovation to a new level. It is based on a unique one-piece molded carbon chassis: the MonoCell. Weighing in at 165lbs, the MonoCell provides the perfect combination of occupant space, structural integrity, light weight, and relatively low construction costs. In addition, it is the ideal chassis from which to deliver groundbreaking efficiency and performance in the sports car market.

McLaren MP4-12C Performance Data (European Spec Vehicle*)

Engine Power 592 bhp @ 7000 rpm

Torque 443 ft/lbs between 3000-7000rpm

Weight Dry weight (with lightweight options) 2868 lbs
Weight Dry weight 2945 lbs
Weight DIN weight 3161 lbs
Curb weight 3279 lbs

Speed Maximum speed 205 mph

Acceleration 0-60 mph 3.2 seconds (3.0 seconds with Corsa tire option)
0-124 mph (200 kph) 9.1 seconds (8.9 seconds with Corsa tire option)
0-¼ mile (400 m) 10.9 @ 134 mph

Braking Braking 124-0 mph 403 ft
62-0 mph 100 ft
[Reference Here]

All we know, for a limited production supercar designed specifically to combine F1 Season Series (8 Contractors / 12 Drivers' Championship titles), 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500, and Can-Am winning technology with daily road/street worthy sensibility and reliability to the retail market for under $250,000, McLaren's MP4-12C is an unparalleled accomplishment!

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: McLaren, MP4-12C, Frank Stephenson, McLaren Automotive Limited, Art Center School Of Design, Orange County Museum of Art, carbon monocoque, MonoCell, supercar, The EDJE