Wheels Muscle Masters

HIGHLY COMMENDED
H500
Tanveerul Islam

Initial reactions to H500 were positive, with Brown commenting that, “It’s like the Fiat 500 in the sense of its more upright packaging” and going on to express approval of the unique derivation of form that “appeared to be based on the seating envelope”.

Ute-fan Sargeant (she drives a Chevy El Camino and a ‘LoLux’) loved the form of the body styling; others agreed they could see ‘ute’ in its profile with potential
for the H500 to function as a mini commercial vehicle. Others saw “exaggerated Renault Megane” in the rear-end treatment.

The H500 was the first design to ignite a healthy debate among the judges. Despite some liking the styling from an aesthetic standpoint, Holden design guru Ewan Kingsbury got straight to the point, saying, “from a packaging point of view it’s never going to work … [even] in [longer wheelbase] hatchbacks the rear occupants sit over the rear wheels.”

Luggage hauling ability is biased toward recreational activities, with a clever adjustable roof-rack system and the ease with which it carries a surfboard or mountain bike. As an urban vehicle, though, it seems less able to deal with day-to-day luggage with its limited boot space.

To meet the target weight the H500 uses a front-drive layout as well as lightweight materials, including its “aluminium spaceframe unibody” which is reinforced with high-strength steel at load points.

It was on the basis of styling and presentation, however, that the H500 made a strong enough impression on the judges to earn a handshake and a pat on the back.


HIGHLY COMMENDED
Roll up
Edwin Yi Yuan

“I think it’s the most innovative design we’ve seen today,” exclaimed one panellist. So why didn’t it win? Well, basically because being innovative is just one skill in an A-grade designer’s bristling set.

John Brown was impressed that 22-year-old Roll Up designer Yuan “took a different approach to the styling; he didn’t go with organic form, he stayed with the extrusion … I particularly enjoyed the way he brought the seat in as part of the structure.” (The seats are a continuation of external body panels.)

However, the Roll Up split the judges, with another member of the panel expressing disappointment: “[He] went straight into the final rendering … [producing an] exciting design without really considering a lot of the issues or going through why it exists.” Paver added, “It’s hard to see how people would fit in,” and it was also noted that there wasn’t any detail of materials used in its manufacture.

Cleverly, however, the Roll Up’s rear wheels act as a bumper, avoiding damage to the bodywork. “Does that mean it walks up walls as well?” chuckled Cockburn.

The Roll Up also borrowed many design elements including four-wheel steer (only recently re-introduced by Renault), scissor doors and an aircraft-style steering wheel with “twist and go handles” (no foot pedals).

The ‘fun’ element of the brief was also clearly met, with its jet-fighter canopy for driver entry and exit, 500cc rotary engine and “nimble and agile” handling.

But it was the pragmatic Ewan Kingsbury’s final words that were most damning: “It’s not urban — it’s too large. It should have been more upright with a smaller footprint.”

Close, but no cigar.


AND THE WINNER IS...
Globetrotter
Harsha Ravi

When the eight judges’ scorecards were tallied not one of them was surprised that the thoroughly researched and beautifully presented Globetrotter came out on top. A show of hands confirmed it — the judges were unanimous in loving Monash Uni student Harsha Ravi’s highly individual design, with one panellist exclaiming, “I think it’s a home run.”

Ravi isn’t a YDOTY first timer, having been a finalist in last year’s awards with his ‘Arrow 2010’ design. This year, the 21-year-old designer went that extra step, his entry clearly the strongest, particularly in the area of engineering, but also as a whole, integrated design.

Post-judging, it was pondered, “Were we seduced by all [of] the techno-babble?” Beranger disagreed: “I’m comfortable that it works with the car and it’s not just a grab-bag of technology.” Stolfo echoed his thoughts: “[He has] applied technology in a way that made sense.”

Take, for example, its carbon-neutral, bioplastic body with 12 percent petroleum-based/88 percent corn-based plastic that reduces the energy needed to manufacture the panels by 30 percent.

The design presented as a wild concept, yet it brought thoroughly considered, integrated design with enough tech detail and illustration to flesh it out. Sargeant and Stolfo agreed: “He has obviously done a lot of research before even putting pen to paper.”

Despite its ahead-of-time technology — the zinc-air fuel cell, nano-paper battery and airless tyres were just the beginning — attention was also given to regional manufacture, right down to the illustration of a basket-weaver manufacturing the woven seat material, one of many touches that delighted and amused the judges.

The Globetrotter also hit the mark where others missed by simply following the design brief. According to John Brown, “It was the only one that made the effort to inherit some of the Fiat 500 DNA”, which was evident both in terms of its styling and its utility.

The consideration given to its application to global markets was also applauded by the judges. Sargeant remarked, “It’s suited to hot, cold, urban or rural … it
goes beyond the brief.”

The Globetrotter’s design detail was in stark contrast to many other entries, which tended towards wishful thinking. Consideration was given to ease manufacturability, the environment and product lifecycle as well as LHD and RHD configurations and the oft- forgotten pursuit of plain old motoring fun.
From an entirely stylistic viewpoint, the judges raved — “beautiful handling of form” — and were equally enamoured with its potential for customisation and personalisation, and its quirky detail touches.

Look no further than the “nano-paint [that] absorbs solar energy whilst parked to charge [the] batteries” or the “front bench seats [that can be used] as public or home furniture later” or the “cool … double-sided zips for [the] doors”.

It was Sargeant who hit the nail on the head with her assessment of the Wheels 2007 Young Designer of the Year: “You’d give him a job straight away.”

She’s not wrong. Congratulations, Harsha.