As a car designer, I am often asked about the cars in my garage. Sadly my garage, or garages, are never big enough, but I’m blessed to have owned or had the use of most cars my heart desired. Today there are 12 in the stable, though many more have come and gone.
My love for our four-wheeled friends is surpassed only by my love of design. To have a career that somehow managed to include both is nothing short of miraculous good fortune. And, yes, I admit collecting is a bit addictive, but I own or drive these cars for no reason other than that they give me pleasure, whether it be for their aesthetic, the way they drive or simply their very existence. So here are some memories of a few of my favourites from over the years.
My first car was a Volvo PV544 bought from my good friend Peter Stevens while I was a student at the Royal College of Art. The car looked a little like a 1940s Ford so there was something of the hot rod about it. I fitted a Volvo P1800 engine and then each month set off down to the Kings Road Cruise in London, where hot rodders and lesser vehicles (usually Cortinas and Capris) would congregate to show off. It was about the aesthetic as much as the performance. Real American Graffiti. With huge mag wheels and a ‘Californian stance’, my Volvo fitted in well amongst all the Americana. For me it was the event of the month until eventually it got banned. Apparently the Chelsea locals didn’t approve.
