Tag Archives: Steve McQueen

Porsche by Design

Posted on by

From the North Carolina Museum of Art:
October 12, 2013–January 20, 2014

Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed marks the North Carolina Museum of Art’s first design exhibition, exploring the history and development of the Porsche lineage from the 1930s to the present day.

Featuring more than 20 automobiles, Porsche by Design presents cars owned by Ralph Lauren, Steve McQueen, and Janis Joplin, as well as the one-of-a-kind ‘Panamericana’ concept car on loan from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

Car lovers will appreciate the rarity and engineering genius of the automobiles on view. Art lovers will be intrigued by Porsche design and the connections that can be drawn with other works of art. All will gain a deep appreciation for hallmarks of the Porsche marque: beauty, artistry, technology, and innovation.

Ever Hanker after Something?

Posted on by

Ever Hanker after Something?

Hanker. A verb. ‘Feel a strong desire to do something’.

Synonyms: yearn – crave – long – hunger – aspire – desire – covet

Have you ever ‘hankered’ after anything? If so, what?

I was gathering some pins together for my Pinterest boards and fell upon an iconic automotive design that I have adored since I first set eyes on it back in the day when watching a film with my dad.  It was a car. The Ford Mustang Fastback from the film ‘Bullitt’ with Steve McQueen.

The car is iconic for so many reasons; the Ford Pony car ‘done good’, American ‘coke bottle’ design at its best (mimicked by car designs in Europe with the Cortina MK3, Escort MK1 and the Capri…); a car that satisfied the masses in America and around the globe – a genuine car for the people in all its coupe and notchback forms.

Sure it handled terribly, only went well in a straight line BUT boy, didn’t it look good?

With that V8 burble sound track (forget the asthmatic V6 version…) which made the hair on the back of your neck stand up when at full chat…The epitome of ‘cool’. Throw in the suave Steve McQueen and you had quite a mix. The film was not bad either.

Anyway. I hanker after one of these cars. I want one. I yearn for one. For me it’s like a 32 Deuce coupe, a Ferrari 412, a Nissan Skyline 240K, a Toyota 2000GT, a Riva speedboat, a Harley hard-tail. I just love the look and the style that goes with it. Retro Design at its best. Cool.

Sadly there is one catch. Money. Roll on the lottery…