VIEWPOINT
Sell your dream
We can use the innovation in the car industry to make our
design ideas a reality, says MC1 designer David Hilton
ANYONE with good stylistic design talent,
vision, fortitude and a PC, can create a digital
rendering to get the industry and enthusiasts
excited. We have all seen that far too often.
The key lies in following that vision
through. Many of us who read The Engineer
have either had breakthrough ideas or come
up with brilliant solutions to our automotive
problems. But in today’s climate, the question
is, how can we turn our ideas into an industry?
The MC1 is one of these development
stories. Without disclosing too much, the car is
based on something very real. There are still
tucked-away places in the UK pouring cash
and labour into long-term dreams. Some of
them are visible, and some are not… yet.
I have been fortunate enough to work with
many talented engineers and designers in the
UK. As the sole designer of the Ford Focus RS,
and co-designer of the ST and S-Max, I am
consistently impressed with the ‘can-do’
attitude of the UK auto industry. Having
worked with companies such as Tickford, C2P,
Ricardo, Concept Group, Mira and many of the
dozens of job shops in the Midlands and Essex,
I can say there is no lack of high-end expertise.
So what are we going to do now? Maybe we
are in a second Renaissance? We must
remember that companies like Jaguar, Aston
and Morgan began in small job shops.
The MC1 began life as a self-funded ‘spring-
board’ concept from another project. The
design process started the same as most: a few
sketches, then straight into the digital model
over package. The only difference was that the
exterior surfacing was created in under three
months, which by styling time standards, is
incredibly quick. Of course, experts can see
that this version is not yet 100 per cent
feasible, but the powertrain and proportion
packages are there.
First, the design style must be unique,
fresh, clear and very professional. The second
key lies in selling the concept. And by using
software, specifically Alias, as a design surfac-
ing tool and DeltaGen for rendering and
animation, we’ve been able to display our
creations in the most realistic way possible
without incurring the costs of developing a
full-size model.
This is especially useful to companies who
may have a fully working prototype, but no
great style as yet, or for established firms who
have a proven product and are ready for a new
look.
18
FutuRe
of automotive technology
Success story: The MC1’s exterior surfacing was created in under three months
Despite this, I believe that clay model
development will be with us until the digital
world can completely fool our senses. I am a
strong digital proponent, but I also need to
touch and sculpt my visions. There are
software tools which are getting close, such as
interactive 3D sensory powerwalls and ‘blue
caves’, but we can still see through these.
Normally, when the digital model is as far as
we can comfortably take it, we mill it out 1:1 in
clay for continuation.
Once the digital technology can deceive our
brains, we will have an opportunity to further
speed up development times and reduce
physical modelling costs. Fabricating clay
models is not only expensive on materials
but also on manpower. A clay buck can cost
about £72,000 to build, depending on its
complexity and longevity. The man hours
smoothing that clay into 100 per cent
feasibility consumes years and millions at
most of the OEMs.
So, how to sell the dream before the start?
The most cost-effective method is, of course, to
not build a real design model. This is where
the designer’s skill and the software comes in.
As an entrepreneur, it is difficult to find
clients willing to put a concept on to the road.
And it’s not a cheap endeavour. So I prefer to
partner with strong engineering firms who are
willing to develop vehicles. If these cannot be
found, the digital world can assist my pitch to
find them.
This is where the UK auto industry’s
advantages — small and decisive teams, strong
talent, and the can-do attitude — help to make
my vehicles become reality. Several groups
are getting cars on the road now and deserve
credit: these include Ascari, Noble, Morgan
and Aerial Atom.
As an independent designer, my job is to
please my clients and sell my creations. It
seems we are all looking for that rich Sheikh
to come and sweep our beautiful dreams off its
wheels, and if anyone knows one, please send
him my way. Until then, we must sell our
designs to ourselves and start expanding
garage space — maybe that industry is in our
own back gardens.
Automotive designer David Hilton, is the
founder of Motorcity Europe, and developer of
the MC1, a V-10 powered supercar that could be
in production by 2011
the EnGIneeR 21 APRIL–4 MAY 2008
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.