drive luggage provides bespoke car luggage for premium cars, it’s first piece being the speedcase for the Porsche 911.

Designed to belong, not resized to fit, every detail is considered, every choice deliberate making it the ideal luggage for the 996 and 997. A registered design with unique features make it exactly what the decerning Porsche owner looks for in their luggage.

We understand that every drive is more than just a trip; it’s about the experiences you create along the way.

Our bespoke car luggage is designed to complement your journey, ensuring that you travel with style and convenience.

Whether you’re headed to a weekend getaway or a scenic adventure, our speedcase® is tailored to fit your dream car perfectly, so you can focus on reaching your destination in style.

Embrace the thrill of the road —because with drive, every journey leads to your perfect destination.

speedcase and the driveluggage website is the number 1 shop for bespoke car luggage designed to fit the Porsche 911 (996 – 997 – 991 – 992 versions) fits on rear shelf, folded seats and frunk (front trunk).

Now acknowledged as the ideal piece of luggage for Porsche owners, it has become a very top purchase for Porsche drivers who love to tour.

Drive Inc. Ltd. want to make it clear that Drive Inc. Ltd, drive luggage or speedcase are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG or any of its subsidiaries.

#driveluggage
#carluggage
#bespokecarluggage
#speedcase®

Car Designer | Drive Design Studio

http://www.driveluggage.com

The post drive luggage appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

Major car companies carry out most of their design work themselves, with dedicated design departments capable of handling every aspect of the design process.  But few companies do not use the services of external design consultancies for some smaller projects or as a validation of their internal designs, whilst many smaller niche companies use such consultancies to supplement their more limited in-house design facilities on larger design projects.

In most cases the reason we get shown around a company’s design facilities is because Drive is working with them or about to.  They see that Drive has something to offer them and they want us to work with their teams to stimulate creativity and maximise the design output.  Whether it be for market insights, a fresh design perspective or simply additional digital resource we are able to provide focussed and professional expertise.

As with the studio space, I question ‘how can we compete’ when recruiting creative talent, when automotive OEMs can offer so much in terms of employment, facilities and certainty of projects well into the future.

Again we don’t compete, what we have to offer is different.

We are an efficient studio that has a welcoming, creative and professional atmosphere.  We work with numerous brands so it is unlikely that we will designing a similar face of a car or same product for long.  The type of work is varied, and is more likely to be concept ideation than production detailing.  The projects will cover a large spectrum with mobility solutions, aircraft interiors  or maybe another supercar inspired Track-tor being as likely as the next production SUV.

A consultancy environment like Drive’s isn’t for everyone, but the constant change benefits our creative team keeping them fresh, interested and gaining a breadth of experiences that differentiates them from other designers.  The very skill set that many design chiefs look for in their next hire, indeed two former Drive employees will be able relax at the new SAIC coffee bar.

It is the diverse experiences that attracts our clients and benefits their projects as they get new perspectives, fresh ideas and insight from our broad knowledge gained across different industries and clients.

So if you are looking for some creative input for your next project or if a consultancy environment is somewhere you would like to work, come round for a chat.  We don’t have a coffee bar but we do have a fantastic café around the corner.

(SAIC Design Advanced London top image – photos source SAIC)

https://www.instagram.com/drivedesign/

The post Design Consultancies offer something different appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

The E10 concept marked the culmination of an intense design and development period.  Drive and Zenos worked hand-in-hand to lay down the foundation for a “lightweight, affordable, fun to drive” car, that fitted a new range of thrilling and accessible sports cars.

The company founders Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, explained their unique market proposition and we extracted a few key words that would define their brand.  Drive had to create a design language that would embody all of their aspirations, for a completely new British sports car brand.  The E10 would be a mid-engined, carbon fibre tubbed car priced at less than £25,000.

A challenges during the initial design process was achieving the delicate balance between a friendly, approachable look fitting the brand values, with a thrilling, lightweight track day car.  With  affordability in mind, Drive wanted to highlight the innovation of the carbon composite material and reflect the intelligence of the styling.  The break up of panels, wings and tub allowing ease of production and lower repair costs compared to the single clam mouldings used on competitor products.   Drive’s designers, working closely with engineers and composite manufacturers Bright Lite Structures,  developed the final break down of parts and assemblies.

The close relationship between Drive and Zenos, and the openness of the management team were key to ensure that the design and business needs aligned at every stage of he project.

The public’s response to the car’s design was measured by the 40 deposits taken from customers before they had even seen it run.  This justification of the product, only raised the pressure to deliver on their promise to have the production model ready for January 2015.  Drive and Zenos launched into a rapid production development phase sensitive to the fact that the car’s appearance couldn’t alter significantly, but taking the opportunity to tune the car’s character and balance.

This phase involved working with suppliers on feasibility whilst ensuring manufacturing costs were kept on target keeping to the business plan and budget.  The secret of the E10’s affordability relative to its performance, is off-the-shelf Ford components engine, gearbox, and brakes.  The innovative composite tub made from recycled carbon fibre that offers 70 per cent of the lightness and stiffness of pure carbon-fibre for a tenth of the cost.

The interior’s design, built around the ideal driving positon, the quality of the panels and fit had to exceed what would be expected at the cars price point.  This approach saw Zenos Cars has take more than 110 deposits and a first year production run being approximately 70.  For Zenos’s founders Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, the E10 represents the culmination of a dream.For Drive Design, it provides a mobile showcase for its design strategies for startup companies searching for the kind of collaborative, ground-up design approach that only Drive can deliver.

“Drive completely believed in and understood our vision right from the beginning. They committed themselves in every respect to developing the design of the E10, and helped us deliver a car that looks fantastic, great handling and well engineered” Ansar Ali. The Zenos E10 project is the essence of what we do at Drive.  We understand designing for a startup car company like Zenos.  We help them take their idea through to production whilst understanding their business needs.

The post Designing for a startup car company appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

Trust has to be earned, so in order to build mutual trust with the person we are talking to, and by extension our companies, we have to start with what we believe in at drive; respect, honesty and security.

But this is not enough.

Our clients are approaching drive, for us to deliver them quality design work, and if we can’t meet their needs why should they trust us?

It is therefore important that we understand, and are aligned with, their project goals.

Which means being flexible enough to tailor our services to deliver better results for them.

That is why when we talk about The Driveway it not a defined process, it is our attitude and approach.

This all sounds good, but unless we deliver on what we are promising, then there will be no trust.

Honesty really is the best policy. If we know we can’t deliver what the client needs (or in their timescale or budget), we find it is better to be honest with them, and ourselves, and politely decline.

Sometimes it is difficult to turn away work, but in the long run we prefer not to let you down, whilst maintaining your trust.

We are talking about building trust with clients or companies, but it is really between people.  We hope that the trust we have built will exist beyond a project, or a place of employment, and will help us establish a good reputation.

In the ever more connected product and automotive design worlds, establishing and protecting that reputation is a must.

#drivenbydesign®
#TheDriveway

The post BUILDING TRUST appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

Aftermarket Parts

The UK’s automotive aftermarket category is thriving with a large number of companies selling products. More often than not they are conversion companies designing the parts inhouse. Some turn to studios like drive who are experienced in designing and engineering aftermarket parts. Unique designs providing tuning houses and independent conversion companies successful product lines. Thus enabling them to become market leaders in the UK’s lucrative aftermarket sector, worth over £21 billion per year.

Styling Kits

While there are a lot of people who are happy with their ‘forecourt’ product, many want to enhance or personalise their vehicles beyond the factory options.  They are either looking to improve on performance or enhance the styling be that subtle or bold.  Whatever the taste of the individual, the demand is for parts designed and made to the highest quality. 

Conversion Companies

At Drive, our track record working with vehicle manufacturers, known as OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and low volume specialists, places us in a unique position to support styling houses or conversion companies wanting to create their own product lines for cars and vans. 

Designing Body Kits and Accessories for cars and vans

Utilising our expertise and knowledge of designing aftermarket accessories, we support projects from concept sketch to final product delivery.  We develop creative concepts with design and engineering understanding for manufacture. With industry connections for production, we add measurable value to our clients’ businesses.

Injection Moulded Parts

Depending on the desired design language and business positioning we create appropriate car and van body kit designs. We can use the same brand language as the OEM and deliver mass produced injection moulded parts. This allows us to replicate the original fixing methods and crucial placement of any sensors.  This approach allows our clients the assurance of fit enabling quick turn around. 

Composite Parts

For the more extreme designs for limited editions or lower production numbers, the more suitable or cost effective route may well be production of composite or carbon fibre parts.

Design Partner

We are confident that drive are the perfect design partner to help create a differentiating product line of aftermarket accessories adding a significant revenue stream to your business. If you are thinking of designing body kits and accessories, get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss your plans.

Design Development

2023 Market Report

The post Designing body kits and accessories appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

So where did it start for us at Drive?  It goes back 5 years to an initial meeting with Caterham in Hethel, Norwich.  The original project became a distant memory as aspirations changed with the introduction of a partner in major manufacturer Renault, a completely new package and advanced aluminium construction.   As the engineering package was developed at Caterham and Renault bases, Drive’s design team were seconded to work at the Renault R&D headquarters in Guyancourt, Paris, forming an important conduit for the Anglo-French alliance.

Arriving at Renault, Drive’s close team of designers and digital modellers with Caterham’s studio engineers, were allocated space within the Alpine facet of the complex, an impressively large studio with several clay plates.  It was one of the most exciting environments to work in, with the presence of some of the Renault concept greats dotted around the place; the Alpine A110-50, DeZir, and Twingo to name a few.

Sharing the studio space, facing each other were the C120 and AS1 clay models, two cars showing great potential with their two respective design teams working on them.  If I could sum up the entire studio atmosphere, including the Alpine team, it would be passion.  Passion was what drove these concepts forward.

The Drive design team lived, breathed and dreamt C120, flying out to France in the early hours of Monday morning and returning on a Friday evening for 6 consecutive months. Some weeks were tiring, stressful and occasionally deflating, with our attempts at the French language appreciated, even if laughed at by the canteen staff.  Our commitment, comradery and passion pulled us through every time, to be part of history, taking part in something that would bring a British sports car brand into a new era.  The sad demise of the joint venture was a bad dream.  For a long time we couldn’t believe that with all the effort everyone put into the project and with it so close to being realised, there would be no exciting moment of that first drive.

So enough about our emotions….what of the car itself?
Biased I may be, but I believe there is no doubt that this is a great looking car, with fantastic proportions and pure surfacing.  So how is it a Caterham? What defines the character of a Caterham? At Drive we aren’t just a hired arm that draws cars, we extract and develop core brand DNA, establishing a clear aesthetic direction that our clients understand and can incorporate in their brand’s future.

Establishing this new brand aesthetic was no easy task. Caterham was clearly defined by the Seven, a car with a cult following and essentially unchanged from the original design. First of all the C120 was to be a completely new package, and one that a Caterham has never used before – a mid-mounted engine.  This already moved the vehicle far away from the instantly recognisable visual cues of a Caterham 7 (long bonnet, front engine), so we knew we would have to evoke that Caterham feeling in other ways.  We were also aware that the C120 was to be an everyday car, as well as a weekend toy, aimed at taking on the more premium market of Porsche, Audi and BMW.  With this in mind the language the car spoke was critical, this was to be the line in the sand for Caterham; a fresh modern interpretation of a historic brand.

The car is designed as a complete entity from front to back, a holistic approach.  Starting with the overall proportion, it is lithe, nimble and carries no excess weight whilst remaining visually planted in stance.  The front rakes back from the iconic Caterham nose to a short rear overhang.  The arch lines communicate some of the iconic Caterham 7 design gestures, the combination of the long diving front agile arch line and the rear pert, perfectly poised line evokes the similar feeling you get from looking at a 7.  It looks alive, on its toes and ready to be driven.

The car also feels like a complete entity, it is not a case of projecting design features on the side rear and front which can often make cars look disjointed, features and graphics encompass the wheels, giving it visual strength and a sense of purity, a holistic approach.

The front displays an approachable face, not too aggressive, but a well-balanced and open eyed character that evokes the same feelings you get from the 7. It’s serious enough not to be taken lightly.  Everything works together to deliver maximum performance whist interpreting the Caterham design philosophy for the 21st century.  Everything is there for a reason too, from the central grill, splitter and side intakes, designed for function hinting at influences from Caterham motorsport, such as their former Formula 1 division.

Following down the side of the car, the iconic side exhaust and graphics that you commonly see on most 7s is interpreted by a graphic that follows all the way from the central nose through to the side intakes and onto the body side. The surfaces and body side is all about losing as much visual weight as possible, with surfaces sculpted away whilst retaining a sense of beauty and tension.  Moving towards the rear the stance of the car is exaggerated to show the power moving through the rear axle, with large arch blisters further enhancing this visual width.

The rear completes the strength of the car, hinting at the DNA of the 7 in a very modern and crisp way.  Lamp positions are high as is the integrated spoiler, not only gain better performance but to give the car a sense of agility.  Simple, clean lines make up the rear to further emphasise as much visual width as possible.  Heat exits at the base of the rear screen and under the rear floating lamps, were all necessary to manage heat for the mid-engine package.  Moving lower down, the number plate is located within the diffuser trim allowing the upper surfaces to be as clean as possible and retain some of that Caterham 7 box like rear end feeling.

Working with the Alpine team was a pleasure, we had our moments of course, whilst fighting for certain design features and gestures that related to each of the cars providing much discussion and debate!   For a program that relied heavily upon financial necessities of sharing the complete running platform and common parts such as lamps, the result is two concepts that side by side have a totally different attitude, stance and feeling.   Quite an achievement.

Sadly what you are seeing here is only a point in time and is not the finished article, I can tell you… it only got better!  When you see those fantastic shots of the Alpine darting around the Alps or parked in the Italian sunshine at Villa d’Este in Lake Como….. imagine the Caterham C120 hammering through the roads of Norfolk or poised in the car park at the Linton Travel Tavern!

Day dreaming – how it might have looked had it gone in to production.

I could probably carry on talking about this car, the design and just how special we feel it is, for an eternity.  It was a landmark project for Caterham, Drive and our team; something none of us will forget and I only wish you could see on the road.

#AlpineA110 #CaterhamC120

Images courtesy of Caterham Cars

The post Designing for an iconic marque appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

Car brands know that luxury goes beyond the car itself, it is the complete experience, and luxury automakers are designing bespoke car luggage to compliment their vehicles. drive understand this aspect of vehicle ownership, and when designing such items, take in to account owner’s experiences, journeys and activities, making travel an even more luxurious affair.

Luxury Travel Experience

Whether it is a single item like a custom-designed hamper or a bespoke luggage collection it is clear that car companies understand the importance of these pieces. Helping to build their relationships with individuals. Elevating every moment of the owner’s travel, whether on a countryside picnic or a glamorous getaway.

Sport Luggage

Luggage designed for sportscars, can combine precision engineering with luxury materials like carbon fibre and leather or lightweight and efficient EVA mouldings. Every piece is designed to fit perfectly in the car and provides a sense of satisfaction with every use. From the moment the speedcase closes to the smooth glide putting it in position there is a focus on quality that compliments the dynamic performance of the car.

Bespoke car luggage to enhance your drive

These luggage collections are thoughtfully designed to meet the high expectations of discerning travellers. Incorporating functionality with elegance, whether for long weekends, business trips, or leisurely vacations. drive understands the attention to detail that is required when designing bespoke car luggage, to make sure the owner’s driving experiences are enhanced.

It is clear that high-end luggage is no longer an after thought — it is a vital part of the luxurious experience that exclusive brands offer.

#drivenbydesign®
#TheDriveway
#carluggage
#driveluggage

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars – Goodwood Bespoke
drive luggage (@driveluggage) • Instagram

Car Designer | Drive Design Studio

The post Designing bespoke car luggage appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

23hrs 55mins and the suspension collapsed.

Three weeks before the 1996 Nürburgring 24 Hours, I was offered the chance of a drive — a legendary track, a new car, and a lack of recent racing experience.  A challenge and an opportunity I couldn’t resist.

But could I do myself justice? Could I avoid letting the team down?

At the time, I was working at the Mitsubishi Design Centre near Frankfurt, so meeting the UK team beforehand wasn’t an option.  However, the legendary 13-mile Nordschleife was within reach so a recce drive was possible. The additional GP circuit loop? That would have to be learned at the event itself.

With fellow designer Tony Pettman strapped in, taking notes, I managed three laps in a hire car before the brakes and tyres cried enough.  Far from perfect preparation, but enough to reduce the uncertainties.

Race Weekend – A Quick Learning Curve

Arriving at the track, I assumed – being a UK team – the car would be right-hand drive.  It wasn’t. Suddenly, the mental track picture I’d built had to shift by a metre.  Initially approaching left-hand corners with the right wheels brushing the grass, and then through them I was missing the clipping points.

During my first practice laps, my times dropped by tens of seconds a lap, yet I was soon on the pace and looking for fractions of seconds everywhere.

The Strategy – A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Our plan was simple: optimise fuel and brake maintenance stops.  Each of the three drivers would take two-hour stints – fast, but measured. This was endurance racing, not a club race.

Outright victory was for the works teams. That year 1996, Sabine Reck (Schmitz) became the only female overall winner.  Our goal? To win our class.

Adapting to the Unexpected

Eighteen hours in, we were just over a lap behind the class leader. Then, disaster struck as an unexpected failure cost us five laps, equivalent to 55 minutes.  But our resourceful, sleep-deprived team fixed the issue.  A class win looked out of reach, but a podium finish became the new target.

Our strategy changed. Longer stints. Flat out.

Never Give Up

For 2.5 hours, I had the exhilaration of driving the notorious Nürburgring flat out, through smoke thick with the smell of campers’ BBQs.  Halfway through my stint, the ABS failed.  Yet, lap after lap, I learned more, and my lap times kept improving.

When I handed over the car, we were closing in on third place.  The progression was maintained – never giving up.  We closed in on 3rd place, when with 6 minutes left the front suspension of the Subaru collapsed approaching the finish line having completed 100 laps.

Our car, the only Mercedes, passed the stricken car to complete 101 laps for 3rd place in class, a great team effort.

Lessons Beyond Racing

Racing, like business, is unpredictable. Unexpected challenges disrupt the best-laid plans – the last year has been proof of that. But at Drive, we adapt. We evolve with new methods, technologies, clients, and projects.

https://bit.ly/3zZTaAK Nurburgring Track

The post Challenge yourself appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

Design is all about opinion, this is one.  You can take all of it on board, some of it on board or none at all.

Unlike other designers giving you advice, this is from someone who actually employs both graduates and established designers .

PORTFOLIOS

From designers to alias modellers, we are all aware that our industry doesn’t tend to favour the conventional CV and cover letter with a careful placement of buzz words/phrases like ‘I can manage a team of people and take on individual responsibilities’.  Although these are areas we all have to consider, at the end of the day it is the your Portfolio that we are discussing here. 

KNOW WHO YOU ARE APPLYING TO

If all you have is speed boats and lawn mowers in your portfolio then I would say it is quite rare that an automotive studio will consider you. Research the studio / brand and try your best to think of what they might look for in a candidate.

“You are only as good as your worst piece of work”. As a designer, your portfolio will mainly be put under the eyes of other designers, we love looking at them, we want to be excited, we want to see that sketch or render that inspires us and then we will want you!  So reduce or throw away lifeless package drawings of translucent, colour filled boxes that say “batteries” or “motors”, and the 97.5 percentile Dutch males that you’ve squashed into your vehicle.

Keep your projects to a minimum, we see 56 page portfolios with about 10 projects in.  These are too big to keep/capture attention for the period of time it would take to digest that amount of information / wade through it.  We are designers ourselves and therefore have to do the day job designing and unfortunately we can’t spend all day every day looking at portfolios!

DISCARDING OLDER PROJECTS

This is the hard bit, discarding older projects as your skills have improved …. nearly impossible to do sometimes as you probably hold emotions for each project as if they were your own child.  They aren’t your children and they don’t have emotions, cut them out and be brutal.  Do it, cut it down, get through it.  Even if you are left with 3 projects of a high standard, we will think that you can do everything of this level.

Cut out some of the projects you may have done like – 1. Clay head project  2. Any ergonomics based project with lights that reflect your mood  3. An alias model or render which is then repeated in different colours to show colour choices up to 5-6 times (padding out your portfolio?).

VARIATIONS OF DESIGN WORK

This topic divides people when asked, and can be difficult to answer without causing a whole world of LinkedIn design debates. I prefer the overall portfolio to be focussed. Try to mix it up, don’t just have 3 projects of space ships and fantastic speed painting art work, show that side of you by all means it’s great to see, however try and include some good old fashioned automotive design, displaying an understanding of surfacing, brand interpretation and proportion over 4 conventional wheels.

Your portfolio should be a reflection of yourself, it should be presented in a way that you are comfortable with.  Your style should be natural rather than something that is forced.  Always be honest with the way that you work, whether you are all about hand sketching or a Photoshop wizard, show how you work as we all have different ways we do things.

DESIGN COMPETITIONS

A great way to stay sharp, promote your name and they really keep you on your toes.  Polestar, the Michelin design challenge and interior motives to name but a few, the briefs are usually fun, and if it is not fun then you need to twist their brief to do so!  No one wants to design something boring in their spare time.  These usually have no engineering requirement, package constraints or a need to convince university tutors to what you are doing, go forth and have fun!

CV WRITING

Like my car designer portfolio advice – Keep it simple, if you don’t have that much to show it’s ok, we have all been in your shoes at some point and we don’t expect to see years of experience from a student.  Whatever you do, please don’t write that you have been ‘freelancing’, unless you can back it up with examples to prove you haven’t just living at home with your parents with a part time job.  Better to say you have been working on your portfolio and design competitions in an evening, but again you have to back it up with the evidence!

SELF RATING CHARTS

My last thought on this topic, which I could probably continue to preach about for another hour whilst I annoy my colleagues by seemingly moaning endlessly is this …. the self-rating skill charts!  Now I’m not sure what the universities have been preaching to the students of late, but here’s my number one pointless thing to put in your portfolio if you are applying to be a designer or alias modeller.  Grading yourself out of 10, maybe out of 5 stars even and stating how good you are at alias, photoshop, design or sketching.

The idea of your portfolio or data you send is that we will be working out your abilities. Then deciding the level we see you, and where we feel you would fit within a studio. Whatever you do, please don’t include ‘football’ as a skill set, to which you then score yourself higher on this than any other design skills.  Makes me think you should be a professional footballer instead!  (NOTE: Only exception is if you are applying to drive where your karting lap times are important)

Have an opinion, perhaps a photo of you applying a tape to a clay model or sketching revealing some of your personality and be protective over your pen. Talk about sketches with emotions and feelings and never be truly happy with your work. Keep portfolios to no bigger than 5mb (if possible)

Although car designer portfolio advice is aimed at graduates, I hope it helps everyone.

If you are serious about securing
a design role within a leading studio.
To give yourself the best opportunity
drive offer a Resume / CV and portfolio review service.

Careers progression

Coventry University Automotive Design Course

The post Car designer portfolio advice appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.

It is an insight to the approach, expertise and experience of Drive, recognising our 25 years as an independent design studio in the automotive sector.

This milestone was an opportunity to reflect and take a look at where we started, the intervening years and where we are now. Taking note of not what we do, but what we bring to the table, the reason clients trust us with their projects.

From those discussions we decided to communicate some of what we discovered through our website and our book DRIVEN BY DESIGN.

Thanks to everyone that contributed, from the layout, content, photography, those who actually worked on the projects for Drive and the clients who trusted us.

The post DRIVEN BY DESIGN appeared first on drive international automotive design consultancy.