Aston Martin Design Masterclass

Marek Reichman has an impressive CV, that includes stints in Rover, BMW, Jaguar-Land Rover, and of course, Aston Martin. Over his illustrious career, he has penned some truly iconic cars, that includes the modern Range Rover, Aston Martin One-77, and directed the design of the DB10 that was used in the Bond film, Spectre.

It’s no surprise then, that Aston Martin has entrusted him with the power and responsibility to dictate the stylistic direction that Aston Martin is headed towards. He unifies beauty and brains into a jaw droppingly gorgeous and capable performance all-rounder that is the modern Aston Martin.

In conjunction with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, he was in town to conduct a little design masterclass to explain his thought process behind the DBS Superleggera and the new Vantage, offering us the unique opportunity to take a peek behind the creation of some truly legendary modern classics from a British marque with such a rich heritage.

He first ensures that every sketch is distinctly Aston Martin and respects the golden ratio. This ensures the cars are proportionate and is the perfect canvas in which to add finer details to, to create a car that is the perfect blend of show and go.

He uses the DBS Superleggera and the Vantage cars on display for illustrative purposes. The Vantage, with a simpler and sharper primary body line, looks more svelte and athletic at first glance, but its smaller size and its proportions point to it packing a smaller powerplant than the DBS Superleggera. The DBS Superleggera lacks a distinct main body line, instead using multiple swoopy ones to create a more muscular profile to hint at the more powerful motor under the bonnet.

These aren’t the only cars he touched on during the little session. When asked about the upcoming DBX SUV, he revealed that those who have seen the car, have claimed that it looks nothing like what they expected it to be. The DBX will be fully designed and developed in house, and just like all the cars before it, will take 3 and a half years from the first sketches to the first car rolling off the production line. Unlike quite a significant chunk of its rivals, the Aston designers and engineers didn’t have to make compromises aesthetically or mechanically in an attempt to drape a bodyshell that is respectful of that marque’s body language over an existing shared platform.

He also touches on the upcoming Aston Martin DBX in the little session. The DBX is fully developed anddesigned inhouse, which means it very much is a full-blooded Aston Martin. That gives his design and engineering teams the freedom to create a car that looks and goes good from the get-go, without having to alter proportions and/or mechanical components to drape a new bodyshell over an existing shared platform.

Contrary to what most would believe, Mr Reichman actually relishes the challenge of creating an SUV, since they have gained widespread acceptance internationally. He believes that despite the obvious and distinctive difference between the profile of an SUV to that of a typical Aston Martin, that they have designed and built a fully functional and capable SUV without sacrifices in the aesthetics department!

Credits: Jek Ray Low