The search for the Joule, SA’s only electric car, led to a conversation with the legendary designer of some of the world’s most beautiful sports cars.
The search for the Joule, South Africa’s only electric car, led to a conversation with the legendary designer of some of the world’s most beautiful sports cars, Keith Helfet. The man from Calvinia who became Jaguar’s top designer, it turned out, had also designed the Joule.
“I loved machines but the degree was all mathematics and thermodynamics. I wanted to design cars. So I dropped out and built a car on the chassis of an old Triumph Spitfire using foam offcuts and 700 pounds of plaster of Paris. The engine didn’t work. The general feeling was that I was a harmless lunatic. Then I went back and finished my degree.
He was the guru. He influenced my design language, my style for the rest of my life. Soft, flowing shapes which I just loved, not hard-edged, which was the fashion at the time. Jaguar designs look fast. Around classic Jaguars, other sports cars looked awkward. Jaguars stood out.For me as a designer, the ultimate prize is to create an object of desire. Emotional appeal was our competitive advantage. Design and desire have been my driving mantra. It’s what I call the book I’ve just written.
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