They really do exist. The small symposia on the subject of vehicle history outside the spheres of interest of the automotive industry. You just have to discover them. And then take part. One of these symposia is organized every two years by F-Kubik, the "Forum for Vehicle History".
The last symposium on vehicle design was held in 2014 at VW's Autostadt in Wolfsburg. Anyone who was unable or unwilling to attend but finds the topic interesting can now purchase the conference proceedings. And use it to read the excellent contributions that most of us unfortunately missed.
Forum for vehicle history
For the third time, the "Forum for Automotive History" organized a conference on a selected topic of automotive history. And it is thanks to the Delius-Klasing publishing house that this small but excellent event is always referenced in the following year and a 100-page conference volume reproduces the papers. And not just in manuscript form, but also including the images used by the speakers.
The 2014 symposium
Last year's symposium was dedicated to the topic of "Vehicle Design". The history between technology and fashion was explored and 10 speakers from various disciplines were invited to speak on the topic. Speakers included Carl Hahn (former CEO of VW), Eberhard Schulz (Isdera Design) and Stefan Dierkes (Frua Archive), to name but a few.
Exciting and interesting
Of course, there are countless books on the history of vehicle design and the conference proceedings cannot and should not compete with them. However, it succeeds in presenting and approaching the topic in an interdisciplinary manner. The authors approach the topic from a variety of disciplines. From the CEO of VW, who talks about responsibility in decision-making processes, to the designer, who talks about everyday life and the changes in his work.
From the historian who examines designer personalities and their biographies and works, the conference proceedings shed light on numerous aspects that enable a multifaceted approach to the topic. Each presentation is introduced by a short portrait. The reader is thus presented with the speaker's approach to the topic and can follow the subject with a great deal of understanding.
Vehicle design, what can the reader expect?
Of course, there are numerous well-known and even more unknown design icons in this book. The NSU Ro 80, the Citroën DS, design studies, it's all there. However, the individual contributions are also each subordinate to their own topic. For example, the presentation on the topic of "Van as a new vehicle category". It is fascinating to follow these presentations. You get a detailed idea of how this type of vehicle came about and found its way into the acceptance of car design. From the American Stout from 1935 to the 1950s with the VW Bus and Fiat Multipla or later the R 16 from Renault. Until the acceptance of this type of vehicle in the 1980s with the Renault Espace or the Space Wagon from Mitsubishi.
Conclusion: Worth reading
After the positive experiences with the symposia in 2010 at the August Horch Museum in Zwickau (former Audi and Trabant plant) and in 2012 at the Daimler-Benz plant (formerly Borgward) in Bremen, the 3rd symposium now represented a certain two-year continuity. The symposia are characterized by selected speakers with a broad approach to the topic and in-depth specialist knowledge who are able to convey their presentations in an exciting way. The fact that this quality has also been transferred to the conference proceedings makes them worth reading and recommending.
However, one should not expect a magnificent volume. Thankfully, DK-Verlag is supporting the publication, which is aimed more at experts on the subject than classic enthusiasts. 100 pages softcover, 4-color throughout at € 19.90 can be seen more as a transcript. The small A5 booklet format underlines the claim to serve more as a summarizing compendium than to stand out on the bookshelf. However, now that the 3rd volume of the 3rd symposium is available, these three booklets take up a little space, at least in terms of breadth.
Bibliographical details
- Title: Vehicle design - A history between technology and modernity
- Authors: Various
- Language: German
- Publisher: Delius Klasing, 1st edition 2015
- Size/format: 169 x 241 mm, paperback, 108 pages, 110 color, 92 b/w images and 59 color illustrations
- Price: € 19.90,
- ISBN: 978-3-667-10259-1
- Buy/Order: Online at the publisher delius-klasing.de, at amazon.de or in the relevant bookstores
