Once upon a time ... the steering wheel
07/17/2022
Don't worry, the steering wheel as such still exists. And contrary to what science fiction films have been predicting for decades, the steering wheel in cars will probably be around for a while yet. But in my opinion, it's already time for the first swan song for the component that doesn't need to be more than its name suggests to function perfectly: a wheel.
The trigger is the Renault 5 Diamant: a "birthday present" that the French architect Pierre Gonalons gave the Renault 5 for its fiftieth birthday. Instead of a simple geometric shape made of a simple material, the designer piece features a marble pretzel on the steering column - which is not even straight when driving straight ahead. That in itself wouldn't be so bad (after all, many sports cars now also have rather abstract steering shapes) if it weren't representative of the entire matt-pink vehicle.
The original Renault 5 was an ingenious design. Not only constructively, but also visually. Every line is just right. Every line has a function to which it is subordinate. Every stylistic peculiarity, such as the large, unpainted plastic bumpers, is functionally justified. Nothing can be improved, nothing can be added or omitted. A fuel filler cap concealed behind a flap would make the flank look tidier, but would also make it more expensive to produce. The perfection of the Renault 5 lies in its elegant simplicity.
This is exactly what Gonalons, as an architect, should have recognized. And that is precisely what Gonalons did not understand. He added gold accents here and diamond-cut components there to the car; he "refined" it wherever he could. While the "headlights" are of course not real diamonds but cut glass, the Renault rhombus intertwined with the creator's initials is made of 24-carat gold. The architect has thus turned an ingeniously simple and, above all, classless engineering product into an over-the-top accessory for the bimbo of the world. The Renault 5 Diamant is no longer bought by students and lawyers. The plastic surgeon's wife puts it next to the Bentley Bentayga because it goes so well with her Gucci loafers.
That has nothing to do with the original idea of the Renault 5. If I were the recipient - I would ask if Gonalons still has the receipt.
