Tom Karen - Opponent of the diagonal tail (obituary)
01/18/2023
He was an opponent of the hatchback and in fact he often or actually always suggested other solutions. The designer Tom Karen certainly had his own style.
This can be seen very clearly in the Bond Bug, but also in the Reliant Scimitar. The latter in particular influenced other so-called sports cars such as the Volvo 1800 ES, the Lancia Beta HPE or the BMW Z3 Coupé.
Why was he against a fastback? From his point of view, it only had disadvantages: It took up space, led to heavier cars due to the more extensive glazing, interfered with aerodynamics and reduced all-round visibility. The only argument for it from Karen's point of view was that many people apparently liked it. He obviously didn't.
Tom Karen was the design conscience of the Ogle company, for 37 years he often produced sensational designs. One of these was the "landspeeder" used by Luke Skywalker in the movie "Star Wars". But he also designed motorcycles and bicycles.
On December 31, 2022, the creative Tom Karen, who was born in Vienna on March 20, 1926, died at the age of 96.
