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McLaren X-1 Concept

10K views 34 replies 19 participants last post by  ravi 
#1 ·
#2 ·
It's not my personal dream car but I thought it was wonderful and extremely well executed. I did wish the interior had been a bit more of a break from the traditional 12C to match the exterior - that might have been my only complaint.

Had the pleasure of hanging around for the private shoot after the Quail Gathering ended and took one of my favorite pictures of the X-1 then.



There was also this previous thread started that morning when the first photos surfaced:

http://www.mclarenlife.com/forums/m...-1-one-off-design-mso-client-middle-east.html

>8^)
ER
 
#6 ·
In a single word - uniqueness.

McLaren declined to name the client who ordered the X-1, but provided a long list of the inspirations he wanted to be reflected in the car, some of which were specific models: a 1961 Facel Vega, a 1953 Chrysler d’Elegance Ghia, a 1959 Buick Electra, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K, a 1971 Citroën SM and an Airstream trailer.

Also tossed into the inspirational blender was architecture — the Guggenheim museums in New York and Bilbao — as well a product design: a Jaeger LeCoultre art deco clock; a Montblanc pen; and a grand piano. The proverbial cherries on top were a black-and-white photo of Audrey Hepburn, as well as an eggplant.
McLaren did all of this while still ensuring the car met ever major global safety standard required in a new car - no small feat. As we learned recently they have at least one more of these types of projects in the works. I have even heard talk of something based on the P1 as a future project which very much interests me.

>8^)
ER
 
#5 ·
I think it's neat from a 'look what we'll do if asked by a customer with deep pockets' perspective. That said, if I were the customer with the deep pockets, I would not have commissioned that car as it's really not to my taste.

-Jamie.
 
#9 ·
This is not a concept car, its a MSO Bespoke Project for a client.
 
#10 ·
True Fabian,i remember discussing it,its actually quicker than a 12c as its all CF and lighter,but unless the brakes were uprated it would not have the stopping power as it only has a retractable wing,not an airbrake.But its a one off and beautifully built if not pretty,in 75 years it might be seen as exclusive as a Bugatti Royale,but we wont be around to find out :)
 
#12 ·
I've never been a fan of this, I appreciate for what it is, when I first saw it my first impressions were a glamourised R8, it's a design piece you have to understand its philosophy, But the level of attention to detail and finish is incredible. It's certainly an interesting yet controversial piece.. Doesn't do it for me unfortunately. You can blah all day long but first impressions always count but this does nothing for me.
 
#13 · (Edited)
So do we know who designed it? I wouldn't mind seeing what the other designs they came up.

It's not really surprising one-offs are not well received. They are too personal. I've looked at all the stuff that he wanted the inspiration drawn from, and none of it is very appealing to me. Well, other than a young Audrey Hepburn, that is. ;)

I wonder if the interior couldn't be re-worked for safety reasons.

In terms of weight, is this really that much lighter? I know it's all CF, but I was told the 12C body is made from sheet moulding compound. That's not exactly steel...



 
#14 ·
Hong Yeo was the X-1's designer - it was reported to be his first project after graduating from the Royal College of Art in London and coming under the employment of McLaren. There's an interview with him and Antony Sheriff here which you can listen to:



Bit more here if you prefer to read:

http://www.complex.com/rides/2012/0...s-with-mclaren-x1-supercar-designer-hong-yeo/

A transportation project he did in school for a sustainable car of the future inspired by LEGO and called the Volkswagen Concerto concept is shown here:

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/07/08/love-affair-with-london-and-lego/

Would be interesting to flip through his portfolio from design school and see if there was anything else quite like the X-1 in his mind at the time. As the interviews imply much of the look of the X-1 was shaped by the client's desires, with Hong's talents left to interpret them and put them on paper and eventually into the finished product.

>8^)
ER
 
#17 ·
that's not Hong Yeo's fault. it is bad design management.
there are very few designer who, just out of school can do a full car. actually, same goes for P1 ; there are a lot of badly resolved area, too many lines, highlights mistakes, etc,simply because young designer want to put all their ideas in.
And Yeo must feel very bitter. not only mclaren let him do and personally show this X-1, they didn't renew his contract either. brilliant management!
 
#19 · (Edited)
that's not Hong Yeo's fault. it is bad design management.
there are very few designer who, just out of school can do a full car. actually, same goes for P1 ; there are a lot of badly resolved area, too many lines, highlights mistakes, etc,simply because young designer want to put all their ideas in.
And Yeo must feel very bitter. not only mclaren let him do and personally show this X-1, they didn't renew his contract either. brilliant management!
Stop assuming and making things up, you don't have a clue!! The rest of your comment is also absurd, It is fact that young designers don't just put whatever and all their ideas in a design of a vehicle, especially in McLaren the other half of the design team are engineers, the P1 isn't the work of fancy ideas ploughed onto a chassis base. Whats the point in having all the simulators and windtunnel equipment if as you say all these lines and highlight mistakes aren't justified to function, your idiocracy is beyond me
 
#18 ·
Seems rather foolish to criticize the designer for delivering on exactly what the client wanted. :rolleyes:

Additionally the young man clearly has talent that has been well recognized over the years by his peers in the design community.

Hong Yeo graduated in 2002 from Detroit's College for Creative Studies (CCS) in the US with a degree in transportation design. After a spell spent working as a designer for General Motors, he returned home for two years of national service.

His passion for design remained undimmed however. Yeo applied and was accepted on a masters course in vehicle design at London's prestigious Royal College of Art (RCA). During this period, Yeo won a string of prestigious awards He achieved first place in the Volkswagen-Royal College of Art Day & Night design team competition, won the Kia-Royal College of Art Venus 2049 team competition in 2008.

This was followed by an impressive treble during 2009: including the Carmen Transport Design Award and Royal College of Art Society - Thames & Hudson Artbook Prize and perhaps most impressively, the Pilkington-RCA Automotive Awards, where he won Best Design.

This latter award was given for Yeo's Volkswagen Concerto concept, the culmination of his final design project at the RCA, sponsored by Autodesk. The modular build your own car drew inspiration from the humble Lego brick, allowing users to add and remove functions and parts as and when required. The associated model was even displayed at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.
He also won the contest to design the X-1...

‘The client wanted a competition between external designers – some outside the automotive world – and McLaren’s own designers,’ notes Stephenson. In the end, a design by McLaren’s Korean-born RCA graduate Hong Yeo was chosen, and completed under the direction of Stephenson.
This is a car that was built for one person - that really means only one person has to love it, and I can assure you he most certainly does.

>8^)
ER
 
#22 ·
This is a car that was built for one person - that really means only one person has to love it, and I can assure you he most certainly does.

>8^)
ER[/QUOTE]



you are 100% correct except that this one person atrocity has the same badge as my spider and thats quite embarrasing to me and to others im sure and also quite disappointing from mclaren to release something like that with their name on, i dont care how good it is.
maybe its a great car mechanically and build wise, but certainly not aesthetically. money doesnt buy taste..sorry.
 
#26 ·
you are 100% correct except that this one person atrocity has the same badge as my spider and thats quite embarrasing to me and to others im sure and also quite disappointing from mclaren to release something like that with their name on, i dont care how good it is.
maybe its a great car mechanically and build wise, but certainly not aesthetically. money doesnt buy taste..sorry.
That's a bit harsh! I said above it wasn't really my cup of tea, but if I had a 12c and I ended up parked next to it in a parking lot I'd still take pictures of it, think it was cool to see, and I'd certainly talk to the owner with a respect for what he commissioned.

If you were driving down the street in a 458 and a Mondial pulled up beside you does that detract from the 458? In my opinion it only does if the Mondial owner mashes the loud pedal and catches you in the resulting cloud of burnt oil and clutch :D

-Jamie.
 
#23 ·
I've seen the X-1 in person, quite a fan of the brand though not yet an owner, and I wasn't the least bit embarrassed by it. It is one of the best examples of retro-futurism I have seen in automotive design as it isn't simply a modernized copy of something that came before it.

While it is not what would order from McLaren if I had the privilege of commissioning a bespoke project I really don't see the fault in them giving someone what they wanted. To the contrary, I believe that practice should be celebrated as there are not many manufacturers in this world who are presently capable or willing to deliver at the level in which McLaren has here.

The only styling element I really don't prefer on the car is the brightwork around the exhaust outlets:



Otherwise, this thing looks amazing going down the road.

>8^)
ER
 
#24 ·
I agree with ER, it is a very good retro design. Not everyone might like it, but it clearly is no design blunder! It looks a little like a car that could be in Hunger Games or Elysium.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Might not be pretty, but it's designed for a single person's tastes. We see people put hideous wheels on cars all the time. In this case it's someone who can afford to put a body on a car instead of just wheels. Sometimes people just like weird stuff.

I don't think it's the designer's fault. He delivered a design based on some criteria and that guy approved it. If he didn't love it, I doubt he would have gave the go ahead on such an expensive purchase. For all we know there were some gorgeous designs that the owner didn't like. I mean, a lot of people here love the P1, but somewhere out there, there is a guy who doesn't. You can't please everyone.

Eric Clapton had a one-off 458 that wasn't exactly brilliant looking either. This is why professional's design cars and not just anybody. Volume cars need to appeal to the masses, not just the patron.





 
#28 ·
Eric Clapton had a one-off 458 that wasn't exactly brilliant looking either. This is why professional's design cars and not just anybody. Volume cars need to appeal to the masses, not just the patron.
That's a good example... Other than the front headlights, I happen to like the look on that car quite a bit. For those that aren't familiar:

 
#29 · (Edited)
I really like the SP12EC. Of course, it was never going to be as good as the 512 BB that inspired it but it certainly cleaned up and improved on the 458.
The only thing I'll never understand is the way the fuel filler cap was handled. What the hell happened there, Clapton?!
 
#30 ·
I am with you on the outside fuel filler - doesn't work for me either. I also don't like the thin angled vent on the buttress above it - breaks up the flow and I just don't see a reason for it to be there. I also think they should have found a way to alter the color break - level it out so that it is higher at the front and lower at the back when viewed from the side. By not painting any portion of the rear bumper it appears to have been forgotten. Almost like the part has been fitted for testing but the vehicle isn't yet complete.

The biggest injustice on that car though is the fact that the incarnate of the fantastic 512 BBi has no V12 engine - the only 12 that relates to it is the Special Project number.

>8^)
ER
 
#31 ·
I agree with you Erik regarding the X-1, the vehicle is utterly and absolutely bespoke to the owner, a project such as this one would had gone through several meetings and various inputs with the owner, you cannot point a finger at a designer or a group of designers merely doing and creating what was asked of them
 
#32 ·
That's a very good point. I've commissioned local artists in some of the home improvement stuff I've done and there are multiple reviews prior to anything getting created. Heck, even getting to a point where the design for the project itself (ie: kitchen) was approved was a multi-staged back-and-forth...

If the project is for one client, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If everyone else thinks my kitchen looks like crap, so be it, I couldn't be happier with it!!! :D

-Jamie.
 
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