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Take A Moment To Thank Tom Tjaarda For Designing So Many Beautiful Cars
Take A Moment To Thank Tom Tjaarda For Designing So Many Beautiful Cars
Jason Torchinsky
Today 12:04pm
Auto designer legend Tom Tjaarda died at 82 today, and even if somehow you don’t think you know who he is, trust me, you know who he is. It’s almost certain that at some point you’ve seen a stunning car that’s taken your breath away, and there’s a decent chance that Tom Tjaarda had a hand in its design. Tjaarda was a legend, and it’s sad to see him go.
Tom was part of a legacy of car designers, as his dad was Dutch-born John Tjaarda, who worked for Ford, designing an incredible rear-engined streamliner concept that would be developed into the striking 1936 Lincoln Zephyr.
Tom followed in his father’s tire tracks, but took a slightly different approach. Instead of staying in America and working for one of the Big Three, Tom went to Italy to design cars, starting with a summer at Carrozzeria Ghia.
....
He started his career at Ghia in earnest in 1960 with the Innocenti 950 Spider, a lovely, taut little roadster built on Austin-Healey Sprite mechanicals. Where a Sprite was sort of goofy and fun looking, Tjaarda brought a crisp, tailored elegance to the car, something that would prove to be a hallmark of all his later work.
... {H}e designed what may be the most beautiful Corvair ever made, the Corvair Coupé Speciale:
Tjaarda went on to design more design icons: the Ferrari 330GT 2+2, and one of his best-known designs, the Fiat 124.
Jason Torchinsky
Today 12:04pm
Auto designer legend Tom Tjaarda died at 82 today, and even if somehow you don’t think you know who he is, trust me, you know who he is. It’s almost certain that at some point you’ve seen a stunning car that’s taken your breath away, and there’s a decent chance that Tom Tjaarda had a hand in its design. Tjaarda was a legend, and it’s sad to see him go.
Tom was part of a legacy of car designers, as his dad was Dutch-born John Tjaarda, who worked for Ford, designing an incredible rear-engined streamliner concept that would be developed into the striking 1936 Lincoln Zephyr.
Tom followed in his father’s tire tracks, but took a slightly different approach. Instead of staying in America and working for one of the Big Three, Tom went to Italy to design cars, starting with a summer at Carrozzeria Ghia.
....
He started his career at Ghia in earnest in 1960 with the Innocenti 950 Spider, a lovely, taut little roadster built on Austin-Healey Sprite mechanicals. Where a Sprite was sort of goofy and fun looking, Tjaarda brought a crisp, tailored elegance to the car, something that would prove to be a hallmark of all his later work.
... {H}e designed what may be the most beautiful Corvair ever made, the Corvair Coupé Speciale:
Tjaarda went on to design more design icons: the Ferrari 330GT 2+2, and one of his best-known designs, the Fiat 124.