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Peter Stevens and Julian Thomson lead a discussion on the past, present and future of car design

As part of its sponsorship of London's Clerkenwell Design Week, Jaguar and the Royal College of Art brought together three generations of the design school to discuss the past, present and possible future of car design. Held in a suitably grimy warehouse in east London – with the sculpture by RCA students Ewan Gallimore and Claire Mille's we showed you earlier this week sat outside – Professor Dale Harrow, dean of the School of Design and head of its Vehicle Design program introduced Professor Peter Stevens, Julian Thomson, Jaguar's advanced design director and Alexandra Palmowski project designer advanced colour and material at Jaguar took the audience through their careers. Charismatic as ever, Peter Stevens kicked off proceedings that moved chronologically through the decades by explaining how he first became interested in "the art if car design, allied to the science of how they work" through his artistic parents and uncle – journalist and motoring adventurer – Denis Jenkinson during the 1950s and 60s.

Ireland preparing to ban smoking in cars

Ireland prepare to ban smoking in cars Maybe the erosion of individual liberties should be secondary to safety (although we would argue the contrary), but surely banning smoking in cars – as Ireland appear close to doing – is a very silly route to go? Of course, since anything that can be remotely construed as a company car is already somewhere you’re not allowed to smoke, banning smoking in private cars is, perhaps, a logical step. The argument is that smoking in cars is detrimental to the health of children who are passengers.

Taxi To The Stars To Shine At Auction

CLASSIC car auctioneer, Historics at Brooklands, will be selling a very special London taxi at the end of November. This particular example of a 1935 12/4 Austin Taxi is no ordinary cab though, having transported the rich and famous as part of its role as gust transport for boutique hotel, Blakes, in London’s South Kensington. Plucked from its more humble street life in the 70’s by the hotel’s creator - film star and actress turned hotelier and interior designer - Anouska Hempel (now Lady Weinberg) - the 1935 Austin Taxi Low Loading became the exclusive hotel transport soon after the hotel’s opening, for Blakes’s many famous guests including Ali McGraw, Neil Diamond, Robert Redford, Bob Dylan and Jane Russell.