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Video: Chris Bangle delivers “Empowerment: Design without Designers” talk at Creative Mornings/London

Chris Bangle – the undisputed front man of car design – needs little introduction, so the prospect of the former BMW Design Director and now founder of Chris Bangle Associates giving a talk in our home town of London was too good to pass up. His presentation (which you can watch in full in the video to the left) touched on his time at BMW, but was more focused on the idea of empowering others to create: "design without you in the middle", as Bangle says. From the story of the co-creation of the staircase in his Italian studio to the idea of encouraging people to think about their culture when designing, his philosophies transcend disciplines.

Concept Car of the Week: Chevrolet Astro (1967)

It gave its name to a boxy van in the 80s, but the Chevrolet Astro I was one of the most exciting dream cars developed within the GM styling studio. Presented in New York Auto Show in 1967, it was the first of three Astro concepts shown in annual succession and illustrates GM's desire to develop models that were both aerodynamic and attractive. What we might take for granted in aerodynamics nowadays was almost untouched territory in the mid ‘60s.

Alluring Alfa Romeo falls far short of its promise

Few names can match the allure of Alfa Romeo. The sporty Italian brand is all about swooping lines, intoxicating engine noise, nimble road manners and the sexiest grille around. Alfa Romeo should be a bright Italian alternative to, say, Audi that stands out from the silver-gray herd of German luxury machines.