LA Design Challenge 2011: studios compete to design Hollywood car

This year's LA Design Challenge will see competitors from around the world battle to design Hollywood's next movie car. Participating design studios from General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz Germany (Smart), Mercedes-Benz Japan (Maybach) and Mercedes-Benz US will all be showcasing their creative talents in an effort to secure top honors. Automobiles in Hollywood films produced throughout the years have become some of the most iconic symbols of the films – perhaps as important as the movies themselves.

Aston Martin Coupé Zagato Centennial and Spyder Zagato Centennial

American car collector Peter Read has commissioned a pair of Zagato-bodied Aston Martins that coincide with the British marque's centenary. The DBS Coupé Zagato Centennial and DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial are the hard- and soft-top siblings are the latest in a long line of collaborations between the two companies. But while many have been – an admittedly more exuberant – expression of contemporary Aston design language, the Centennials have a stronger individual identity with an almost sedan-like aesthetic with forward-leaning noses and long Kamm tails.

Building the brand identity of Brazil's home-grown off-roader

Ford's South American design studio in Camaçari, Brazil, has already completed two 'One Ford' global projects, the EcoSport crossover, and the Ka compact. But the replacement for the Troller T4, a basic 4x4 solely for the Brazilian market, has presented a different challenge to the design team led by Joao Marcos Ramos. In 1994, Troller began building tough rally-raid 4x4s for local motor sport events.