The car design yearbook 1

By Steve Newbury

ISBN 1-85894-181-4

Published by Layzell, £25.00

There are only three or four outrageous mock-ups per motor show, aren’t there? According to this hefty volume there were 127 expensive one-offs revealed last year, and all are shown here. Along with generous photography, there’s a brief spec for every vehicle plus a design analysis, which is not regurgitated PR-speak but a serious comment on each. Some are destined for production, but some are the results of ‘blue sky’ thinking, like the Isuzu Zen with its bamboo flooring, or the Honda Unibox, which looks as though one of the glass elevators has fallen off the Lloyds building. Best of all are the barking names the Japanese think up: I just can’t decide between the Nissan Nails and the Mazda Secret Hideout… If car styling is your thing, this is a bonanza. GC