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Putting on the style by Martin Hayes
Page 73
Page 74
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k took at how British coachbuilders transform their ideas on coach design into noducts which can make money for operators
'AKE A BOX, put it on wheels, fill it rith seats and you have the basic layout fa public service vehicle. Make it more omfortable and desirable enough for le fickle coach passenger to want to ^avel in and you have a coach. Simple nough on paper, maybe, but achieving at end requires all the skills which the oachbuilder can muster.
Once the principle of the psv as "a ipe with people in it" is accepted, then can be seen that those little extras rhich make people want to travel on oaches — attention to marketing is ow an accepted part of the coach perator's job — are provided by the styling". Before any new vehicle ppears, months and often years of hought have gone into its planning. Often styling is one of the first factors to e considered.
When a manufacturer decides the me is ripe for a new model he lays own his constraints -eventual asking rice, size, weight, performance and so n — and then tells a stylist or designer that is required. The stylist produces ome drawings — or artist's impressions s they are familiarly known — so that he manufacturer can choose which he refers. Once the choice is made, often hcorporating a blend of ideas gleaned rom all the drawings, the stylist goes way and produces more detailed lustrations to give substance to his riginal concept. It is from these that the oachbuilder's designer makes his ngineering blueprint and those form he basis of the vehicle itself. Often the first that customers see of the actual vehicle are those famed artist's impressions. All too often there is disappointment when reality makes its first appearance. The tradition with impressions is that they have only a passing resemblance to what actually is made in metal. It is significant, perhaps, that the stylist in the UK with arguably the most extensive experience of coach design believes firmly that the end product should closely follow the lines of the initial impression.
Competitive
He is Mr Carl Olsen, an American now with his own design company in Britain. Mr Olsen's work has played a major role in the appearance of the three top selling UK coaches on the British market, even though they are produced by three intensely competitive companies. His views on the subject of styling obviously carry some weight, therefore, not least it would seem in boardrooms at Scarborough, Blackpool and Loughborough. Mr Olsen completed his design training with General Motors in New York and with a general industrial design concern in Denmark, an acknowledged world centre for good design. He moved to the UK more than 10 years ago to become a director of the Ogle company, then as now design consultants to Plaxtons. Among other accounts, Mr Olsen worked on the design of the first, pacesetting Panorama model in the early Sixties.
Mr Olsen is at first sight the very image of the stylist as seen by the average operator. His company — employing himself, his wife and three professional designers — now handles work for a wide range of companies. The products on which they have worked include teapots, machine tools, tractor seats, office equipment and coach bodies. But, contrary to that initial impression perhaps, all the other work grew out of the coach business. Spreading the message, Mr Olsen lectures at the Royal College of Art, Cranfield Institute of Technology, and Hatfield Polytechnic.
Duple assessment •
When Frank Ford moved from Plaxton to buy Duple he asked Mr Olsen to go too. It was on the basis of this invitation that Olsen Design Ltd was set up. The first task when the Duple take-over was complete was to examine the all-steel, flat-glass coach body that was already at an advanced stage. Mr Olsen produced a number of drawings in connection with that project — some of which are reproduced here for the first time. When it was decided that the body should not be built then the priority was switched to facelifting the ageing Viceroy model as a stop-gap until a completely new body could be made feady. Once again, the subtle changes of the stylist played an important role in persuading customers that here was a model which had a new look.
Obviously the next major task was production of a design for what eventually became the Dominant. After that had become reality, Mr Olsen became involved in the revolutionary Duple pusher-bus project. As for everyone else involved in that project, time was exceedingly rushed but in a very short time a whole range colour illustrations were produced. Some appeared in CM along with an exclusive review of the project earlier this year.
Since the beginning of this year Mr Olsen has become involved with the third British coachbuilder, Willowbrook. His work — which did not start until May — resulted in the striking 008 model which appeared at Earls Court in September. Of course, the model's original conception was that of George Hughes, Willowbrook's ebullient chairman. He had an idea for a shape — inspired by the futuristic American Motors experimental coach launched in the spring — and a theme — originated, it is said, by the Startrek television series. It was this shape and this theme that were the original parameters laid down for the new model.
Two roles in mind
At the same time of course the vehicle had to be practical. While the first model was envisaged as something very special in the way of "executive" vehicles, it was known that the basic bodyshell would have to sell in volume as a standard coach, Early on, it was known that the chassis would at first be limited to the Bedford YRT which at least made basic dimensions somewhat less complicated. Finally — and evermore important for any new model — the explosion of legislation affecting psv design had to be considered. With all these factors in mind, Mr Olsen and his team went to work.
As we have seen, first stage was the production of a number of radically different designs — using the same shape and theme. Some of the "unsuccessful" illustrations accompany this article and provide an interesting insight of the background thinking which went on. Actually, "unsuccessful" is probably the wrong word: the final creation used detail points from each and other drawings exist, which we have been asked not to publish, which incorporate ideas which Willowbrook may use at a later stage.
The drawings themselves say quite a lot about the overall impression that coachbuilder, stylist and designer were trying to convey. They also provide some significant trends in shapes — a curve, here or there, maybe, or construction of the front end — which carry through all of Mr Olsen's work. One such area, and something he admits he feels very strongly about, is in the number and position of the headlights. All the drawings (including the earlier ones) show vehicles very well equipped with lights. The 008 Spacecar has an unusual arrangement of twin banks of triple lights designed to give the best combination of spread and range of light. Other drawings show designs with lights stretching right across the vehicle. All illustrate a point where styling can and does go hand-in-hand with safety provisions.
Once Willowbrook had selected the drawing and model of their choice, Mr Olsen set to work to make more detailed drawings. The whole question of the lavish interior appearance began to receive serious attention. Because of the dramatically reduced timescale — two vehicles were produced from scratch in under four months Olsen Design was involved to a much later stage than is sometimes usual. There is a tendency, apparently, once the stylist has done his initial drawings, for the coachbuilder to go his own sweet way. Sometimes this can lead to those vehicles which have not even a passing resemblance to the original artist's impression.
In the case of the Spacecar, though, Mr Olsen moved up to Loughborough with his staff to work alongside designer Charlie Bottrill to produce basic engineering drawings. First the detailed drawing using a 10 to 1 scale was produced. Once this had been approved and modified the outline was transferred to a full size drawing which was used as a blueprint for the manufacturer of major compenents.
Working on the spot
It was while working on layouts for the exclusive interior for the first, Thomsons Holidays vehicle, that the idea of doing a second coach for the show was raised. It was largely on the strength of Mr Olsen's drawings that Playboy chief Victor Lownes gave the go-ahead for a vehicle in the famous "bunny" livery. To complete two vehicles in the time allowed was some achievement which made some of the less than acceptable standards of finish more excusable. As it happens the first vehicle — the Thomsons liveried one — was sold after the show to an overseas customer and Playboy has indicated that it could well buy one. (Neither vehicle was sold when they appeared at the show). While there has been plenty o`f somewhat snide criticism about the Willowbrook models, there can be n( doubt that they represent a significar change from traditional designs. It wz with this in mind that! asked Mr Olse for his views on standard British coaches.
The fairground approach
By and large, he feels, the trouble wit British coaching is that it has a "fairground" approach to vehicle appearance. There is a tendency to ha', far too much chrome work which look gaudy, adds weight and cost and cause cleaning problems. Mr Olsen cites thg trend in luxury car design as evidence t( support his view that "simple means good". Clearly this is an area where personal taste plays an important roll Unfortunately, it's too often true that the coach operator though his chosen manufacturer tends to impose his criteria for appearance which may ver well not be those of the travelling public Mr Olsen points to National Trave which has specified several models of coach body in recent years without sorn of the unnecessary moulding lines, so that its simplistic livery shows to bette advantage and cleaning is not impeded Mr Olsen is convinced — and at last some operators seem to be taking the same line that the aesthetic approac of the airlines and latterly the railwa) can have major importance for coach operators too. To achieve the cool, universally acceptable image is not difficult, he thinks. Practicality need nc be sacrificed. For example, the belove moquette would be "super" if only th suppliers could get away from the traditional designs they — or the / operators — insist on using.
Another simple Way of changing th image — and one which Willowbrook i: trying with its new model — is to have new glass shape. Glazing is an area where Mr Olsen feels many changes ea be made. The two 008s at the show revealed some of his thinking by using plastics material. Unfortunately this was marred by the badly applied anti glare material which was the work of a outside contractor. Production model will have conventional glass, althougt the unusual and effective method of glazing will be utilized on some vehicles Putting on the style is a subject whic should interest every operator. It seem! clear than an attractive coach to look a and to ride in is good for business. Manufacturers are clearly giving this more consideration than ever before with new designs; is it not time operator followed suit when planning their liveries and seat trims?