Explore the Iconic World of Car Design at Chalke History Festival 2024
In an era when the automobile has become homogenised and digitised, Jason Barlow, Editor at Large for BBC Top Gear Magazine, and Richard Sutton, writer and TV presenter, discuss the vital questions.
What is the magic, beyond design, performance or presence, that creates the soul of the machine?
Jason Barlow
Join us at this year’s festival for a spectacular display of iconic classic and historic cars, each carefully selected from Jason Barlow’s monumental work, The Atlas of Car Design (Phaidon, RRP £100). This line-up of cars will illustrate Jason Barlow and Richard Sutton’s compelling talk on Sunday, 30 June: “Car Design: the History of the Soul of the Machine,” sponsored by Frontline Cars. Each car is being chosen to illustrate the extraordinary story of iconic car design, dynamics and driving adventure.
Discover the Evolution of Car Design
From pre-war coachbuilt and engineering rarities to post war sports cars and bespoke editions; from the ultimate application of the internal combustion engine to the adaption of the latest electric power, the gathering cars will feature all the essential elements of automotive soul. Expect to see pre-war greats from Invicta, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and the formidable Alfa Romeo, and post-war classics from AC, MG, Jaguar, Porsche, Plymouth and Lamborghini.
Richard Sutton
Unveiling the Magic of Car Design
In the talk, Jason and Richard will be exploring the vital question: what makes for the greatest car designs of all time, who were the designers – the magicians – that created the looks, genres and legends that define automotive history and, what is it that imbues a car with personality and connection?
Delving into the deeper metaphysical question of what creates vibration between human and machine, Barlow and Sutton also dip into the extraordinary world of what makes things ‘relational’. From good engineering to panpsychism, they explore the undeniable connections between people and certain machines and explore the bigger question of how AI and ‘singularity’ will create cars as family members in the future.
Book Your Tickets Now
131. CAR DESIGN: THE HISTORY OF THE SOUL OF THE MACHINE
Jason Barlow, Richard Sutton
Sunday 30th June 15:00
Tickets are now on sale. Sign up to the Chalke History Festival newsletter and check chalkefestival.com for updates.
