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Ken Okuyama,
design director for Turin, Italy-based Pininfarina, the
world's oldest established automotive styling house, will
provide a first-hand look into reinterpreting an automotive
icon - the Maserati Birdcage - as a guest speaker at the
Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference. The
conference is held concurrently with the LA Auto Show's
second media day on January 5, 2006. All conference
participants and media days' attendees - including
journalists and automobile industry personnel - are welcome
to attend Ken Okuyama's presentation, as well as BMW Group
AG's Chief of Design Chris Bangle's opening address in the
morning.
The Maserati Birdcage 75th was created to celebrate
Pininfarina's 75th anniversary and is based on the road
racing chassis of the Maserati MC 12. The car pays homage to
the storied tradition of extreme sports prototypes
highlighted in the Italian renaissance of car design from
the fifties through the early seventies. "With the Maserati
Birdcage 75th, Okuyama and his team have created a
spectacular concept car that is the embodiment of every auto
enthusiast's dream," said Chuck Pelly conference director
for Design Los Angeles. "We are elated to have him at our
conference; his insight and passion for auto design is sure
to inspire our audience."
The Birdcage 75th combines Pininfarina styling with Motorola
technology in an effort to address the increasing demand for
immediate access to information. The car is equipped to
function as a mobile office complete with access to state of
the art mobile phone and personal data systems technology.
It also contains a navigation system that can be tailored to
personal needs, infrared technology to enhance the driving
experience at night and numerous cameras strategically
positioned to allow the driver to share their experience.
"We wanted to do something very special," Okuyama said of
the design for the Birdcage 75th. "We wanted to give a
future vision to a younger generation, to people outside the
auto industry and to those who have aspirations of becoming
the car designers of the future."
The Maserati Birdcage 75th will be on display in the
Maserati exhibit throughout media and public days. Okuyama
worked as designer for Pininfarina from 1995 - 2000. During
that period, he created highly praised designs for
production cars such as the Ferrari Enzo, the Ferrari 612
Scaglietti, the Maserati Quattroporte and successful
prototype cars that included the Peugeot Nautilus and the
Ferrari Rossa. |
