What design feature links the 1986 Jeep YJ and 2002 Porsche 911?
In both cases, designers ditched the models’ traditional round headlamps. In the case of the YJ, replacing round headlamps with square ones was an attempt to modernize the Jeep Wrangler’s front end. Porsche designers substituted a teardrop headlamp for the traditional egg yolk design on the 2002 911 to distinguish it from the less expensive Boxster. In both cases, the motoring public was not impressed.
After a drop-off in sales, designers moved back to round headlamps in subsequent models. These experiences should have been a lesson for the car design community, but evidently not.
See how the wrong headlamps on this 1986 Jeep Wrangler ruin a perfectly good design.
Headlamp designs for new car models appear to be going in the wrong direction, becoming more complex and, in some cases, unattractive. Since “form follows function,” according to the famous architect, Louis Sullivan, is this the reason for the move away from rounds? Nope.
The bi-xenon headlamps that come standard in the current Porsche 911 and LED units in the non-turbo 911 are both state of the art. Features such as integrated daytime running lamps, adaptive headlamps that light the corners according to steering inputs, and high beam assist that dims the high beams when the vehicle senses cars coming in the opposite direction make the Porsche headlamps some of the best in the industry.
Why then do designers persist in producing amorphous headlamp clusters that are no more functional than classic rounds?
Keep It Simple Stupid
“There’s a trend towards overdesign right now,” said Nyko dePeyer, formerly of Local Motors and now design community manager for uMake, a new tablet app that launches this fall. According to dePeyer, this trend toward overdesign extends to other areas of vehicles as well, such as multiple character lines that muddy up the profile of the car.
As with any trend, there are exceptions to the rule: iconic new designs that embrace round headlamps and the pureness of form they embody. In addition to the current Porsche 911 and Jeep Wrangler, they include the Fiat 500, Dodge Challenger, and Mini Cooper four-door. In each case, new models have evolved out of a design heritage that dates back to the time when round headlamps were the standard rather than the exception. They are proof that classic design is as relevant in our CAD/CAM world as they were in the days of the drawing board and full-size clay model.
As the great physicist Isaac Newton once said: “Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.”
See Vintage and Classic Car & Truck Headlights for Moon for sale on eBay.
