‘The Atlas of Car Design’ chronicles 130 years of automotive art

Jason Barlow, The Atlas of Car Design: The World’s Most Iconic Cars, Phaidon Press

A comprehensive survey of car design is a daunting undertaking, but Phaidon’s new 568-page monograph is perhaps the best primer the subject has ever seen. Assembled by British motoring journalist and commentator Jason Barlow, with assistance from regular Wallpaper* contributor Guy Bird, The Atlas of Car Design: The World’s Most Iconic Cars contains no fewer than 650 entries chronicling the evolution of every facet of car design from 1893 to the present day. 

The Atlas of Car Design is available in Onyx Black or Rally Red (Image credit: Phaidon)

Unsurprisingly, western Europe provides the lion’s share of the content, while there are welcome diversions into South America and Eastern Europe. Barlow's (and Bird’s) expansive industry experience and contact list have turned up gems and nuggets about the design, development and consumer reception of every model; every car has a story to tell.

Volvo 140, 1966–74, used with permission of Volvo Car Corporation, from The Atlas of Car Design (Image credit: Phaidon)

The many models are also arranged in a visual chronology at the end of the book, along with a helpful glossary, giving a real overview of how different technologies and trends have been expressed by the industry, as it evolved through periods of increased visual sophistication and elaboration, with the line between design and marketing became blurred by media and mass consumption.

Fiat 850 Spider, 1964–73, Centro Documentazione Alfa Romeo – Arese, from The Atlas of Car Design  (Image credit: Phaidon)

This is a monumental volume, available in two different finishes, a high-gloss Rally Red for fans of certain Italian exotica and Onyx, a form of black leatherette that’ll satisfy the more retro-minded. The latter are also catered for by the inspired use of archive imagery throughout – both publicity stills and advertising shots. Much of this reflects the (literal) fashions of the various eras, not to mention the photographic style and colour choices for paint and trim. 

Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 1963-7, General Motors, pictured in front of the then-newly opened Theme Building at LAX, by Langenheim, Pereira & Luckman, from The Atlas of Car Design (Image credit: Phaidon)

In total, 190 manufacturers are represented, a suitably diverse portfolio that doesn’t reflect today’s consolidated industry, where brands can be wholly divorced from their geographic and historic origins yet still embody vaguely defined statements about heritage and certain national characteristics. 

The atlas’ scale ensures that all the usual suspects are present and correct, alongside forays and welcome diversions, like domestic models from 1970s Japan, or the tangled histories and alliances behind South American, Iranian and Israeli car brands. Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in auto design.

Buick Riviera, 1963-5 (Bettmann / Getty Images), from The Atlas of Car Design (Image credit: Phaidon)

The Atlas of Car Design: The World’s Most Iconic Cars, Jason Barlow with Guy Bird, and an introduction by Brett Berk, Phaidon, £100, Phaidon.com

Also available from waterstones.co.uk, amazon.co.uk and barnesandnoble.com