You ‘designed’ a car, Posh? That’s Rover the top, says director
VICTORIA Beckham is at the centre of an extraordinary row over her part in designing a special edition of the Range Rover.
Gerry McGovern, 61, design director at Land Rover, which makes the cars, has accused the former Spice Girl-turned-fashionista of exaggerating her role at the launch of a special VB Evoque, where she claimed: ‘I’ve designed a car that I want to drive, a car I think [husband] David wants to drive.’ But Mr McGovern said at a publicity event last week: ‘She didn’t design the car… I’ve forgotten more than that woman will ever know about [car] designing – to be a car designer takes years. When we went to China to present it, she stood up in front of the world’s press and said, “When I designed this car…” I said, “Victoria, that wasn’t on the script.” ‘She said, “Oh, I didn’t realise what I was saying.”’ His irritation goes back to 2012 when Mrs Beckham, 43, was asked to create a version of the Evoque with ‘restrained colour and detail changes’, as the company explained. But not to ‘change the award-winning design’.
The £80,000 car featured matt paintwork, vintage-inspired leather seats, ‘rose gold accents’ inspired by Mrs Beckham’s watch, mohair trimmings and a leather luggage set. ‘We never said she designed the car – that’s an assumption people made,’ said Mr McGovern.
In one interview, Mrs Beckham said: ‘I wanted to really roll my sleeves up and get involved. I never just put my name on anything… I was very hands-on.’
Mrs Beckham’s launch speech clearly still irritates
Mr McGovern, who said last week: ‘I didn’t want to work with her after that.’
Land Rover said: ‘The threeyear project was completed in full by both parties and was a huge creative success around the world. Mrs Beckham remains part of the Land Rover family.’
Mrs Beckham would not comment.