Deciding the icons

Issue 284 was a humdinger for me. So much so that I am moved to write.

I’m a designer myself, so I read the ‘Designing the Icons’ piece first. All three of the designers interviewed – Ian Callum, Frank Stephenson and Peter Stevens – have done fabulous work, no question. But, while all three captured most of the factors that define something iconic, I think they all missed the most important one: that, in some way, the vehicle is seminal, that it signifies an important change, is innovative and is a tipping point in development, so that it sowed the seeds of new thinking and subsequently influenced what followed. Looked at through that lens, some of the mentioned vehicles clearly qualify, while others are far from convincing!

On a vaguely unrelated note, I’ve owned every top-of-the-range Golf made and loved them all, including my current Mk7.5 Golf R. It’s undoubtedly quick and a fabulous everyday car. I have the new Mk8 R on order, so was keen to read your review in issue 284. We shall see whether the evo view segues with mine, but on one thing we can agree – it’s no icon! Dick Powell