CARS CARS CARS WHY HAS CAR DESIGN BECOME SO, WELL, BORING? Last week we talked about quelling our car addiction - that Sydney reflex whereby even the shortest errand somehow requires two tonnes of steel, rubber and existential justification. This week, a related puzzle. If the car is now more ubiquitous, more indulgent and more environmentally destructive than ever, why is it also so… anodyne? so lacking in personality, vivacity or diversity. So (in a word) dull. Fifty years ago, cars were wild, vivid and fabulously different. Now, even an Aston Martin looks a lot like a RAV4 - and grey. So grey. Sydney streets bear this out daily. From Parramatta Road to the Pacific Highway, the city is clogged not just with traffic but with visual monotony. A rolling procession of near-identical SUVs, all engineered to offend nobody and delight no one. Why is this? The car, after all, is a wearable. Just as much as a suit or a house, it is a representation of self in everyday life. Richard Ferlazzo is a car designer. Indeed, for decades, until they closed, he was Holden’s design supremo. This week, Richard joins Elizabeth Farrelly on THE SYDNEYIST to answer just this question. Could our boring cars be more fun? And if so, would they be more destructive, or less? LISTEN UP, LISTEN IN! THE SYDNEYIST 6pm Thursdays Eastside Radio 89.7FM or eastsidefm.org #thesydneyist #thesydneyistpodcast #thesydneyistradioshow #eastsidefm897 #design #cars #cardesign #australiancars #sydneycars #elizabethfarrelly #RichardFerlazzo #cardesignconcept