Top 10 Automotive Design Terms
1. Land Yacht
Finally we come to a term that probably every automotive enthusiast is familiar with. Land yachts are usually gigantic American sedans from the 1970s, cars “they couldn’t give away during the energy crisis,” said White. Interestingly he also mentioned that many designers harbor a secret passion for these vehicles, equating them to junk food.
He said many people try to eat healthfully but sometimes they crave a big, greasy, double cheeseburger. “We know it’s not good for us … but who cares?”
From a design standpoint White described land yachts as “a really cool challenge” since there’s so much real estate to play with. Big vehicles give stylists an opportunity to explore form language that wouldn’t look good on smaller models.
“The design world tends to be very caught up on current things,” said White but, “There are a lot of us that get tired of that and yearn for something that’s a bit more … a bit cheesier.”
As for specifics, “The only thing that comes remotely close to a land yacht today is the Chrysler 300,” said White but, “It’s not even the real thing.” According to him a perfect example of one is an Imperial from the early 1970s.
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