Uwe Bahnsen
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Uwe Bahnsen (1930 in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
– 30 July 2013 in south-west France) was an accomplished German painter, sculptor and car designer, widely noted for his 28-year career at
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
, where he designed the second-generation
Mercury Capri Capri (later Mercury Capri) is a Nameplate (automotive), nameplate marketed by the Mercury (automobile), Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company over three generations between 1970 and 1994. From 1970 to 1978, the Capri was a sport compact ...
(1973), the Ford Scorpio and notably, the highly aerodynamic and unconventional
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...
. After his career at Ford, Bahnsen became a teacher, served as a director at Switzerland's
Art Center College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...
in Vevey and subsequently served as president of the International Council of Societies of Design. By the time of his death in 2013, Bahsen was recognized as one of the most influential European automotive designers of the 20th Century.


Background

Uwe Bahnsen was born in 1930 in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. After an apprenticeship as a window dresser Bahnsen studied at the College of Fine Arts in Hamburg. From 1958 to 1986 he held various positions with Ford Europe, ultimately as vice president for design. During this time his designs included the Taunus 17m and the
Capri Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...
II. Bahnsen was also a motor sport enthusiast, and in the 1960s he organised a Ford Works Team. He was a team member involved with the design of the Mk1 Capri, working with chief stylist Phil Clark. By the mid-1970s, Bahnsen had risen to become the Vice President of design for Ford of Europe, and moved the company away from the "
coke bottle Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
" design language of the late 1960s, towards the fashionable "origami" or "folded paper" school of design, typified in his square and angular designs for the Escort Mk II (1975), Mk IV Cortina/Taunus (1976), Granada Mk II (1978) and the Escort Mk III (1980). By the early 1980s, he had moved Ford's styling language forward again to the rounded "aero" look - most famously the
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...
in 1982 and the Scorpio/Granada iii in 1985 - Bahnsen's final design for Ford.
CAR A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
magazine introduced the Sierra with the headline ''"Sierra Shock"'' in 1982, After struggling against conventional competitors, the Sierra ultimately proved stylistically prescient, successful in the marketplace — and highly influential within the industry. In 1986 Bahnsen left Ford to become training director at the
Art Center College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...
in
La Tour-de-Peilz La Tour-de-Peilz () is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The city is located on Lake Geneva between Montreux and Vevey (their agglomeratio ...
(Switzerland), which he ran between 1990 and 1995. In 1992 he was elected to the executive board of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) and was its president from 1995 to 1997. Uwe Bahnsen was
Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...
, a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and International Member of the
Industrial Designers Society of America The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is a membership-based not-for-profit organization that promotes the practice and education of industrial design. The organization was formally established in 1965 by the collaborative merger of t ...
(IDSA).


Personal life and death

Bahnsen and his wife Maureen retired to Monflanquin in the wine country, east of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. During his final months, they lived in
Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...
, near
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
. Bahnsen died on 30 July 2013, and he was cremated in
Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...
on 3 August 2013. He was survived by his wife, four children and numerous grandchildren.


Vehicles

Bahnsen either directly styled or directed the design of these vehicles: * Ford Taunus 17m "Bathtub" (1960), * Ford Taunus TC / Cortina III (1970), * Ford Granada I (1972) * Ford Capri II (1974), * Ford Escort II (1975), * Ford Taunus TC2 / Cortina IV (1976), *
Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car that was marketed by Ford from 1976 to 2023 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and had been positioned below the ...
I (1976) * Ford Granada II (1978) * Ford Capri III, (II Facelift) (1978), * Ford Taunus TC3 / Cortina 80/'Mk5' (1979) * Ford Escort III (1980) *
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...
(1982) * Ford Scorpio I / Granada III (1985) *
Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a panel van, cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford ...
(1986)


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahnsen, Uwe 1930 births 2013 deaths German automobile designers Ford designers Window dressers University of Fine Arts of Hamburg alumni