Top 5 Coolest Car Designs Ever, According to FCA's Ralph Gilles
Ralph Gilles is the lead of design at FCA, which means his signature is on a huge range of products from the Dodge Viper to new Jeep Wrangler to the Alfa Romeo Giulia and the Chrysler Pacifica.
Speaking to Gilles recently at the 2017 L.A. Auto Show, he shed some light on which designs influenced him the most growing up.
Here are the coolest and most influential car designs according to FCA’s rockstar designer:
Porsche 930
Growing up in the 1970s, a whale-tailed Porsche 930 was the quintessential sports car for Gilles. This Porsche has influenced many automotive designers and is easily one of the most iconic and successful designs in history. It’s no surprise that Gilles mentioned it here.
ALSO SEE: Top 5 Most Beautiful Cars Ever, According to Jaguar Design Mastermind Ian Callum
Dodge Charger
Gilles blames this pick squarely on Dukes of Hazzard. He was a fan of American muscle cars from a very young age, so growing up to design them must have been a dream come true for Gilles.
Ferrari GTO
“It has influenced so many cars, I mean the Viper was ultimately influenced by that car,” Gilles told us. This era of Ferrari is often cited as a favorite for automotive designers, and it’s pretty obvious why.
Alfa Romeo GTV
Gilles currently owns one of these vintage Alfas and is in the middle of fixing it up. “It’s a beautiful, still timelessly gorgeous car today,” he said.
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve Concept
“It’s really remarkable as a piece of sculpture, a design piece, and a daring piece,” Gilles said of the striking concept car that debuted at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show. “I like any car that I can see was tough to get to market. You know it takes a lot of willpower and enthusiasm to get anything cool to market.”
This concept was named for its Mid-Engine layout, Four turbochargers, and its Twelve-cylinder engine.
Check out other stories in our designer series:
Top 5 Most Beautiful Cars of All Time, According to Horacio Pagani
Top 5 Most Beautiful Cars that Inspire Infiniti’s Genius Designer
Top 5 Most Influential Cars for Lexus/Toyota’s Bold Chief Designer
Jodi has been obsessed with cars since she was little and has been an automotive journalist for the past 12 years. She has a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and a jury member for the prestigious North American Car/Truck/Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY). Besides hosting videos, and writing news, reviews and features, Jodi is the Editor-in-Chief of AutoGuide.com and takes care of the site's day-to-day operations.
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there are more influential designs to remember & adore though....
You are not perpetuating this on this channel too are you? False again but you can't ban me here for no reason other than simply pointing out that you are wrong. Again the picture is NOT Anthony Johnson. I know this not because of some other ridiculous meme (i don't do memes) but that I happen to know who it actually is... because I have degrees is history. Not only is the picture wrong, again the claim is wrong. The first slave owner in America predates 1654 by decades. It is a fact that John Winthrop owned slaves, and it is a fact that he died in 1649. Slavery also predated Winthrop's arrival in the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630. The Massachusetts body of Liberties (1641) contains references to slavery. So how can the very first slave owner be someone who obtained a slave in 1654? There is something historically significant about Anthony Johnson, but it is not that he is the first slave owner.