Fashion cash-in

Good designs, like good cars, last and last, says ALASTAIR SLOANE.

Some standout early 20th-century examples of form and function, the building blocks of design, include the Zippo lighter, Leica M series camera, Rolex Oyster watch, Coca-Cola bottle, Thermos flask, Swiss Army Knife and Volkswagen Beetle.

Each largely stuck to its original drawing and is as inherently efficient and practical now as it was then, in some cases 80 years ago.

New Zealander Simon Fraser has an eye for such things.

Fraser has been with the Porsche Design company in Austria for 20 years. Porsche Design is part of the Porsche empire but is separate from the car arm.

He has designed radios and television sets for Grundig, sunglasses for Bausch and Lomb, motorcycles and outboard motors for Yamaha and mobile phones for Bosch. He is a bigshot designer.

"Companies must not underestimate the influence of design in the development process of a product," he said when in New Zealand to judge design awards.

"Design is just as important as sales and marketing technology. In Europe, the status of design is huge. Its role in the development of a product is not even discussed. It is just accepted."

Fraser had nothing to do with the original Mazda MX-5 sportscar design, which was penned in Britain. But it would fit perfectly into his working brief: "Give a product lasting value so that it does not go out of fashion."

Eleven years after the Mazda MX-5 first appeared, it is still looks pretty much the same. Sure, Mazda built a new model in 1998, with a new this and that and a tweak here and there. But so what?

The original design borrowed from another classic before it, the British Lotus Elan. The design was then set in stone. The MX-5, like a Zippo or Leica M, would forever be recognised. It would remain fashionable.

The latest MX-5 cashes in on the car's image and wonderful simplicity. It's a fancypants limited-edition called the Millennium Series, complete with leather and wood.

Only 15 will be available in New Zealand, each costing $44,995. The Australians are getting 100 at $A44,475 ($55,000) each. Japan, Europe, Britain and America are getting more again.

The Millennium Series comes in one colour: "Special Merlot Art Vin Red Mica," says Mazda. Read that as a deep burgundy, like the equally tasty stuff in the bottle from France.

The extras in the Millennium Series include:

* Six-speed manual gearbox

* 15-inch polish-alloy wheels

* Parchment-coloured leather seats and gear-lever surround

* Parchment-coloured soft-top

* Wood steering wheel

* Wood gear-lever knob

* Wood parking brake handle

* Woodgrain centre panel

* White-faced instrument dials with chrome surrounds

* Chromed inner-door handles and handbrake button

* Stainless steel door sills.

Mazda marketing manager Andrew Clearwater says the limited-edition model continues the international sales success of the MX-5.

"It's a classic design which has collected awards right around the globe. It also has the distinction of being seen as the car which spawned the recovery of the lightweight sportscar market around the world."

The Millennium Series is powered by the standard model's 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, which develops 106kW at 6500 rpm and 165Nm of pulling power at 4500 rpm.

The front engine/rear drive layout has always given the MX-5 an almost perfect 50:50 weight distribution, geometry which, with the car's torsional strength, aids straight-line stability and overall handling.

The limited-edition comes with Mazda's free three-year service plan and a three-year/100,000km warranty. It's a everyday guarantee, a bit like the car itself.