Zen and art of car design

By ALASTAIR SLOANE Motoring editor

It is called the Ma, named for the Asian philosophy of the "space between" - a kind of threshold where two concepts can exist in a mutually beneficial relationship, occupying a space between emotional and rational, art and science.

That's how Ford design guru J. Mays describes it anyway. He built the kit-car to celebrate his 22 years in automotive design and unveiled it the other day at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

The exhibition, entitled Retrofuturism: The Car Design of J. Mays, is billed as the first show dedicated to the work of an American car designer.

It focuses on some of Mays' best-known designs that blend past and future such as the 2002 Thunderbird. It also features work he previously did for Audi and Volkswagen, where he was responsible for the Concept 1, a precursor of the New Beetle.

The Ma was designed on a computer and is built from bamboo, aluminium and carbon-fibre.

There are no welds or adhesives. The roughly 500 pieces that make up the two-seater, including 14 bamboo slats on the bonnet, are held together by 364 titanium bolts. "It's a vehicle you'd build with your son, daughter or whole family in the garage," said Mays, vice-president of design for Ford and its divisions, including Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda and Volvo.

Museum curator Brooke Hodge said the Ma highlighted work that was rarely celebrated for its importance as design. "Car design, because the things are mass produced, museums and the art world have been reluctant to embrace it," Hodge said.

"It's a way to engage people in the romance of the car," said Ford's Jose Paris, responsible for the Ma's design under Mays' direction.

To emphasise its kit-car nature, a second Ma, broken down into parts, is mounted on the wall alongside the prototype in the exhibition.

The Ma, with its architectural, minimalist appearance, poses what an automotive aesthetic might look like in the future, said Mays. "This car is hard to pin down and that's what the Ma is all about. It's about proposing solutions that are not obvious, that are between our traditional visions for a car."

Environmental responsibility plays a key role in the Ma, he says. Bamboo, a regenerative grass that grows back every five years, figures prominently in the open-air design. Only a few parts are painted. There are no hydraulic fluids and none of the industrial adhesives typically used in automobiles, making the Ma more than 96 per cent recyclable.

The Ma concept uses a zero-emission, low-speed electric engine that has virtually no environmental impact. But it could also be outfitted with a small conventional gasoline engine.

The MA is targeted at younger customers looking for new interpretations of a car. Mays says its low-slung wedge shape and mid-engine balance conjure up images of a two-seat, neighbourhood sports car.

"This would be a great hobby vehicle," he says.

Since joining Ford in October 1997, Mays has completed several new models, including the 2002 Ford Thunderbird, Ford Forty-Nine concept car and the Ford GT, which all take their inspiration from classic models of the past.

The Ford GT is a 21st-century version of the famous GT40 and will be launched next year, as part of Ford's centenary celebrations.