Photo of the back of a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. Designed by ArtCenter alumni Larry Shinoda and Peter Brock. [ArtCenter photo]
“Over the past 77 years, the impact of ArtCenter’s Transportation Design program on vehicle design has been unprecedented,” said ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann. “Our faculty and alumni have shaped the cars we drive, the motorcycles we ride and the planes we fly.”
The event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Hillside Campus Sculpture Garden at 1700 Lida Street, marks a continuation of the annual tradition first established as Car Classic in 2001. The exhibition will feature 50 cars and trucks designed by alumni and faculty, along with select vehicles from private collections. The showcase coincides with ArtCenter’s Alumni Reunion Weekend festivities on Sunday, September 28.
Featured vehicles span eight decades of automotive innovation and design evolution. The showcase includes the first public side-by-side display of Oilstainlab’s HF-11 and Half-11 supercars, designed by alumni and faculty members Nikita and Iliya Bridan.
Historic models include Larry Shinoda and Peter Brock’s 1963 Corvette Sting Ray and David North’s 1964 Buick Riviera and 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. Contemporary innovations feature Lucid’s Gravity X Concept, an adventure SUV designed by alumni Derek Jenkins, Jenny Ha, Jon Wen and the Lucid team.
The exhibition will display the Slate Truck, described as a radically customizable and affordable electric pickup designed by alumna Tisha Johnson and her team at Slate. Two award-winning vehicles from the 2024 Monterey Car Week will also appear: a 1956 Maserati A6G Zagato and a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale.
Both vehicles received ArtCenter Design Excellence Awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. The awards are presented each year by the college during Monterey Car Week, an annual celebration in which ArtCenter has participated for 23 years.
Visitors will receive special presentations highlighting select vehicles’ history and design details. The event offers car enthusiasts and design lovers access to groundbreaking concepts, iconic designs, trendsetters, new models and timeless classics.
Registration is required for public admission; click here to get tickets. A Legacy in Motion day pass costs $35 and includes admission to the Design Invitational and other Alumni Reunion Weekend activities. Children 17 and under receive free admission with registration.
Founded in 1930, ArtCenter College of Design holds United Nations Non-Governmental Organization status as the first design school to receive this designation. The Pasadena-based institution offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in industrial design disciplines and visual and applied arts.
