If you don't know Syd Mead, you know his work. He had a hand in crafting some of the most gorgeous, iconic, dystopian environments in cinema history, including Aliens, Tron, and, most famously, Blade Runner. And today is his birthday.
Mead's always been fascinated with transportation, and before he landed in Hollywood, his first gig after graduating from art school was working underneath Elwood Engel at Ford's Advanced Styling Studio in Detroit. We've featured some of his concept cars before , but even those felt a bit constrained by Mead's standards.
So in honor of 81 years on this spinning orb, here are the initial vehicle designs from the fantastic Blade Runner Sketchbook. Unfortunately, it's been out of print for a while, and copies command an ungodly sum. But if you want to check out the full book, click these oddly colored words, and enjoy the rest of the sketches below, courtesy of Silodrome.