Wert's Good At Faking It: Jalopnik Editor Judges Michelin-Sponsored Design Rumble At Detroit's College For Creative Studies
I was all set last night at the MGM Grand Casino in beautifully wet n' cold downtown Detroit — all of us auto writers were finished with our gun-slingin' and were getting hammered on Martinis and learning to play the confounding and confusing game of Bacarat, a game which I think may be akin to nuclear physics in areas of which I hold expertise. Luckily, an area of which I do hold some level of expertise is in the arena of determination of how aesthetically pleasing something is (my ownership of a Jeep Liberty notwithstanding) which is why when I fielded a phone call, half in the bag, from a friend of a friend seeking my assistance to step in as a judge for the 18th Annual Michelin Design Competition for Detroit's College for Creative Studies (CCS) last night — how could I refuse? For design folks in the auto industry, the CCS is known as one of the world's most recognized programs in transportation design and regularly places more graduates in automotive design than any other school in the world. Big-time auto designers like Ralph Gilles and Carmilo Pardo got their start at CCS. So umm yeah, my choice was to keep drinking alongside FoMoCo's Lincoln-brand PR staff — or go and see what the next generation of automotive designers were putting on paper. Yeah, like that was a difficult choice for me to make. We've included a gallery of pics of the entries below for you to judge yourselves — and the list of the winners, all of whom will see their entries on display at January's Detroit Auto Show, is below the jump.
MICHELIN ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 18TH ANNUAL COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES DESIGN COMPETITION
DETROIT, MI (Nov. 17, 2006) – Michelin announced the winning entries of the 18th Annual Michelin Design Competition for the College of Creative Studies (CCS) and presented $20,000 in scholarship monies at a reception Nov. 16, 2006. 20 senior CCS transportation students received a total of six awards as well as an invitation to display their winning designs in a special Michelin exhibit at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).
This year's judges included Carl Olsen, College of Creative Studies professor emeritus, Chris Sawyer from Automotive Design and Production Magazine, Jim Smithbauer, Design Manager, Ford Trucks, and Ray Wert, Detroit editor for Jalopnik.
This year's competition challenged students to create vehicle designs that they could envision driving in North America in 2016 and that would incorporate safety features and the theme "Share the Road". Vehicle concepts were also required to include a tire and wheel assembly based upon one of the four Michelin technologies: PAX System, Tweel , Airless assembly or Active Wheel.
The work of the four CCS student winners will join the 34 selected vehicle designs representing 19 different countries in the Michelin Challenge Design exhibit during NAIAS from Jan. 7-21, 2007.
Michelin presented the first-place winners with $1,250 scholarships. Second-place winners received $1,000 scholarships, and third-place winners earned $750 scholarships. The tire company made a donation to the school's Carl Olsen Scholarship fund that provides financial aid to CCS students based on need and merit.
Michelin – CCS Winners for Vehicle Design
1st – Jason Brown, Detroit, Michigan
2nd – Milijan Javremovic, Chicago, Illinois
3rd – Dillon Blanski, Clairemoor, Oklahoma
Michelin – CCS Winners for Tire and Wheel Concept
1st – Jason Brown, Detroit, Michigan
2nd – Milijan Javremovic, Chicago, Illinois
3rd – Jeff Anieros
Michelin Challenge Design was launched in 2001 as a way to showcase creativity and innovation in vehicle design on a global scale around a central theme. Each year, Michelin invites designers around the world, from individuals to small and large companies, to create and display significant design work that would normally not have an opportunity to be shown at a major auto show.
As the undisputed leader in the tire industry, Michelin (www.michelin.com) designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, maps and atlases covering Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs 22,300 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations.
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