Tom Karen

Tom Karen
Occupation car designer
Bond Bug

Tom Karen (born in Vienna) is a British industrial designer of Czech descent. He was Managing Director and Chief Designer of Ogle Design from 1962 until 1999. He oversaw design of the Bush Radio TR130 radio, the Raleigh Chopper, the Bond Bug, the Reliant Scimitar GTE, the Anadol A1 (FW5), an award-winning series of truck cabs for Leyland, and the Marble Run. In 2001, Karen received an honorary degree from Loughborough University.[1]

Karen on fastbacks

In March 1969, shortly after the launch of the Reliant Scimitar GTE which he had designed and of the Ford Capri (which he had not designed), Karen had the opportunity to give his opinion on fastback designs. He claimed to be "baffled" by "the case for fastbacks" because he thought there was "nothing good to be said for them except that some people think they look all right". "Aerodynamically they're lousy, headroom in the back is lousy, for visibility they're lousy, with a lot of glass they're lousy from a weight point of view and they give no boot access".[2]

Book

In 2010 Tom Karen published a book, "Ogle & The Bug"

References

  1. ↑ Oration given at presentation of Doctor of Technology at Loughborough University, 2001
  2. ↑ "British in style: The Ogle design studios show the way.". Motor. Vol. nbr 3483. 22 March 1969. pp. 26–32.
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