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H-Point : The Fundamentals of Car Design & Packaging
I recently got lost, quite literally, in Powell’s City of Books. This Portland landmark touts itself as the largest independent and used bookstore in the world. But while wandering through the City of Books and endless volumes of any subject you could think of, I found one thing sorely lacking for the petrolhead: the automotive section! An inquiry with the info desk led me down to Powell’s Technical Books, just a couple of blocks east.
Amidst a mass of engineering and programming volumes, my eye caught the attention of an oversized book with a technical automotive diagram on it. Upon opening the book and finding a space diagram describing where SUVs, sports cars, and family haulers all fit across the automotive spectrum I knew I had to have it.
The author, Stuart Macey, is the pioneer of the Vehicle Architecture course at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. The Art Center is recognized globally as a leader in automotive design. It’s alumni include BMW’s Chris Bangle and hot rodder Chip Foose. The book is centered around the idea that automotive design should be approached as a large scale experiment in package design. H-Point is a comprehensive resource that brilliantly breaks down the technical aspects of car design, such as seat height to suspension choice, in to understandable chunks. The text is then complimented by awesome illustrations and diagrams.
This is a must read for any auto fanatic and you can find a copy at Powell’s City of Books or just get it on Amazon (click here). What Macey has produced is a textbook that you will actually WANT TO READ. Imagine that!