New Project Progress

Just a quick one... The new project is going well. Its aa very interestingly paced process, there seems to be a week for every phase of this phase of the development, which is rather good, actually. It is nice to have this set deadline every week so there is NO flexibilty in when things get done. There is no "Ill do it over the weekend". By the end offriday Ill have put down how I think it ought to look (a certainty it will change though and quite significantly) and some features I think will be cool, cheap, marketable addditions/features. This is another kicker with this project, there is very little groundwork on which to build. Usually (as with the last one) some packaging phase has been done, marketing has put down a wedge of stipulations and there is a company brief and a theme to help direct your ideas...not so here. Martin who is putting down the engineering concepts and innovations for this project is working very closely with me (I'm doing the ergonomics and styling of interior and exterior) in determining what things look like and how things work. It wouldn't work so well if he wasnt as enthusiastic as he is, there is a respect and interest in design and he will adapt and swap things around to suit my design, which, in turn, I'm finding the engineering so innovative I'm more than happy to adapt my solutions to the increased practicality and uniqueness(?) of the vehicle. It means I'm having to be very flexible in adapting ideas, which is good practice I guess. It also means I'm having a rather large input on how this vehicle gets made from the very start, its a good feeling. Its got pleanty of time to go tits up though yet!

I've got a shape, some features I'm pushing for and a feel I'm rather happy with. Certain areas are far from sorted but all I need for Friday is a shape and a direction. I've got 3 (!) huge whiteboards on which to scrawl too and its ggreat but its attracting too much attention so I reckon I ought to be more secretive!... This is a chhhheeeeeeeeaaaaap car so it wont be the sexyest thing on wheels but Im going to make it as desirable as poss, whilst providing something new... It'll be interesting, thats for sure.

Well... its only a week and a half late but its here! My trip to the French riviera. Like the Italian Riviera but along a bit. The plan as we set off (myself Nigel again, and John) was to get into France through the southernmost alps through the pass above Cuneo and then who knows. The pass didnt really finish until you hit the sea at Ventimilleia (?). Well then it was obvious what to do. Just a short hop into Menton and then in to Monaco. I was a bit excited as its somewhere I have never been and I really enjoy ticking off countries and seeing new places. The first pics are of Monaco from the coast road and the ones after are of the harbour (where we parked easily surprisingly, it was v quiet for a warm Sunday). Obviously had a look around the harbour for nice yachts but my attention was distracted by cars as usual. Infact I think the best yachts I saw during my stay were in Verazze if you want to dig through my old posts . I had lunch there and it was a very nice nicoise salad and I paid as I wanted to expense a bill that had Monaco on it! Oh that yacht 3rd pic in was amazing. A gold star to whoever can tell me what it was. I particularly like the pic I took of the Jag 120 infront of the harbour.

The Beach pic wasn't taken by me though. It was taken by Nigel who, when reaching Cap Jean Ferraud, decided it would be the best thing to go for a paddle. There is no space on the Riviera, not even for a Panda and we just abandoned the car in a car park, inconsiderately. I, being 21 and the most responsible it seems, decided to look after the car and make excuses if we got in bother. Sure enough as soon as Nigel and John disappeared around the corner, a very disgruntled and very very old woman started talking to me in a less than pleasant tone. Ok, I speak enough French to get by no probs but could I understand a word this woman was saying??!! Hells no. The only bit I got was when I asked if I could do a 360 in the forecourt of the business ahead she said yes (I reckon) then when I pulled forward she called me a crazy bastard (I got that bit). Anyway I made some token gestures to make it look like I was trying, made some very unkind comments about her to her face in my finest Etonian accent and saw Nigel laughing his head off watching this happen as he walked back. Grrr.

We continued to Nice but only as far as the view point as you enter said "ain't that nice" and turned round again as we had heard the traffic get biblical later on Sundays. On the way back we took the bigger roads above the coast and we got to the 70's hotel above Monaco and some of the best views I've ever seen, what a view spot (these are the last pics). Despite setting off early we still ran into what is the most impressive migration in the animal kingdom after those Wildebeest in the Seringhetti. Every Italian in Piemonte/Lombardia coming back from a weekend by the sea. You have never seen traffic like it. We decided I was nowhere near worth the pain on the Autostrada so we headed for the B roads. Turns out we wern't the only folk to think of this and it was just as bad. Going the other way was a huge queue up a hill to get into the main jam! The smell of clutch was choking. So we got to Spotorno and bunkered in, deciding to let the traffic go. We had a meal in the town, had a wander and dicussed how daft you would have to be to do that to your self every summer weekend, getting wilfully stuck in a 4 hour jam. By 9.30 (arrived at 6) the traffic had gone enough to set off. What a hassle, why doesnt everyone just hang fire until later, its common sense!

In conclusion Its a very pretty part of the world... but there are too many folk and not enough room. It go mad if I had to stop for any period of time. Too many people know how nice it is! I'm glad I went but I won't be rushing back.

Stage one done and dusted...

Right that is the Italian Leg of the internship done. I have been in a meeting with Kevin and Martin on friday afternoon for a debrief for the last project and the briefing for the next one. The location aint as special as the last one but I can say that the project is by far and a way more interesting and important. I will be doing most of the stuff in the Coventry office in aa quiet and ssecreted corner of the building as this is totally hush hush. I have mooted the idea of Kevin sending me to India for whatever reason and he hasnt ruled it out, in fact it remains a distict possiblity. I certainly hope it comes off.

In another piece of good news, I pitched the collaboration idea with TATA for my degree project at Kevin and he seemed to really go for it, and why shouldn't he, its your classic win/win situation. This should make for a more credible, rounded and significant study for the project next year and really pay dividends in the end. It also lets me stay in regular contact with them so they don't forget about me and raises other opportunities.

Right thats that update...again I'm very sorry The Monaco pics aint here, my feet havnt really touched the ground since I have arrived back in the Uk and have covered a great deal of miles. Friday was Manchester to Cov, Cov to Kendal and then Kendal to York. With a business meeting and working lunch inbetween!!! Sigh, And it aint gorna get easier. But there is a nice new apartment in th near future!

Last Car of the Day...

Right I know you get these in the UK, but this is lovely, I'd have one, and in thiss colour. Amazing what you can do with plastic and glue. Innit nice...

Lets wrap this month up...

Ok then its alll over... I will be climbing onto a coach this evening at 7 pm for two hours to Milan Malpensa stopping in a hotel and then getting on my flight to Gatwick just before 11.

The Project stage has come to a close and I have mothing really significant to do at the moment except for writing about about it!

Mr Tata arrived about 4 hours ago and has just left. It was a bit of a disappointment actually. The Project I, Kasra and Justyn have been focusing our efforts on has not been included in the itinerary for today and will not be reviewed in any significant way. The excecs who came yesterday and Tata design chief Pierre had a look over it and picked out a few things that they liked and didnot. But honestly it was just cursorary and, for a designer, a very frustrating affair. We like being told definates otherwise your plans and ideas become shappeless and undirected/informed and leads to frustartion and bad language. I imaging this was good experience though... that this may often happen. Anywhoos, it was my first proper (ie outside university, sorry DB) pin up and present presentaions. I had developed two styling variation on my frame and I had rendered them in a style I had picked up late the week before. Thank you Kasra, you life saver. This, oddly has been one of the best things about the month. the two days where I picked up a new skill, to do rapid and realistic represtations of vehicles in 3D style. It will be immensly useful doubtless. However these will not see the light of day until the car becomes made/homologated and that is planned in 2 years time (so you must read as 3 at least...damn slow these indians...damn slow.) I will have to do some more and keep practicing.

Summary... I done good. I was slow to start with, not being familiar with the project and the package and crucially the design process, I had not done anything like that before. The first week and a bits work was scrapped essentailly with the emergange of new variations. Bad for loss of effort but good as I gained some responsibility. I improved rapidly, though, towards the end learning and applying my new skills. The end results I am very happy with indeed and I am not sorry they are not better as I learned and finished them in 7 days and the results were still good enough to be allowed to be presented to a global head of design. Result!

Right less of that nonsense. I will be posting the best pics yet as soon as I'm able so dont forget about this just yet. My trip to the French riviera, you cant affort to miss it. Just think, If I had gone on Friday I'd not have got to go to Monaco. Close one.

Whats going on?...

Phew! This last week has been utterly mental. It kicked off late friday with Andrea (project manager Trilix) saying that he wanted all the renderings/proposals to look as similar as possible. This was bad news as I had already started on mine in a style I was more comfortable with. This was after believing I was right to make mine different as Nigel said to make my work (as a member of the Tata Technologies team) stand out more. Sigh. I am now currently in the processs of making 6 of my drawings look as good as they can in a style and a process I've never used before. But this is all good in terms of learning new things. I have completed one car and have to do a couple of perspective renders of the other now. I think they are of a good quality for a first timer (as does Kasra) but perhaps they are a touch heavy looking...

The plane load of Executives comes in on Sunday for the review and Nigel is back out this evening. Kevin Fisher is one of the VPs coming on Sunday. They will see the stuff on Monday and make some final suggestions before the big old boss comes on Tuesday, Mr Rattan Tata himself and his Indian compatriots. oooeeerrr.

I was supposed to be leaving before hand (would have had to have left 9.30ish tonight infact!) and get the 7.40 flight to Gatwick on friday but, thankfully, Nigel has let me stay on until Wednesday!!!! Wohoooo! If I'm fortunate enough ill get to see the presentation, ask about projects, fly home at a civilised hour AND get to see ma Louise, fate willing.

PS... Sorry about the last post I was hot and crotchety and I have been informed by people (very tall, red haired, female people, who shall remain namless) that it is over dramatic. Sorry. But I thought the pic was a good likeness, don't you?

Any questions you know what to do...and I'm not taking spelling advice here either! I have 10 mins before work to do this and life is too short.

Grrrrrr... stooopid weather.

...Today is bloody humid. And I mean really bloody energy sapping, put Paul in a bad mood, curly haired, choking, not fun, clammy humid. And it doesnt even have the good decency to be sunny with it. I hate humidity. I can juuuust about tolerate harsh dry heat but this is stupid. ive gotten used to it over the weeks but I gotta say I do suit the cool, wet weather of England. Im like a computer, I work faster and better the cooler it is... To sum up, Im not happy... here is an artists (my) impression of my mood...

Weekend report.

My aim on Saturday was to go and see the Car Museum in Turin...but the fates conspired against me and it was closed for building work...damn. I would have love to have seen some of the things there and find out about manufacturing and design. Oh I found out that Guigairo(?) is based in a place on the edge of Turin...might go for a nosey. Anyway, I have a bit of a cut on ankle from being clumsy and I went to get some stuff to clean it with. Luckly anti-septic is the same in Italian, but with an A on the end. I then suggested to John that we might find the famous Egypitan musem interesting. He wasnt keen. I was about to go on my own and he then decided to come. Its a big old spot in the Science academy in the middle of town. All the stuff there has been bought legally so there is no fruore about it being rightfully Egyptian, unlike the effectivly nicked stuff in the British Museum...Chumps. Its very good but you know egyptian stuff, dusty, broken and old with eyes and birds painted on everything. Dont get me wrong its great but after an hour or two it starts looking the same. And yes there were mummys there. Cool.

If afraid I just worked on Sunday, weather was a bit naff so just stayed in. Sigh.

Last Weekend, more views (my 12 yo self would be ashamed of me)

Yes, yes I know its late but Iv'e been busy! Right, brass tacks. This was last Saturday's exploration, we had done the sea and the lakes the only logical remaining geographical feature left was the mountains. Conveniently, there is a very nice circuit that takes one round some of the nicest areas of the alps in Italy (the SS24 & SS23). Starting out was the hardest part as the sign posting and the bewildering knot of autostradas is incomprehensibly complicated and poorly thought out. Kind of sums up a lot of Italy, great quality and excitement but the frustration and formalities often dont seem worth it! (applies to cars too!) After going through 1/2 largish towns we found the SS24 to Susa. There is only one exit out of Turin to the Northeast as its a steep valley and only one road all the way. Saw this monastry thing on the hillside (below) and it looked damned impressive so we tried to go for a nosey. It went about as badly as could be expected (charged straight at it up the hill, direct is best right? Anyway, ended up in someone's garden, but lets not dwell on that). The Pics in the town are of Susa at the top of the Vally di Susa. Its an important place but its tiny really, there is nothing else out there, but it was quite beautiful. After Susa the alps really kick in and you take a pass out of the valley (fun). This takes you over the top and onto ace mountain roads. In Exilles I spotted this castle and I went for a nosey, angry thing huh? This road eventually takes you very close to the French border and I wanted to go for the sake of it! I'm glad I did as the STEEP roads up to the border were amazing. the town at the top (Montegenevre) is right on the border. The pic of the reservoir and me on the fence are here. Drove a little further and turned round again. Back in Italy we headed for Sestiere which is a big skiing town on top of the world. You stay very high up until Pinerolo and back down to Turin. It's a great drive. it like to do it in a Lotus Exige or a Caterham some time!
Any questions just ask.