Robert Melville (car designer)

Robert Melville is a British car designer currently working as Design Director at McLaren Automotive.[1] He previously worked with Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors.

The McLaren 720S, designed by Robert Melville

Melville helped to design the Range Rover, Cadillac Converj, McLaren P1, McLaren 650S and was Chief Designer of the McLaren 675LT, McLaren 570S/570GT, McLaren GT and McLaren 720S.[1][2]

Early life

Melville is the youngest of three boys.[3] His father was an engineer and mother an artist. Robert enjoyed spending his time studying and sketching nature and different vehicles.[3]Graduating from Benton Park in 1996, He then went to Leeds college of art and design. He graduated from The University of Huddersfield in 2001 with a 1st in BA (Hons) Vehicle Design,[4] he then went on to study a Master in Automotive Design at the Royal College of Art in London.[1]

Career

In 2003, Melville was hired onto the Jaguar Land Rover Advanced Design team, where he helped design the Range Rover Evoque.[5] In 2006, he joined General Motors in the UK as Senior Creative Designer.[5] Here, he helped with designs for the Cadillac Converj, Chevrolet Corvette, Hummer, and Buick.[6]

In 2009, he was recruited by McLaren CEO Antony Sheriff, and became the Senior Designer for McLaren Automotive.[6] He was promoted to Chief Designer in 2015, at the age of 37.[7] He designed the McLaren 570S, 570GT & 570S Spider before designing the McLaren 720S, which debuted in 2017.[8] The 720S, designed by Melville, represents a departure from McLaren's classic design style. The traditional side air takes have been removed in exchange for smooth side panels.[9] The dihedral doors include built-in air channels which direct air to the engine.[10] "Every profile, every curve on this car has been designed for maximum driver engagement," says Melville about the 720S.[11]

In May, 2017, Melville was promoted to McLaren Director of Design, replacing Frank Stephenson.[12]

As McLaren Director of Design Melville has led the design of some of McLaren’s most iconic designs such as the McLaren Senna, McLaren Speedtail, McLaren Elva and the 765LT . Melville is also responsible for design collaborations with brands such as Belstaff and Richard Mille.

References
  1. "Robert Melville Becomes Chief Designer at McLaren". Form Trends. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  2. "McLaren 720S - Car and Driver". www.caranddriver.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  3. "interview with robert melville, head of design at McLaren automotive". designboom | architecture & design magazine. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  4. "Robert Melville Linkedin Profile". 2017.
  5. "Robert Melville appointed McLaren Chief Designer - Car Body Design". www.carbodydesign.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  6. "Interview with chief designer at McLaren Robert Melville". Dezeen. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  7. Joseph, Noah. "McLaren promotes new chief designer". Autoblog. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  8. McCowen, David (9 March 2017). "Exclusive: Behind the scenes with the new McLaren 720S". Drive. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  9. "McLaren 720S: leaked images surface ahead of Geneva debut". www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  10. "2018 McLaren 720S First Look: Recalibrating the Supercar - Motor Trend". Motor Trend. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  11. "McLaren 720S - Super Series". cars.mclaren.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  12. "McLaren Announces New Director of Design". Autofluence. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
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