RIP Donald Frey, designer of the original Ford Mustang

An inspiration to all who strive to innovate, Donald Frey, the driving force behind a legendary American sports car, has died. He was 86.

Frey was the chief engineer behind the Ford Mustang, which debuted in 1964. Frey worked with former Ford manager Lee Iacocca to develop the roadster, which almost never saw the light of day. Frey pursued the project even though Henry Ford II, the president of the company, had turned it down four times, partly because Ford’s new Edsel had just failed so spectacularly. Lacking an official go-ahead, Frey met with Iacocca and other engineers and designers in a motel by night and a storage room by day. “The whole project was bootlegged,” Frey told USA Today in 2004. “There was no official approval of this thing. We had to do it on a shoestring.”

Frey proved that if you believe in something you should always pursue your goals. Ford eventually approved the product, which turned out to be a hit: Within two years, a million Mustangs were sold and an icon was born. The Mustang sprung to global prominence in the 1968 Steve Mcqueen thriller Bullitt, which itself went on to inspire our friends over at Larry vs Harry.

YouTube video of the legendary Bullitt car chase:

—

Categories: Stuff we like, Collaborators

Bullitt. “Cars are just so last year.”

White Line Hotels collaborator Bullitt, from Larry vs. Harry, have a quirky sense of humour and the fastest cargo bikes on the planet.  We caught up with Harry just after one of many recent trips to one of Europe’s most bicycle friendly cities – Berlin.  Based in Copenhagen, Bullitt bikes can be found carrying almost anything and everything across the globe.

There’s certainly a need for cargo bikes – was there an Aha! moment of inspiration, or did the idea develop slowly?

Larry spent 3 years, developing the best trike for Winther bikes. Still, it didn’t look or ride as well as my 50 year old Long John. At least for Larry, that was a moment of Aha!… Read the rest of this entry »

Made in Hamburg – Hamburg Kreative: The Directory

Hamburg Kreative is here.  The new 396-page book, produced by NBVD Publishers, presents the crème de la crème of Hamburg’s creative media scene.   Advertisers, designers, illustrators, photographers, new media artists, and freelancers are all presented in the newly formatted book. Read the rest of this entry »

Vienna EOOS

One day, over 20 years ago, three men met while applying for admission to the University of the Applied Arts in Vienna.  Out of this chance meeting blossomed Vienna’s EOOS design firm.  EOOS, which derived its name from one of the four winged horses of Aurora, has a steadfast reputation for never doing a project they’re not interested in.  While this caused some lean times for the three founders in the beginning, it also garnered Gernot Bohmann, Harald Gründl, and Martin Bergmann a respected reputation, which after years of struggle not only paid off, but also allowed them to develop their signature approach – Poetical Analysis. Read the rest of this entry »

Easter offers in Basel & Vienna

Easter is just around the corner, so if you haven’t followed our suggestions yet, perhaps these might give you ideas for a last minute trip. Easter weekend 2 to 5 April.

The Krafft Hotel in Basel is offering a typical Swiss Easter tradition with your “Fährimaa”.

The package includes:

1 Overnight stay in a double room
1 Consum-Plättli – an assortment of sliced meats and cheese – with sparkling wine or red wine on a relaxing ferry ride
1 Victorinox Swiss army knife to make the “Plättli” consumption unforgettable
Buffet Breakfast
Surprise in your room
Free usage of public transportation

Double rooms facing the river Rhine cost CHF 320.00 for 2 people per night, excl. guest tax, or street facing double rooms for CHF 270.00 for 2 people per night, excl. guest tax.

Book here.

—

Want a Viennese Easter?  Then try the Hollmann Beletage in Vienna.  Their Easter package includes:

3 nights in an XL double room
Easter brunch on Sunday
Daily 6 course gourmet breakfast
Disposable camers (including development & shipping of your pictures)
A guided Vienna tour

All for EUR 627 per room and stay (3 nights).

They are also laying on their own version of an Easter Egg hunt. Alongside their traditional easter eggs and chocolate bunnies, 3 iPods will be hidden in the hotel for you to find.

Book here.

—

Categories: Basel, Vienna, SPECIALS – Easter