Harm Lagaay is a
Dutch automobile designer.
Biography
He was educated in the Netherlands where he completed the studies at the IVA and went to work for the Dutch company Olyslager in
Soest.
In the late 1960s, Lagaay went to work for
Simca
Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italy, Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simc ...
, then from 1971 for
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
. He worked in the team designing the
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 model series (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in ) is a family of German two-door, high performance Rear-engine design, rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche, Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Now in it ...
and designed the
Porsche 924. From 1977, Lagaay worked as Chief of Design for
Ford in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, and moved to
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
in 1985.
Lagaay designed the
BMW Z1
The BMW Z1 is the first model in BMW's line of Z series roadsters (two-seater convertibles), and was produced in limited numbers from 1989 to 1991.
The Z1 is unique for its plastic body panels and vertically sliding doors which drop into the ...
sports car, with electric doors hiding under the car's chassis and easily exchangeable body panels. This car was too advanced for its times and did not have commercial success, as only 8000 were sold. Today, the BMW Z1 is a collector's item.
He returned to Porsche in 1989 as head of the "Style Porsche" department in Weissach.
[http://newsroom.porsche.com/en/products/one-icon-four-designers-10714.html ''One icon, four designers''] As well as the Porsches of the period – the
968,
989
Year 989 ( CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to help him defeat Bardas Phokas (the Younger), who suffe ...
(the stillborn four door Porsche),
993
Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian (also known as the Sword of Essen) as ...
(the 1993-1997 generation of the 911 for which Englishman
Tony Hatter is also credited),
Boxster,
996
Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Japan
* February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Emperor Kazan.
* 2 March: Emperor ...
(the all-new 911 of 1997),
Cayenne
Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...
,
Carrera GT – he also oversaw the company's work for external clients and opening of a studio in California.
He retired from Porsche in July 2004
[(September 2004)]
Harm Lagaay - The Face Of Design
, ''European Car'' and has been followed by
Michael Mauer
Michael Mauer (born 28 July 1962) is a German automobile designer. He is the Chief Designer at Porsche. He has previously worked for Mercedes-Benz and Saab. Career
Mauer studied design from 1982 to 1986 at the Hochschule Pforzheim. His first ...
of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
[Patton, Phil (7 June 2004)]
Design; A Face, but Not the Look, to Change at Porsche
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
See also
*
Adrian van Hooydonk
*
Tony Hatter
References
External links
OnlyPorsche.net: Porsche names new Design Chief; veteran Harm Lagaay to retireAn overview of automotive designers working for BMW.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lagaay, Harm
1946 births
Living people
Dutch automobile designers
Delft University of Technology alumni
Engineers from The Hague
Proton Competition drivers
Dutch racing drivers