AND THEN WE WERE FAB…

Breakthroughs of any kind tend to be rare and often only recognized with hindsight. The British motor industry produced two scorching design exercises in 1969 and 1970 which deserve a place in any motoring hall of fame, Vauxhall’s Styling Research Vehicle (SRV) and the car pictured here – British Leyland’s Zanda.

Background

The 1960s’ trigger for cultural change was focused on lifestyle, with music supplying the back-beat as an understandable reaction to the somewhat low-key 1950s. The design world in general was also at the centre of the revolution, but the car industry was practically a bystander. Pop stars and the like were cheerfully ‘souping up’ Minis and even painting Rolls-Royce motor cars psychedelic, but the production presses were still stamping out a previous generation’s motoring solutions.

The energy of the 1960s erupted like a volcano, but appeared to have little effect on car design. The changing