The history of Škoda Auto is full of unique cars. However, a special named Ferat occupies a special place among them. He became a movie star and now inspired a young designer to create a modern version.
The car, which was originally created as a sports concept and prototype of the Škoda 110 Super Sport, was eventually reborn into the dark star of horror film due to its leading role in the Czech film Vampire from Ferat. And the fact that Škoda Ferat is enchanting to this day is proven by the story of its rebirth, backed by the French designer Baptiste de Brugiere.
The Škoda 110 Super Sport was a bloodthirsty sportsman who starred in the film out of coercion
“About three years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Škoda Museum depository for the first time. And there I first saw Ferat, who enchanted me. So when I found out about the Icons in a New Coat project, I immediately signed up to prepare a modern interpretation of it, “ says Baptiste. And he got the chance, among other things, thanks to the fact that Škoda Auto is a partner of this year’s Prague comic and sci-fi festival Comic-Con 2021, in which Ferat will celebrate forty years since its premiere on the silver screen.
According to him, in his idea of a modern “bloodthirsty” special, Baptiste tried to capture the first impression that the car left in it. “It’s half a second before your brain starts analyzing the design. At that point, you’ll be impressed by some of the elements I was trying to preserve,Says Baptiste. According to him, the basic proportions with the low height of the car, the “pointed” roof and the giant rear spoiler were important. “I took some of these elements to the extreme so that I could give the car other modern elements,” he says.
Not an easy task
But it was not an easy task. One of the things that Baptiste decided to transfer to its modern interpretation to preserve its character is the car’s descending lines from the front fender. “This is something that may not work very well in the current perception of dynamic design. Today, the beast is ready to jump, a model of dynamics, hence today’s muscular lines with a more powerful stern, “ describes Baptiste, what he had to deal with.
So he tuned the side lines for a while and figured out how to balance them and make them modern. The result is a fantastic, sharply cut car without a doubt referring to Ferat, while acting as a supersport car of the future. “It wasn’t until I was able to put these basic proportions together that I started working on the other details.” Baptiste explains.
And you are definitely worth it. In the pointed bow with a large radiator grille, we can clearly guess the reference to the design language of current Škoda cars. Baptiste mainly used a typical element called “Škoda Power Dome”, ie the elevated recess on the hood, which is again very emphasized here. And the original four LED headlights? “It’s a reference to vampire canines, after all,” laughs Baptiste.
Sketches of the master
Baptiste began work on his concept of the Škoda Ferat by first sketching the original by heart. “I was just trying to capture those initial impressions. So I sketched the car as I remembered it from the first meeting, and only when I managed to capture these emotions and proportions from my memories did I continue to work on a new interpretation. “ describes Baptiste’s first steps. He made these sketches classically on paper, which remains a popular starting medium for designers, despite the growing share of digital art work.
Even then, the historic car was still literally in front of him, looking for various details and interesting things that he could incorporate into the design of his concept.
“I worked on the computer only in the finals, especially in the phase of adding colors,” says Baptiste, adding that the traditional “vampire” black-and-red combination is a matter of course. “It was about two weeks of work in the evenings,” indicates the time complexity of the project. The period of introductory sketches and the search for the right shapes and details took the most time. “The resulting illustration was basically a matter of time, but it was preceded by a lot of careful work,” Baptiste explains.
And the result is worth it, even though, for example, we cannot look into its interior, to which the original was provided by essentially a completely tilting front part of the cabin. “We could look into that, for example, if there is a chance to move the project forward,” Baptiste smiles, but is aware that he will probably stay with this beautiful and free design exercise.
Baptiste de Brugiere
French designer Baptiste de Brugiere is another member of the Škoda Design team, who completed the well-known Strate école de design. Almost immediately after graduating from this elite design school, he joined Mladá Boleslav. “I really wanted to work at Škoda Auto, it’s a great carmaker and a very pleasant place to work. I am very happy that I managed to get a position in the car factory in 2017, “ Baptiste comments on the start of his career.
He basically dreamed of her from an early age: “My father was a car enthusiast, an amateur painter and illustrator, and I immediately caught my passion for cars. I started sketching cars basically as soon as I held the pencil, “ says Baptiste, adding that his career has succeeded in fulfilling his family dream.
At Škoda Auto, for example, he worked on a study Vision iV, contributed to the transformation of the Citigo model into an electric one Citigoe iV. Another production car he was working on will be introduced next year.
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