Test Drive: 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF

Immediately recognizable, but now with more power

There are only a handful of vehicles that have achieved eternal pop-culture status thanks to their distinctive, immediately recognizable design—and a name that stays on the tip of almost anyone’s tongue. In this class you have legends like the Mustang, Camaro, 911, Testarossa, and Countach, to name a few. They are verified icons, hallmarks of 20th century design and they’ve each spawned entire subcultures. But, there’s …

Smart’s Forease Concept Car

Design Director Kai Sieber shares the emotion in smart's new design language

Smart, the brand known primarily for its functionality and rationality, is embracing its personality through design. The Forease concept car—just-announced at the Paris Motor Show—is decreasing the distance between the vehicle and the world around it. For starters, the Forease operates on an entirely electric powertrain. Its abbreviated windshield and roofless cabin invite the environment in, and the yellow is a nod to the original smart …

Ron Arad’s Crushed Cars in “CUBA Working Title” at Over The Influence

Exploring the undoing and redoing of objects in the London-based artist's new show

At LA’s Over The Influence, artist and designer Ron Arad is showcasing his knack for working with metals. His show CUBA Working Title (on now through 28 October) centers on cars crushed like pressed flowers—hulking machines reduced to 12-centimeter-thick sheets of metal. The concept was inspired by American cars in Cuba and the intertwining of their histories, from geographic and design (and even political) perspectives. Fantastically maintaining the integrity of …