Reborn – The Healey 200

As an automotive designer, Freeman Thomas has styled some of the most iconic designs of the past several decades. The guiding hand behind the original Audi TT, the striking Volkswagen New Beetle, the imposing visage of the Chrysler 300C and the resurrection of the Ford Mustang, Thomas honed his skills at Porsche, Audi, VW and DaimlerChrysler before accepting the job as Ford’s Director for Strategic Design in 2005.

The landmark Audi TT was designed by Thomas when he was at Audi. Thomas would also design the New Beetle for VW.

More so than most automotive stylists, Thomas has a firm grasp and understanding of history and engineering that imbues each of his designs with a functional (yet attractive) ethos that is the mark of every car that he has touched. Within the Ford Advanced Design Studio in Irvine, California (where Thomas works) are several seminal cars from the past that serve as both inspiration and reminder of what constitutes landmark automotive styling. Although the vehicles on display rotate according to need, Thomas keeps many of his own cars on the floor including his Ferrari Dino, Porsche 356 and Austin-Healey 100. That Pinin Farina’s flowing lines, Erwin Komenda’s functionality and Gerry Coker’s timeless beauty are around almost every day is not accidental. In planform, the Ferrari, Porsche and Healey each possess unmistakable profiles that render them instantly recognizable.

Freeman Thomas and His Healey 100

For Thomas, it’s all about the first impression. He says, “The silhouette says something. It says noble, it says playful, it says gorgeous, it says efficient, it says opulent.” Most of his designs, including the landmark Audi TT, start off as rough sketches on pieces of scrap paper to get a sense of the basic proportions. Following several hours of discussion with Gerry Coker at the 2008 Conclave in San Diego, Thomas began to wonder what a modern interpretation of the original 100 would look like with modern engineering constraints factored into the overall design.

The reimagined sports car made its debut the following year at the Austin-Healey Association of Southern California’s Christmas party, with Thomas leading an involved discussion about the design language of the rechristened “200” and thoughts about how it could be brought to market. Backdoor talks were had with BMW regarding use of the Healey name and a proposal to build the car on the Z4 chassis, but ultimately it was decided to leave the resurrection of the fabled marque to others. Nonetheless, the Thomas imagined Healey 200 is an homage to one of his favorite designs and a look into the mind of a styling genius.

Photograph by Eric Gallina