RACQ car gets futuristic facelift from QUT student - 2005

10 May 2005

QUT industrial design student Rafael Gomez has never had to call out the RACQ for a breakdown rescue in his eight years of driving.

But that didn't stop the 24-year-old masters research student from coming up with plenty of good ideas when the car club challenged students to design a patrol car of the future.

The RACQ was so impressed with Rafael's slick yellow machine that it included it in the organisation's centenary exhibition - Bulldust to Bitumen ... and Beyond - which is now on display at the Queensland Museum.

Rafael's design updated the RACQ road vehicle's workspace and equipment to include a pop-up rear tool bay, extending hazard and work lights, and the latest innovations in satellite navigation and internet access.

He designed and built the model during an automotive design elective that was sponsored by the RACQ and taught by QUT lecturer Andrew Scott and visiting designer Mark Wilken - a former Mercedes Benz designer.

"One of the main things was to look at the vehicle design as an interactive workspace, rather than just an engine and wheels," he said.

"The vehicles on the road are changing these days ... often if you break down it's not so much about a mechanical problem - it's more a software issue. So it's important to have access to information about this changing technology. If patrol vehicles had the internet then patrol officers could download the latest information about a vehicle."

And when Rafael was deciding how to package his improvements, he turned to an unlikely source.

"The inspiration for the design was from beetles found in the Queensland rainforest," he said.

"They have a tough shell and the back of the vehicle has two moulded parts that form a wing design.

"Overall, it's a bit of a cross between a passenger car and a ute ... but a lot sleeker."

Mr Scott, a lecturer with the School of Design, said automotive design was just one element tackled by QUT's industrial design students in the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering.

"They can design things from paper clips to cars and everything in between ... We like to make our graduates as flexible and adaptable as possible," he said.

But he warned that a career in car design was one of the toughest dreams to follow - despite strong student interest.

"There's always a fair proportion of the male students who are petrol heads and love doodling extreme designs ... a tiny proportion of those actually make it into the automotive industry," he said.

But Rafael is one of the students chasing this niche ... he lists his "dream job" as advance design for BMW.

The RACQ centenary exhibition is on display at the Queensland Museum until June 19 and will then tour the state.

Media contact: Mechelle Webb, QUT media officer, 07 3864 4494 or ml.webb@qut.edu.au