Claude Lobo

After designing for an electric appliance company and later for Chrysler-Simca, Lobo joined Ford of Germany in 1966, as a designer. In 1967, Lobo became Manager of Exterior Design at what became Ford of Europe, where he held a number of senior design posts, including assignments in small, medium and large car and truck design – and became chief designer of Advanced Program Definition and Computer Aided Design (CAD) in 1987.

In 1994, Lobo became Director of Ford Motor Company's Advanced Design Studio in Dearborn, Michigan, leading development of several concept vehicles including the Ford Indigo, Synergy 2010 and the Mercury MC4. Lobo continued to assist with further implementation of Computer Aided Design technology at Ford, e.g., coordinating the CAD system at Ford with advanced model-milling CNC machinery{{cite web

|title = Advanced Five-Axis Milling machines Take Ford into A New Era of Three-Dimensional Reality

|publisher = Chavant.com, Global Design Connections, Volume III, No. 2, June 1997

|url = http://www.chavant.com/new_site/files/pdf/chavant_news03.pdf

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080705224433/http://www.chavant.com/new_site/files/pdf/chavant_news03.pdf

|archivedate = 5 July 2008}} as well as coordinating the CAD systems between Ford and its subsidiary Mazda.{{cite web

| title = Ford and Mazda moving in Sync

| work=Japan Times

| date=18 August 1997

| url = http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn19970818a7.html}}

Lobo returned to Ford of Europe in 1997 as Director of Design, where he was responsible for the development of the European Car of the Year, the Mk I Ford Focus.

Image:Ford Ka red.jpg

Image:Ford Ka rear.jpg

As chief designer on the Ford Ka, Lobo has spoken about his original role, influences on the design, the importance at the time of creating an enduring design, and how the design aged:

{{cquote|When we decided to do the car, I said to Jac (Jacques Nasser) that we can try to do something new and different because it was a new entry in our brand. He agreed to that and gave me carte blanche."{{cite web

|title = The History of Ka Design

|publisher = Dep-o.co.uk

|url = http://www.dep-o.co.uk/page216.asp

}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}}}

{{cquote|We wanted to do an anti-Twingo. The Twingo, as such, is a very clever car; it's a mini-minivan, but we couldn't repeat it. I was not willing to do that. My philosophy was really inspired by the original Mini; I wanted to design a car that was so strong in its appearance and thinking that we wouldn't have to carry out a mid-life facelift. When I presented the Ka to the board in the US, I told them that we either sell it and sell it well or you scrap it – but you cannot facelift it."}}

{{cquote|I still feel very good about it,' says original designer Claude Lobo. 'In fact, we have three in the family. It drives nicely and has very good suspension – it's almost like a go-kart. Every time I see one in the street, I'm pleased with it. It's aged very well and, unlike other cars, it hasn't lost its charisma after four or five years. At the beginning, it wasn't easy to convince management and marketing because we were a little bit too far out there, but if you look at it now I think we were right."}}

Regarding the design of the Focus, Lobo was a smoker and located the ashtray high on the instrument panel, enabling the driver to use the ashtray without removing his hands from the steering wheel.{{cite web

|title = Ashtrays

|publisher = Carmagazine.co.uk

|url = http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Community/Forum-Landing/Forum-Categories/Topic/?&topic-id=5924

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720111211/http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Community/Forum-Landing/Forum-Categories/Topic/?&topic-id=5924

|archivedate = 20 July 2011}}

Lobo retired in 1999 at age 55 from Ford Motor Company. Shortly thereafter, in 2000, he created the Concours d'Elegance d´Automobiles Classiques de Bergerac with Nicole and Jean Descamps.{{cite web

|title = Introduction

|publisher = Concours d´Elégance d´Automobiles Classiques de Bergerac

|url = http://cpal-bergerac.com/intro_gb.htm

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110321044726/http://cpal-bergerac.com/intro_gb.htm

|archivedate = 21 March 2011}} Lobo continued to participate in both internal Ford design competitions{{cite web

|title = Ford's Slovenian Design Contest Participants visiting Design Center

|publisher = Ford Media, 21 September 1999

|url = http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=2805

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120320093254/http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=2805

|archivedate = 20 March 2012}} and design competitions outside the company, e.g. the 2003 Grand Concours International du Design Automobile, Lille, France.{{cite web

| title = Grand Concours International du Design Automobile

| publisher=Vehidex.com

| url = http://www.vehidex.com/stylauto/cdesign.htm}}

Lobo had been a professional race car driver in the early 1970s, winning the 24 Hours Nürburgring sports car race and the Marathon de la Route driving a Ford Capri RS with Klaus Ludwig. Lobo also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, – and had been known drive a Ford GT40 as his personal vehicle.{{cite web|url=http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-kurier/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/1999/0404/0067/index.html|title=Ihr Laufsteg ist die Straße: Auto-Designer und ihre schönsten Modelle|first=Christoph|last=Hagel|work=Berliner Kurier|date=4 April 1999|accessdate=4 July 2010|language=German}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Lobo was married and father of two children, Alexandre and Nathalie.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.channel4.com/4car/ft/ford/ka/1187/ Ford Ka Retrospective]
• [http://www2.uol.com.br/bestcars/cpassado3/ka-1.htm Ford Ka history – in Portuguese]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobo, Claude}}

Category:1943 births

Category:2011 deaths

Category:Engineers from Paris

Category:Ford designers

Category:French automobile designers