Tom Tjaarda

Tom Tjaarda
Born
Stevens Thompson Tjaarda van Starkenburg

(1934-07-23)July 23, 1934
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 2017(2017-06-02) (aged 82)
Turin, Italy
EducationUniversity of Michigan
OccupationEngineer
Engineering career
DisciplineCar designer
Practice nameTom Tjaarda

Tom Tjaarda (born Stevens Thompson Tjaarda van Starkenburg;[1] July 23, 1934 – June 2, 2017) was an American automobile designer noted for his work on a broad range of automobiles — estimated at over eighty[2] — from exotic sports cars including the Ferrari 365 California and De Tomaso Pantera to high-volume popular cars including the first generation Ford Fiesta (1972) and the Fiat 124 Spider (1966).

For his work, Tjaarda was honored at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as well as the 1997 Concorso Italiano.[3]

Jalopnik called Tjaarda "one of the defining automotive designers of the 20th century."[4] Noted automotive designer and journalist Robert Cumberford called Tjaarda "one of the world’s most accomplished Italian car designers."[5] Car Design News called him "one of the great unsung heroes of the car design world."[6]

  1. ^ Kurt Ernst (June 5, 2017). "Prolific automotive designer Tom Tjaarda dead at age 82". Hemmings.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference thesis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kevin A. Wilson. "Tom Tjaarda 1934–2017: A Life in Design". Car and Driver.
  4. ^ Jason Torchinsky (June 2, 2017). "Take A Moment To Thank Tom Tjaarda For Designing So Many Beautiful Cars". Jalopnik.
  5. ^ Robert Cumberford (June 2, 2017). "A Tribute to the Late Tom Tjaarda; A fantasy lived". Automobile Magazine.
  6. ^ Chris Rees (June 5, 2017). "Tom Tjaarda A Tribute". Car Design News.