Designer Gerry McGovern: No car fool

When Land Rover entered into a cooperation with the renowned London tailor Henry Poole & Co, Gerry McGovern’s heart probably opened. The top designer of the Land Rover models has a weakness for fine fabrics. After all, he always appears in the finest thread himself. Of course, Gerry McGovern has secured one of the 50 jackets tailored for the Range Rover’s 50th birthday. The fabric bridges the gap between the past and has a classic houndstooth pattern. The colors Tuscan Blue, Bahama Gold and Davos White are those of the paintwork used in Range Rover’s premiere in 1970.

Born in the heart of England (Coventry), the designer is not your typical car guy who sweats oil and drinks gasoline. He neither collects cars nor owns private vehicles, Gerry McGovern uses company vehicles. The British collection consists of modern art and classic and modern furniture, including lamps and mirrors. “If you’ve worked in a chocolate factory all your life, you can’t see chocolate either, can you? I’m not tired of cars, but I’ve been designing them for about 40 years now. I can come home instead of cars think “, known McGovern once in an interview with” auto motor sport “. Nevertheless, the designer has fallen for the ingenious mechanics of the Swiss luxury watches from the brands Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet and shares this hobby with some of his colleagues.

When you look at McGovern’s creations like this, you wish that many an automotive designer would be less infatuated with the objects he creates. Especially the current Range Rover models or cars like the handsome Evoque are considered very successful designs. For most automotive experts, it is clear that Gerry McGovern’s marriage to the British automaker is a marriage that just fits. Some even refer to it as a match made in heaven. The appointment of the designer, who now also has the title of professor, as the chief designer of the Jaguar Land Rover Group and the subsequent appointment to the board of directors of the entire company are visible testimony to the appreciation. The Queen also takes a liking to the works of the self-confident automobile artist, who finds clear words to express his opinion and in 2020 appoints him “Officer of the British Empire”. Rule Britannia.

Britain may rule, but it wasn’t Gerry’s first love. After graduating with a specialization in “Automotive Design” at the renowned Royal College of Art in London, Gerry McGovern was initially more drawn to the new world. Especially since Chrysler had financially supported his studies. McGovern first went through various positions at the US car manufacturer before returning to his homeland. He penned cars such as the Rover MG-F and the Land Rover Freelander, which was the best-selling compact SUV in Europe for seven years. On his way through the studios of the various automakers, McGovern manifested his reputation as a capable and creative mind. In his task of breathing new life into the Lincoln-Mercury car brand, he acquired extensive skills that McGovern made full use of: One of the first to steer into his new design studio in California was Marek Reichman, who is now head designer at Aston Martin.

After his aegis at Ford, McGovern joined his old love Land Rover in 2004 as Director Advanced Design. The right choice for Ford Design Vice President J Mays: “Gerry is perfectly suited for this job. He has already proven that he fully understands Land Rover’s DNA.” This eulogy was no coincidence, because Land Rover was part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group at the time, before the carmaker was sold to the Indian Tata Group in 2008.

The owners changed, one constant remained: Gerry McGovern. The successful refreshment and redesign of the model range is not least due to him. He recently had to master the most delicate task, namely the remake of the Land Rover Defender. Failure would have dog-eared the last few pages of McGovern’s biography. Gerry McGovern was aware of the scope of this challenge and he took his time with his creation. The long-awaited presentation de Defenders was postponed again and again. When the cloth was finally pulled from the off-road vehicle, it was immediately clear that retro design was not what Gerry wanted. Unlike Mercedes with the G-Class, for example, the designer decided to completely reinterpret the lines. “There’s nothing left but the silhouette,” said Gerry McGovern. The appearance polarizes, but the success proves McGovern right. Because the Defender was awarded the title of “World Car Design of the Year” in 2021.