A stunning new feature-length documentary, Chasing Perfect, reveals the untold story of Frank Stephenson, the man behind some of the world’s most iconic car designs.
Responsible for the shape of the MINI, Fiat 500, Ferrari FXX, McLaren P1 and more, Stephenson reveals the inspiration and meticulous creative process behind each, giving viewers a unique insight into his quest for ‘perfect’ design.
Richly shot, with unrivalled behind-the-scenes access, Chasing Perfect celebrates the beauty of automotive design, and offers enthusiasts the perfect stage to indulge in Stephenson’s culturally defining icons.
Stephenson led design teams at Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, McLaren and MINI, and tells fascinating unheard anecdotes about the creation of his many automotive masterpieces. With these incredible insights into the world of designing cars, and with an in-depth tour of Jay Leno’s legendary garage, Chasing Perfect is a must-watch for all car enthusiasts.
Frank Stephenson said: “Car design is often shrouded in mystery but in Chasing Perfect I wanted to throw open the doors to the creative process, shining a light on exactly how cars like the MINI, Fiat 500 and McLaren P1 come to be. Great design takes a lot of hard work but for me, it’s still the best job in the world.”
Outside of his automotive creations, Chasing Perfect tells the very personal journey of Stephenson’s quest for perfection, inspired by his father. It’s a rare insight into the mindset necessary to become one of the world’s top car designers.
“I was fortunate to have my father as an inspirational mentor who pushed me to pursue perfection, but I’ve come to realise it’s something that I’ll always be chasing. I want the message of this film to inspire the next generation of car designers; the creative process of design can be hard, but pushing yourself to always try to achieve perfection – no matter how unattainable it may be – is the best piece of advice I can give to making incredible design become reality.”
The production not only follows Stephenson’s career, from his early work on the Escort Cosworth at Ford in the ‘90s, but also his current work with Frank Stephenson Design through different locations around the world including California, Spain and the UK.
Frank is currently working with Lilium to develop an icon of the future: the world’s first all-electric vertical take-off and landing on-demand taxi service. Lilium is targeting 2025 as the date customers will first be able to book a flying taxi through its app.
“What you see in the film is a genuine working prototype and is designed to be ‘to take the skies, providing affordable flying taxi services around the world. In fact, right now we are working on something much more advanced and I am convinced transportation like this will become reality sooner than people tend to think,” said Stephenson.
