Classic Automobile from Academy of Art University’s Collection Among Nominees for Best of Show at the Prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) August 25, 2011
The Academy of Art University announced today that one of the cars from its classic automobile collection, a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Speciale Teardrop Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi, was among the nominees for “Best of Show” at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance over the weekend. The Stephens Family, which founded the Academy of Art University in 1929, owns more than 165 cars including the Talbot-Lago which was also named “First in Class” at the Pebble Beach show. Competitors from 30 states, the District of Columbia, 14 countries and the principality of Monaco brought their prized automotive possessions to California’s Monterey Peninsula for judging in 29 classes.
“The Talbot-Lago was a very deserving nominee,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “It comprises all the elements of a great car; it has elegance, technological merit and it is also quite driveable.”
The Stephens’ family auto collection is on display at an auto museum on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco where tours are available to the public by appointment. The auto museum is a place to pay homage to classic cars as well as a place that offers inspiration for Academy of Art University students who aspire to be auto designers.
“Our family is extremely passionate about classic automobiles and we have always believed that the Talbot-Lago was a one of a kind,” said Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of Academy of Art Univeristy. “We were thrilled about the opportunity to bring this car to the show and are equally as honored to be recognized on a stage as grand as the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.”
The 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Speciale Teardrop Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi was commissioned by French banker Antoine Schumann at an astonishing price of 165,000 francs making it one of the most expensive automobiles produced in 1938. It is believed that just 16 Figoni et Falaschi competition aero coupes were produced and among those, this is the only known long wheelbase “Lago Speciale” built.
Over the weekend, Academy of Art University President Elisa Stephens also announced a donation of three scholarships valued at $ 300,000 to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation Phil Hill Scholarship program, which was launched in 2009 in honor of Hill, the Formula 1 World Drivers Champion. The program, which provides scholarships to students pursuing degrees in various fields related to Hill’s many passions, including automobiles, will now be able to provide three four-year Academy of Art University scholarships for students with aspirations of a career in industrial design.
The Academy’s industrial design program, which includes automobile and motorcycle design, helps students better understand the process that shapes a mass-produced object by allowing them to actually build what they design. In addition to studio drawing, computer drawing, and rendering classes, students take four 3-D model making studio classes in which they first learn and later develop their model-making skills. The Academy’s mission is to prepare students for the art and design jobs of the 21st Century and since the industrial design program launched, Academy graduates have been hired by BMW Design, Works, GM, Mazda, Toyota, Fox Racing, Black & Decker, Camelback (CQ) Hasbro, Mattel Tigo, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Nike, tech stock companies NVIDIA and Palm Inc; Samsung, Tony, Sketchers North Face, Tesla Motors and Timbuk 2 Designs.
Pebble Beach (R) and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (R) are trademarks and service marks of Pebble Beach Company. Used by permission.
About Academy of Art University
Academy of Art University, the largest private university of art and design in the United States, is educating students for the art and design jobs of the 21st Century. Established in 1929, the Academy is an output-based higher education model that provides open admissions to all students, but imposes a rigorous curriculum that requires the students to produce a portfolio of work that demonstrates a mastery of their field in order to graduate. Students are taught by a faculty of professionals from the existing marketplace, which provides them with an understanding of what it takes to succeed in today’s business environment. The Academy’s hands-on curriculum produces graduates that possess great artistic and design skills — and equally as important, the ability to put those talents to work immediately after graduation. As a result, Academy graduates are ready to compete for and win the jobs of the 21st Century in the fields of Acting, Advertising, Animation & Visual Effects, Architecture, Art Education, Fashion, Fine Art, Game Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture & Design, Landscape Architecture, Motion Pictures & Television, Multimedia Communications, Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media, Photography and Web Design & New Media. Academy of Art University is accredited by WASC, NASAD, Council for Interior Design Accreditation (Formerly FIDER), (BFA-IAD), and NAAB (M-ARCH). Visit http://www.academyart.edu for more information.
# # #
Attachments
©Copyright 1997-
, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
I was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.