Tom Tjaarda

Tom Tjaarda (born Stevens Thompson Tjaarda van Starkenburg; 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

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

Background Tjaarda was born in Detroit, the son of Irene Tjaarda

In 1958, he moved to Turin, Italy, where his career began and where he continued to live and work.

Tjaarda started his career at Ghia with the Innocenti 950.

By 1961 had moved to Pininfarina, where he went on to work on designs that included the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, the Ferrari 330GT 2+2, the Fiat 124 Spider, and the Ferrari 365 California.

He later returned to Ghia, where he designed the Isuzu Bellett MX1600 concept, the De Tomaso Pantera, and the De Tomaso Longchamp.

In 1981, Tom was appointed as Director of Fiat Advanced Studios. In 1984, he started his own independent design firm, Dimensione Design.

Design portfolio

1959. Ghia Selene I 1960. Innocenti 950 S Ghia Spider 1960. (Innocenti) Ghia IXG Dragster 1960. Renault Dauphine Ghia Coupé 1960. Volkswagen Karmann Ghia 1500 (type 34) Coupé (rear design; main body design by Sergio Sartorelli) 1961. Ferbedo Automobilina pedal car (Ghia) 1961. Ghia Cart 1961. Innocenti 950 Spider 1962. Chevrolet Corvair Pininfarina Coupé (I) 1963. Chevrolet Corvette Rondine Pininfarina Coupé (I) 1963. Fiat 2300 Pininfarina 1963. Lancia Flaminia 2.8 Pininfarina Coupé Speciale 1964. Chevrolet Corvette Rondine Pininfarina Coupé (II) 1964. Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Pininfarina series 1 1964. Mercedes 230 SL Pininfarina Coupé 1965. Fiat 124 Sport Spider Pininfarina 1966. Ferrari 365 California 1968. Ghia Centurion (with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Rowan Industries) 1968. Serenissima Coupé (Ghia) 1969. De Tomaso Mustela (I) (Ghia) 1969. Isuzu Bellett MX1600 GT (Ghia) 1969. Lancia Flaminia Marica (Ghia) 1969. Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF Competizione (Ghia) 1970. De Tomaso Deauville (Ghia) 1970. De Tomaso Pantera Ghia 1970. Sinthesis 2000 Berlinetta 1970. Williams De Tomaso-Ford (Cosworth) 505/38 (De Tomaso Formula 1) 1971. All-Cars AutoZodiaco Damaca 1971. De Tomaso 1600 (Ghia) Spider 1971. De Tomaso Zonda (Ghia) 1971. Isuzu Bellett SportsWagon (Ghia) 1972. De Tomaso Longchamp 1972. Ford Fiesta (Ghia, Project "Wolf") 1973. De Tomaso Pantera 7X (Montella, Ghia) 1973. Ford Mustela (II) (Ghia) 1974. Ford Ghia Coins 1974. Ford Maverick 1979. Fiat Brazil 1979. Ford Mustang II Proposals (Ghia) (different variants) 1979. Zastava (facelifts of older Fiat-based models for Yugoslavia) 1980. De Tomaso Longchamp Cabrio 1981. SEAT Ronda 1981. SEAT Guappa Coupé 1982. Chrysler LeBaron concept 1982. Chrysler Imperial Coupe concept 1983. Rayton-Fissore Taxi Torino 1985. Autobianchi/Lancia Y10 (with Antonio Piovano) 1985. Rayton-Fissore Magnum 4x4 1989. Aston Martin Lagonda Coupé concept 1988. PPG 4x4 (USA) 1989. Laforza Magnum 4x4 1989. Zastava Utility vehicle 1991. Bitter Tasco 1992. Suzuki Coupé (for Bugatti) 1993. Fiat Iveco Truck Interior 1995. Lamborghini Diablo (Interior) 1998. Isotta-Fraschini T8 Coupé 1998. Isotta-Fraschini T12 Coupé 2000. Qvale Mangusta (II) 2001. Laforza PSV (II) (production engineering only) 2002. Spyker GT Sport 2003. Fiat Barchetta (Facelift) 2006. Shelby Series 2 2007. Tjaarda Mustang