Style Icon: Rod Serling (25 December 1924 – 28 June 1975)

Rod Serling was the creator of one of my favourite sci-fi TV series, The Twilight Zone, which originally ran from 1959 to 1964. The programme, which featured short stories with often dystopian themes, will be the subject of a blog in the near future. However, Mr Serling definitely resides in the style zone wearing razor sharp suits, immaculately coiffured hair, and holding an ever smouldering cigarette.

Style Icon: Cool Cars in Film

The Series I Alfa Romeo Spider - The Graduate (1967) - Designed by Pininfarina, the Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto first went into production in 1966 and underwent several design and engine modifications until production of the Series 4 Spider ended in 1993. The early ‘Spider’ was famed for its elegant lines and beautiful lozenge shape and can be seen in the film tearing its way up to Berkeley to the sounds of Simon & Garfunkel.

Style Icon: Cool Cars in Film

Autobianchi Bianchina Cabriolet – The Pink Panther (1963) - The Bianchina was produced by the Italian automaker Autobianchi and was based on the Fiat 500. In my opinion the cabriolet version is probably the coolest microcar and looks no cooler than when being driven by a person wearing a gorilla suit.

 Image courtesy of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum (www.microcarmuseum.com)

Style Icon: Cool Cars in Film

The Sunbeam Alpine Series II – Dr. No (1962) - According to Wikipedia, the Alpine was produced principally for the US market and as one of the chief designers of the car, Ken Howes, had worked for Ford prior to joining the Rootes Group, it was bound to have some resemblance to the first generation of Ford Thunderbird’s. In Dr. No, the first Bond car can be seen out manouvering a 1939 LaSalle Funeral Coach full of baddies.