Syd Mead, Inspiration Source For The Tesla Cybertruck, Leaves Us At 86
Elon Musk already paid a tribute to the master: “Your art will endure.”
It is not a secret that Syd Mead’s work was an inspiration for the Tesla Cybertruck. When the concept artist of movies like “Tron,” “Alien,” and “Blade Runner” said he was a great fan of the controversial design, Elon Musk responded with this tweet.
Sadly, Musk tweet again about Mead, but as a tribute for the fact that he is no longer among us. The designer died on December 30, in Pasadena, after fighting lymphoma for three years. He was 86.
The first person to report his death was John McElroy on Facebook.
Mead graduated at Art Center College of Design in 1959 and was always fond of science fiction and cars. In the same year, he started to work for Ford, where he worked until 1961. We would love to know in which vehicles he worked at that time to see which of them currently have the artist’s touch.
Gallery: Artist That Inspired The Tesla Cybertruck, Syd Mead Dies At 86
When he left the car manufacturer, Mead started to illustrate books for clients such as Philips Electronics, and United States Steel. He made automotive designs for these books, which have called Hollywood’s attention. Anyway, it was only in 1979 that he started his long and successful career in the movies.
One of his most famous creations and the one that inspired the Cybertruck were the spinners. Mead preferred to call them “aerodynes,” but “spinner” was the classification that caught on. They are the vehicles you can see in the original “Blade Runner” movie.
Press kits of the movie stated the aerodynes were propelled by three types of engines: “conventional internal combustion, jet, and anti-gravity.” If Mead had a say, we suspect he would have suggested electric motors as an option as well.
Some of Musk’s followers said it was nice that Mead had a chance to see the Cybertruck before he passed away. As Tesla’s CEO said, his influence will remain around us. He just did not mention it would also drive us around, but that is implicit.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Someone Keeps Stealing Entire Truckloads Of Tesla Batteries
Tesla Starts Testing Steering-Wheel-Free Cybercab On Austin Streets. Can It Match Waymo?
An App Flagged This Tesla Battery As Degraded. The Car Said It Was Worse
California's New EV Incentive Is Almost Here—With Special Benefits For Rivian And Lucid
Teslas Will Now Deploy Their Airbags Before Crashes Happen Thanks To Cameras
BMW iX5 Blows Away The Competition With 460-kW Charging, 435-Mile Range
Tesla Is Giving Away Free Supercharging. Here's How To Win.