Ernst Hellby is a young Swedish designer, of exceptional talent and creativity, who has already shown himself in his works as someone who will leave a mark in the automotive industry. Although he is still very young, so far he has done a number of interesting projects for large global companies such as BMW, the modern company LYNK & Co, and he even worked for NEVS for a little over two years.
He completed his MSc in Industrial Design Engeneering with the development of a rescue swimmer life jacket for the Swedish Sea Rescue Society. Then he finished MFA in Transportation design and then he headed towards the automotive industry. If you ask Him what it is that excites and creatively inspires Him, He answers that it is “the desire to make things better, for a positive future“.
Like many more or less experienced designers, Saab inspired him as a car icon to create a special concept, so we present it to you from his point of view. Thanks to Ernst for sharing his story, vision and concept with us.
SAAB 9 Project
Name: SAAB 9 – Return of a lost soul
Time: Dec 2020-Feb 2021
Designer: Ernst Hellby
This personal project is a salute to Swedish design. I grew up in a house with a few classic pieces that I think formed me and that inspires me to this day. Simple object, useful yet striking – like the Bruno Mathsson chair Pernilla or the Margaretha Bowls by Sigvard Bernadotte.
These artifacts together with one of my all-time favorite cars: the SAAB 9-X Concept car from 2001 led me on my way designing the exterior in this short project. When starting free like this, of course I push proportions to something extraordinary but I still like to keep realism to make the viewer think ”I can see myself driving this”.
I drew inspiration also from SAAB´s Aero history when setting up the whole stance and attitude of the car – a protruding rear and a cockpit cabin. All in all this was a fun but short what-if-SAAB-was-back dream.
Outstanding! There would be many of us happy to snap one up if the vision became a reality!!
way off, saabs were always kinda boxy and spacious inside like a puffer-fish, this looks like the opposite of that.