Yahoo Autos Rob Melville Is McLaren's New Design Director
Earlier this month, we reported that McLaren design boss Frank Stephenson was leaving the supercar company after nearly 10 years. Today, McLaren announced that Rob Melville, who penned the 570S and 720S, will take on the role of Design Director and confirmed Stephenson's departure.
Melville initially joined McLaren as a Senior Designer in 2009, the same year the MP4-12C was unveiled. He worked on the P1, the 650S, 675LT, and led the design for McLaren's Sport Series (570S and 570GT) and the 720S, the first of its second-generation Super Series. Under McLaren's $1.4 billion Track22 plan, Melville will oversee the design of 14 new models before 2022.
Stephenson was previously on leave from McLaren for personal reasons, and the company didn't disclose his reason for leaving. Mini hasn't yet announced if it's hired Stephenson, and a representative for the company hasn't yet returned our request for comment. Stephenson led design at Mini until 2002, just after its iconic retro hatchback was launched.
Given what Melville has done with McLaren's Sport and Super Series, we think the company's design is in good hands. We're just very curious to learn Stephenson's next move.
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