Simon: I have always been interested in cars but more for their design than their performance, although the SM combines the two. At some point in my late teens I developed an aesthetic sensibility (I’m not sure where it came from) and have always tried to find the best design of anything – whether it’s an electric toaster or a wheelbarrow!

Aside from architecture, cars are a form of design that encapsulate sculpture, movement and mobility, and a romantic attachment to a period of time. For me the 1950s to 1970s were the golden age of car design when designers were less constrained by the onset of inevitable safety regulations and economic and environmental considerations. The SM is a 1970s vision of the future; Concorde for the road.

As a mass market manufacturer, Citroen produced the most purely designed cars available in this era, from the radical DS of the 1950s to the XM of the 1980s, and everything is considered – from the door handles to the air intake. However, these weren’t just styling exercises. Citroen was pioneering from an engineering point of view too, so the cars perform unlike any of their contemporaries and were way ahead of their time.

The SM looks like a concept car that made it into production. It was designed by Robert Opron and the design detail throughout is exquisite. When it was available (1970-75) it was an expensive car, comparable in price to a Porsche 911 or exotic Italian model.

Paul: It was designed by Pininfarina with a two-litre straight four; the poor man’s Ferrari. It was a dream to drive, for years I used it every day to get from the home to my architectural practice in Winchester. I guess I liked the car because it was cool and everyone who saw it smiled – the unusual yellow colour helped but the style of the car was somehow friendly. Importantly, it had a bench rear seat for the dog!

All three are now gone, the house we sold in 2015, the car finally ate too much money and the practice has taken a back seat to my new career as a Thames barge captain on the sailing barge Snark, which we designed and built ourselves! But my wife, Qiao, and I still take on local projects around South Devon, mostly bespoke residential work.

Tim: I’ve been interested in cars since I was very young and restored Minis and VWs as a teenager. I’m a visual person and appreciate objects that I feel are well designed and crafted. Design has always been a passion but particularly architecture and cars. 

For me the iconic shape of the 911 has stood the test of time and deserves its recognition as a ‘design classic’; I would love to have collection of 911’s from every era.

Driving it takes you away from the current day stresses – the feel and smell transporting you back in time and instantly putting a smile on your face, the same way architecture can affect your mood. The colour is original and quite rare, it’s one of the main reasons other than the condition why I bought this particular car, which suits the early 70’s period. I’m generally more of a grey/muted colour person, so this allows me to comfortably embrace some colour, It also sits well next to my Ravenna Green Porsche 914, which is not a colour for everyone!

The Exige was Lotus Cars’ press launch car and became my mine and my wife’s wedding car. It was a simple and minimalist design, with high performance, that felt raw, essential and very visceral…. actually, very similar in nature to Long Barn! The design of the Lotus Exige is like a pocket size Le Mans sports racing car. It was an absolute blast to drive around the roads in Wiltshire near Long Barn and I even took it to the nearby Thruxton circuit. 

The second car was a Speedwell Blue 1960 Austin Se7en classic Mini. The early Mk1 Minis are also very minimalist, super simple, and essential, just like Long Barn. The supreme innovations and endearing design embodied in the original Mini meant that it remained relevant and competitive in performance, handling and economy far beyond usual automobile life spans.

Richard: I was mad about cars as a boy, (spending hours designing new models of my own) and think this was a major factor in my developing a love of industrial design and architecture. For a long time growing up I wanted to be a car designer (I now design and build electric guitars which for me is a close second!). 

I spotted my car in Ireland three years ago with only 36,000 miles on the clock and, besides the incredibly low mileage, was rather taken with the ‘regal’ colour scheme of gold over red leather. 

I’m a huge fan of old Mercedes. I love the tank-like build quality (the ‘thunk’ of the door shutting always makes me smile), the remarkable comfort and ride quality (it glides over speed bumps in a way no modern car can) and the elegant, understated styling (such the opposite of many of today’s Mercedes cars).

However, alongside the general restraint there are some design touches with real flair, for example the chrome louvred panels in the rear windows which look amazing, but also have the effect of making the car appear shorter than it really is. And I love the pillarless design; without the conventional roof pillar between the front and rear side windows, when all the windows are down and the sunroof open it feels incredibly open, almost like a convertible. It has great all-round visibility too.

I strongly believe that in comparison to architecture, good car styling is undervalued considering the huge impact vehicles have on the appearance of our environment, especially in towns and cities.