DVN asked Wolfgang Huhn to write the foreword of the forthcoming de luxe book soon to be launched. As a teaser,here are his thoughts:
“Our business is something very special. It’s not only the usual topics that count, like technical solutions, time schedules, and cost targets; style, fashion, and even art aspects are most important for car lighting. This book shows that in a unique and wonderful way I am happy to support.
To be a car lighting engineer is a wonderful and challenging job. When I started 1987 in Munich I was dealing with glass diffuser lenses, filament bulbs, and steel reflectors. Tasks of these days were such as designing test stands for throwing steel balls onto those glass lenses to simulate stone-chipping, and fighting condensation.
“HID bulbs with projector headlamps changed the car´s appearance. Fighting glare was most important. High voltage ignition and automatic leveling systems were new challenges. Electromechanical solutions drove the business. The former natural law—the bigger the lamp, the better the light—was no longer applicable.
“In the next phase, clear polycarbonate lenses and thermoset reflectors together with H7 bulbs changed the car´s look again. New headlamp styles led to complete new car faces. Steel reflectors and glass lenses vanished; unfortunately, condensation did not, and it was now very visible with the clear lenses, a problem for the whole industry. On the other hand this shows how important lamps had become for car styling. And this process had just started!