In the history of the Russian automotive industry there are both glorious and dramatic scenes. Experts note that the qualifications of specialists employed in this industry comply with international standards. Automotive designer Eric Szabo made his contribution to the development of the domestic automobile industry.
Starting conditions
Eric Vladimirovich Szabo is known as the founder of the Soviet school of automotive design. Today this name is known only to a narrow circle of specialists. When an ordinary consumer chooses a vehicle for his needs, he does not even think about who and when created the exterior of the car, which is parked behind the glass wall of the car dealership. A potential owner is interested in the operational parameters of the machine: safety, comfort, efficiency. And the car should look attractive.
At all times, Russian industrial production has been guided by the achievements of European countries. And still the best vehicles are those made in Germany. However, domestic engineers and designers, including Eric Szabo, managed to form their own school. Create your own machines and technologies that are not inferior in technical specifications to foreign models. This took resources and time. To engage in car design, a person must receive a certain set of knowledge. Have a broad horizons and analytical skills.
The future auto designer was born on August 14, 1933 in an ordinary Soviet family. Parents lived in Moscow. Father served in law enforcement. Mother worked as a decorator in one of the capital's theaters. Eric watched the creative process from young nails when his mother threw up paints and drew sketches on paper or cardboard. During the war, his father was in the army. And the family was evacuated to the Siberian city of Omsk. Here the boy went to first grade. On long winter evenings, he learned to draw charcoal on brown paper or on the wall, for which he often received a reprimand.
Szabo graduated from school, having already returned to his permanent place of residence. When the question arose of choosing a profession, he firmly decided to get a specialized education in the famous Stroganov School of Industrial Art. In his student years, Eric worked part-time in all possible ways. He designed the "red corners" and "honor boards" at the enterprises. He painted posters for holiday demonstrations. At one time, his father taught Eric to play the accordion. And this skill was useful to the student when he, along with the famous saxophonist, played on Saturdays for the tipsy audience in the restaurant.
Professional activity
The career of a designer began for Eric Szabo in 1957, after he got to the Likhachev Automobile Plant by distribution. A certified artist was immediately entrusted with responsible work. It was necessary to refresh the appearance of the front end - in the jargon of specialists "face" - a representative limousine ZIS-110. The updated front end has been approved in all respects. A young specialist who confirmed his professional status was immediately attracted to solving real problems. The time has come to make changes to the exteriors of the ZIL-130 and ZIL-131 trucks.
Sabo not only successfully coped with the tasks, but made sensible suggestions for optimizing the work in the design department. It is important to note that a young designer, full of strength and imagination, each time offered his own solution. However, management had an opinion on this. Eric Vladimirovich in every possible way was forced to simply copy foreign samples. From the perspective of the manufacturers, this approach made sense. But the professional reputation of the designer was infringed upon. After some doubt, Szabo moved to the Special Art Design Bureau (SKHB).
Recognition and Merit
At the new workplace, Szabo met with the talented designer Eduard Molchanov. The randomly formed creative tandem turned out to be very productive. They developed a successful design of a self-propelled wheelchair for disabled people, the production of which was launched by the Serpukhov Motor Plant. The work of Eric Szabo was not limited to the development of the exterior of cars. He was engaged in the design of salons and body elements.
For many years, the venerable designer led the sector of technical aesthetics at the Central Research Automobile and Automotive Institute, which is abbreviated as "NAMI". Within the walls of this institute, a mini-all-terrain vehicle "LuAZ" and a heavy-duty dump truck "KrAZ-250" were designed. For these developments, Eric Vladimirovich received the "Certificate for Industrial Design".
