FRANK STEPHENSON doesn’t shy away from work. But then if you think you’ve got the best job in the world why would you? “I can dream at night and wake up in the morning and dream all day,” he once said.
The 45-year-old car designer has spent his career working across some of the world’s biggest marques, including those of General Motors and Ford. But his big break came when BMW, the newish owner of the Mini, approached him about redeveloping the British classic. Yesterday the 500,000th new-style Mini rolled off the production line at BMW’s plant in Oxford, as the company ramps up its production plans in reaction to solid demand. When BMW brings out a new model in a few years ’ time it won’t, however, be the work of Mr Stephenson. In 2001 he jumped to the other end of the market, becoming the design boss at Ferrari-Maserati, the Italian carmaker owned by Fiat.
Born to Spanish and Norwegian parents, Mr Stephenson grew up in Casablanca, completing high school in Madrid before emigrating with his family to Michigan in the United States.