Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 113

the creation of a high-speed sports car, the
Vaillante Mirage – from the first secret test drives
beneath the bodywork of a Lamborghini Mur-
ciélago to the unveiling of the finished product
at the Geneva Motor Show.
What is more, not only is the Murciélago
camouflage a real-life, original Donckerwolke
design dating from his time as Head of Design at
Lamborghini; so too is the fantasy super sports car
Vaillante Mirage, along with four other Vaillante
models, unveiled in Geneva.
Even Donckerwolke himself secures a bit-part
role in the comic strip: at the design studio of the
fictional sports car manufacturer Vaillante, he
can be seen discussing the latest car designs
with racing driver Michel, his older brother and
company boss Jean-Pierre and company founder
Henri Vaillant. But how does an established car
designer, complete with his designs, find his way
into a Belgian comic book about racing drivers?
It all began with a present.
The much-travelled son of a diplomat recounts:
“As a child, I caught an African fever when we
were in Burundi. As a get-well-soon present my
father gave me a Michel Vaillant comic book,
which immediately captivated me. That was the
moment I started drawing cars.” The regularity
with which new Vaillant volumes appeared
each year was one of the few constants in a
youth dominated by frequent moves. Little
Luc soon knew his vocation: “I definitely
wanted to be a car designer”.
From reality into the world of comic books, and back:
Head of SEAT Design Luc Donckerwolke found his way into his
profession via “Michel Vaillant”. As a hobby he occasionally
contributes drawings for comic strips about racing drivers,
sometimes even cropping up in the stories himself. His design
of the SEAT Ibiza Vaillante show car is dedicated to his idol.
Text Franz-Peter Hudek // Photos Reinhard Schmid // Illustrations Philippe Graton
Michel Vaillant
is a comic-book character
created in 1957 by the
French artist and author
Jean Graton. Vaillant
is a racing driver for the
family-run racing team
and has won several
Formula 1 World Champi-
onship titles. 69 Vaillant
albums had been pub-
lished up until 2006.
>>
The Vaillante Mirage – a fantasy super sports car that
Donckerwolke created for the comic book series.
“Lucky Luc”The fastest pen
CULTURE: COMIC AND DESIGN
111AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Literature’s favourite heroes include those
who take the art of inhabiting two worlds
to the extreme. Something that all of them
– from Pinocchio and Faust to Count Dracula and
Spider-Man – all have in common is their pen-
chant for grand gestures and often hectic drama.
But here is one denizen of two worlds, a Belgian
living in Spain, who is different: Luc Doncker-
wolke, Head of Design at SEAT.
Seated at the desk of his glazed office in a zone
shielded from prying eyes, above the light inner
courtyard of the SEAT Design Centre in Sitges,
near Barcelona, is a politely restrained forty
year old, dressed casually in black as is his wont.
And he is reading a comic book, a hardback
classic from Belgium, Michel Vaillant Volume 64,
‘Operation Mirage’ (for more information about
Michel Vaillant, visit www.michelvaillant.com).
A fantasy story set in a world with which he can
identify. The story narrates the fantastic tale of