Mark C. Jordan | |
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Occupation | Automotive Designer |
Employer | Mazda North American Operations |
Known for | Design of the first generation Mazda MX-5 Miata |
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C. Mark Jordan is an automotive designer known for his work with General Motors's Opel division and Mazda North America, including his part in the genesis of the first generation Mazda MX-5 Miata, a car that ultimately became the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history. [1]
The son of noted former GM vice president of design, Chuck Jordan, [2] Jordan studied at Western Michigan University [2] before attending Art Center College of Design (1974-1978).
He subsequently worked for Adam Opel AG (1978-1982) for four years, working on concept vehicles, as well as the sedan variant of the Opel Omega. [2] He later worked with Mazda North American Operations in various roles (1982-2009). [3]
Jordan is widely known for collaborating on the design of the first generation (1989) Mazda MX-5 Miata, with Bob Hall, Masao Yagi and Tom Matano. [4] [5] Hall hired Jordan in early 1983 [6] to join the newly formed Mazda design studio in Southern California, where they collaborated on the parameters of the initial image, proportion and visualization of what would become Miata, a "light-weight sports concept".
Jordan attended Birmingham Groves High School with his friend, Jeff Teague (1956-2016, son of the noted designer Dick Teague, 1923–1991). The two formed a design company JTDNA, [7] before Jordan founded his own firm, CMJ Design Consulting.
He directs and manages the Charles M. Jordan Scholarship Fund, an endowment fund in honor of his late father, with the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-person sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The convertible is marketed as the Mazda Roadster or Eunos Roadster in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata in the United States, and formerly in Canada, where it is now marketed as the MX-5 but is still commonly referred to as Miata.
The Mazda RX-7 is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, rotary engine-powered sports car that was manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1978 until 2002 across three generations, all of which made use of a compact, lightweight Wankel rotary engine.
The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Spec Miata is a class of racing car used in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), National Auto Sport Association (NASA), and Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs (MCSCC) road racing events.
Richard Arthur "Dick" Teague was an American industrial designer in the North American automotive industry. He held automotive design positions at General Motors, Packard, and Chrysler before becoming Vice President of Design for American Motors Corporation (AMC), and designed several notable show cars and production vehicles, including AMC's Pacer, Gremlin, and Hornet models, as well as the Jeep Cherokee XJ and either designed or assisted in the designing of later cars for Chrysler such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Neon after American Motors' buyout.
A retractable hardtop — also known as "coupé convertible" or "coupé cabriolet" — is a car with an automatically operated, self-storing hardtop, as opposed to the folding textile-based roof used by traditional convertible cars.
Moray S. Callum is a Scottish automobile designer who was vice president, design, for Ford Motor Company, having retired on 1 May 2021. His elder brother Ian Callum was the Design Director of Jaguar from 1999 to 2019.
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Jeffrey William Teague was an American automotive designer and design consultant for Volkswagen, Ford Motor Company, Mitsubishi Motors, Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Motors — and known widely for his role as principal designer of the 1983-1992 Lincoln Mark VII.
Bob Hall is a former American motoring journalist best known for his work as an automotive product planner.
Charles Morrell Jordan was an American automotive designer, born in Whittier, California.
The Fiat 124 Spider, is a front-engine, rear-drive, two-passenger roadster manufactured by Mazda for FCA over a single generation. The 124 debuted at the 2015 LA Auto Show for model year 2016, with production reaching just over 41,000 for model years 2016-2020.
The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is a single-make motor racing championship sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) in the United States. Mazda MX-5 Cup is the professional Spec Miata series of Mazda Motorsports, promoted by Andersen Promotions. The pro Spec Miata series has its roots in 2003, but a unified national championship was launched in 2006.
Derek Jenkins is an American automobile designer. He is currently the senior vice president of design and brand at Lucid Motors. He is known for his contribution to the design of the Mazda MX-5 as well as the Lucid Air.
Tsutomu "Tom" Matano is an advertising agent, automotive designer, and automotive journalist. Matano was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and continued to live in Japan until after his studies in university. He began an Analysis Engineering Major at Seikei University in Tokyo, Japan, in April 1965 and graduated in March 1969. Following his graduation, Matano moved to the United States in September 1970 via his uncle's container ship, landing himself in Seattle, then to Los Angeles, and finally New York City.
The Mazda MX-5 (NC) is the third generation of the Mazda MX-5 manufactured from 2005 to 2015. At its introduction in 2005, it won the Car of the Year Japan Award and made Car and Driver's 10Best list from 2006 to 2013.
The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5, model code ND, is the current generation of the Mazda MX-5 roadster. The car has been manufactured in Mazda's Hiroshima plant since March 4, 2015.
The Mazda MX-5 (NA) is the first generation of the Mazda MX-5 manufactured from 1989 to 1997. Inspired by the post-war era British sports cars, the MX-5 rejuvenated interest in roadsters after the demise of cars such as the MG B and Triumph Spitfire. Since its debut, the MX-5 has won numerous automotive awards and has become the world's best selling sports car.
The Mazda MX-5 (NB) is the second generation of the Mazda MX-5 manufactured from 1998 until 2005. The model continued the MX-5's philosophy of being a lightweight, front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive roadster while featuring numerous performance improvements, however lacking its predecessor's retractable headlamps. The NB is also the only generation to feature a factory-built turbocharged variant in the form of the Mazdaspeed MX-5.
Clare M. "Mac" MacKichan was an automotive designer and executive with General Motors (GM). He is best known for designing or overseeing the design of several significant models for the Chevrolet division in the United States and Opel in Germany.