Fiat UK Andrew Humberstone

Fiat UK's Smiles per Hour Design Competition aims at finding clever and amusing new ways to travel.

It attracted huge interest and, following an initial judging process, the five best entries bidding for the £50,000 top prize have been revealed.

They have already taken part in a special presentation and mentoring session at Fiat’s central London-based flagship store, Fiat Marylebone, and will go on through to the final selection of a winner on 25 September.

The finalists and their designs are:

• TV presenter Suzi Perry

  Simon Tarrant from Guildford, Surrey, Street Rower (www.streetrower.com)
• Nick Rawcliffe from Bermondsey, London, Snowbone (www.snowbone.com)
• Natalie Daghestani from Barry, Wales, Hylo female commuter shoe (nataliedaghestani.com/hylo)
• Steven Spong from Putney Heath, London, Longbow;
• Harley Zblewski from Banbury, Oxon, Suitcase Car.

Now they must prove their innovations have got what it takes to impress the judges – including Suzi Perry of television’s The Gadget Show and Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK – and scoop the £50,000 prize money offered by Fiat to enhance the prototypes.

Smiles per Hour invited creators to design any form of transport which would make travelling more fun, with entrants asked to upload their concepts on to a specially created Fiat website: www.fiat.co.uk/smiles.

“The results have been imaginative, innovative and interesting,” said Elena Bernardelli, Fiat UK’s marketing director.

“We have been greatly impressed by the standard of entries and we know it’s going to be a tough call for the judges on finals’ night.”

The prototypes are on display at the London flagship until 20 September, allowing members of the public to vote for their favourite, and then they will stay in the store until 9 October.

The public vote will count towards the overall score awarded to each of the innovations on finals’ night.

For more information visit the competition official website.

(Source: Fiat)