Design Invitational 2026
2026-05-31 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | ArtCenter College of Design, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, CA, 91103, United States
ArtCenter College of Design, where a good number of the world’s auto designers are trained, has finalized the program for the 2026 Design Invitational, a show which has been the College’s annual exhibition of important and iconic vehicles ranging from timeless classics to groundbreaking concepts.
It takes place at the hillside campus, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, CA 91103 on Sunday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Sculpture Garden of the College’s historic Hillside Campus. First established in 2001 as Car Classic, this year’s exhibition places a special focus on Italian design and features with more than 65 vehicles, including cars, motorcycles and even an aircraft, from the ArtCenter community and private collections.
For automotive and design enthusiasts, the 2026 Design Invitational is a world-class, expertly curated transportation design showcase. I think this show is extremely useful because it’s where students of the College’s acclaimed Transportation
Design program, can meet designers and collectors, and study important vehicles up close— from rare historic cars to the latest in modern design, including significant examples by ArtCenter faculty and alumni. “Design Invitational is the ultimate fusion event,” says Transportation Design Chair Marek Djordjevic (BS 91 Transportation). “It brings together multiple generations of design and gives students and the public a unique opportunity to see the past, present and future as a continuum.”
The marques will span eight decades, and include such celebrated marques of Alfa Romeo, DeTomaso, Ducati, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia, and some of the older cars mentioned that will be there are the 1952 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, one of the cars that defined the modern grand tourer; a 1960 Porsche 356 Zagato Speedster, a rare fusion of German engineering and Italian design; and one of fewer than 10 surviving examples of a 1969 Fiat Michelotti Shellette.
Additional highlights of the exhibition include ArtCenter alumni and faculty members Nikita and Iliya Bridan’s “Dropped Alfa,” a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 the brothers modified into an off-road vehicle after the original vehicle suffered a 6-foot drop off a flatbed truck; a 2026 Pebble Flow, a 25-foot all-electric travel trailer designed by alumnus Page Beerman; and a mockup of alumnus Brad Kappel’s Cirrus Vision SF50, the world’s first certified single-engine personal jet that has a cruising speed of 300 knots and a cabin that seats up to seven.
A full list of vehicles will be added prior to the event on the ArtCenter Design Invitational event page, though the final lineup is subject to change.
ArtCenter’s 2026 Design Invitational is open to the public. Tickets are $35 each; children 18 and under are free. Parking is free, but is first-come, first-served.
Spectator tickets are $35. If you still want to enter a car, you can contact them.
call 626 396-2573 or 626 396-2200
