Author, design guru and auto industry expert Stephen Bayley will be VIP guest of MICA on June 29 in central London.

Stephen’s latest book, The Age of Combustion, tells the engaging story behind cars from his columns in Octane, using his unique insight as founding CEO of London’s Design Museum, as well as 50 years commentating on the auto industry.

“The auto­mo­bile is the ulti­mate ana­logue machine and mankind’s most inge­nious, seduc­tive and dam­ag­ing inven­tion. For over a cen­tu­ry, cars have pro­vid­ed ref­er­ence points for our notions of style, sta­tus and desire. In design terms, the Age of Com­bus­tion was as rich and var­ied as architecture’s Baroque – and far more pop­u­lar. And now it is com­ing to an end, as the inter­nal com­bus­tion engine is super­seded by the bat­tery and cars become wheeled com­put­ers, run­ning on AI not oil. Something wonderful will soon be lost,” says Stephen Bayley.

Speaking exclusively to MICA on June 29 at Brewin Dolphin in Waterloo Place, St James, Stephen will entertain and inform, also answering audience questions before the event is given over to networking with drinks and light supper (included).

Free to members and £45 to paying guests, this social evening will run from 6-8pm. Email interest to secure a place to info@mica.org.uk. Join MICA at MICA.org.uk/join-us.

The Age of Combustion, as recommended by:

J Mays, for­mer chief cre­ative offi­cer at Ford Motor Company – “No one artic­u­lates the ‘the­atre of design’ like Stephen Bay­ley. It’s pure joy!”

Jay Leno – ‘The most intel­lec­tu­al approach to suck, squeeze, bang, blow, I’ve ever encoun­tered. I learned some­thing every third word.”