Consider this. One lands in a new city and is right away within the very element that constitutes the city's aesthetic. The black-yellow or blue-white Premier Padmini in Bombay, yellow amby in Calcutta or the yellow-black auto rickshaw in Madras.
A Graphic representation of London would cover besides the Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London eye and Red route master bus the London Taxi. The deregulation tide from Thatcher meant that London would no longer be the toy box we have come to know of it from picture books and old photographs. The red telephone boxes gave way to alternate cubicles of common designs from private phone companies. The red double decker buses now transformed to mobile commercial hoardings. Its livery now akin to glossy snack packets and its form a far cry from the route master's.
Seems like the London Taxi is the only moving reminiscent of the London of the past century. It is like the colour brown. Of bricks, bread, tea, beer, sauce and scotch eggs. This iconic Black Cab has been around for about half a century. By serving not only as a visual element that completes the London landscape. But contributing to English Language with its name Hackney Carriage. Touching on the horses, which pulled the original carriages consequently denoting "for hire".
The new TX4 is an evolution of past generations of LTI’s black cabs. Replacing the earlier model, which was part of the 'millennium products' chosen by the British Design council to celebrate the best of British design. Hinting at a bygone era, it is a retro styled car while being as modern as a taxi can possibly get. The distinctive styling it adorns absorbs the form of the original Black cab. Though its livery may no longer necessarily be black. There is no confusion with any other car or private hire vehicles. And that is a distinction in itself. Rendering the use of a 'London Taxi' in say Singapore a premium.
It is claimed that the new TX4 has undergone serious testing including visits to the wind tunnel at MIRA. As a Hackney carriage is expected to cover a million miles in a decade!
The British should be proud of the TX4 not as the most recognisable and well designed Taxi in the world but that it is the largest surviving British owned passenger car manufacturer. Having 50 golden cabs for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 is only an indication of what this car means to the English. The car has been conceived to serve every member of the public including the royalty. Complete with bright yellow handles, and entertaining wheel chair users.
Updating a mobile monument without losing the public's favoured cues of the original is a task in itself. But with development budgets much lower than a mass market car there is only so much class and integration that would be revealed in the detailing.
Arguably the unique London cab proportions and shape must make it equivalent to a yellow coloured car's as being the easiest to spot. For us foreigners the London taxi of today exemplifies 'Made in England' of the past, ‘exuberant yet sound’.