MOTOR: Final call for design ace Michael Simcoe

Time is up for the most successful Australian automotive export of the past 20 years.

It's not a car or a component, but super-talented designer and all-round good bloke Mike – Michael in the corporate world – Simcoe.

Simcoe is an honours graduate of the Holden talent team who rose all the way to the very top in the General Motors' world and will retire on July 1 as the senior vice-president of GM Global Design.

He is best remembered in Australia for his work on the VT and VE Commodores, as well as the born-again Holden Monaro, but that's just the tiny tip of a giant iceberg. He was also responsible for the new-age Elfin sports cars and has overseen a new golden age in GM design that's reflected in the Cadillac Lyriq that's about to launch in Australia.

Simcoe is Melbourne born-and-bred and plans to retire home at the end of the year, having just helped to open a family coffee shop in his home city during his annual visit.

But don't think for a second that he will be playing golf or sitting in a quiet corner doing crosswords and answering questions on The Chase.

“I’ve still got lots in me. I’ve just got to work out how to get it out," Simcoe told Race.news from his office in Detroit, USA.

For a start, he has a classy collection of classic cars – an Aston DB4, just for openers – and motorcycles which require his attention.

He is likely to be a highly-prized consultant, not just on cars but because he has 'the eye' and understands the challenges of making a profitable plan for a good design.

"There is a lot still to do," Simcoe said.

It would be easy to write a book about Simcoe.

There are so many stories, so many good ideas, so many great cars, so many achievements.

He was head-hunted to the 'states by another GM star, Mark Reuss, after the pair had worked together at Holden.

Reuss needed a firebrand to re-ignite GM design, as well as doing the tough stuff to turn good design into showroom reality. Simcoe was absolutely right for the role and said, at 67, he is now happy to be leaving.

"It's the right time. It was my decision," he said. "It’s my choice to go. I set this sort of time.”

Simcoe is a legend in the design world but, much more than that, an all-round top bloke. He loves good coffee, is urbane and intelligent and challenging.

He can also spot a fake and has a highly-tuned BS detector.

His career is a tribute to his own talent and ambition, but also a reflection of the training and experience he got thanks to car making in Australia. There are dozens of people who came down the same road and are now starring in overseas roles, or doing good but unheralded work here at home.

He has lots of jobs to complete before he leave the USA at the end of the year, but one he should enjoy is posing for a life-sized bronze bust, an honour reserved - and mostly deserved - for retiring presidents of GM Design.

So Simcoe will be remembered as only the seventh person to serve at the top of GM design, and the first non-American to claim the prize.

He already has a big job list when he gets back to Australia – including a shave. He said the full grey beard which makes him look more like an 18th century gentleman than a cutting-edge automotive designer is going to go.

"By the time I get back I’ll be clean shaven. It was something I was doing every winter, and this one stuck a bit longer," Simcoe laughed.

That's the kind of bloke he is.