Frank Stephenson

American designer credited as Concept design director of the Maserati MC12 and design director of the McLaren P1. After Ford and BMW he became Ferrari and Maserati's first in-house design director, ran McLaren from 2008 to 2017, and since 2018 has led frankstephenson Design.

Born in Casablanca in 1959, Stephenson raced motocross into his early twenties before studying at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. Ford paid the last two years; he graduated in May 1986 and that July joined Ford's Cologne studio. After Sierra hubcaps he worked with the aerodynamicists on the Escort RS Cosworth wing, whose third deck was cut before production.

He wrote to BMW in early 1991 and started in Munich that July. After the Rover purchase he explored a BMW Land Rover; his design became the first X5. Fifteen Mini proposals went to Gaydon in October 1995; the boards voted 14–0 for his genetic continuance of the original. He spent most of the next five years in England taking it to the 2000 Paris launch.

In 2002 Fiat made him Ferrari and Maserati's first in-house design director. The register credits him as Concept design director on the MC12: after wind-tunnel work on the Enzo-derived GT1 package, he styled a body for the racer and a limited road homologation. He named the GranSport, F430 and FXX among programmes he led from Maranello, the last two with Pininfarina.

In April 2006 he went to Turin as design director for Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo and light commercials, translating Roberto Giolito's Trepiùno into the production 500. McLaren Automotive hired him in 2008. Ron Dennis asked for a design language that copied nobody. He led the range through the MP4-12C, P1, 675LT, 570S and 720S until 2017.

He left McLaren in 2018 and founded frankstephenson Design. From May 2018 to November 2019 he was creative director at Lilium Aviation and, that year, design master at Suning. As of August 2026 the High Wycombe studio still names him as creative lead, including a private-owner P1 EVO.