Car Design News sat down with twin brothers Benjamin and Maksymilian Nawka who turned their passion for cars into an accomplished business
In East Germany in the 1980s, Benjamin and Maksymilian Nawka were identical twins with identical dreams. From the time they were six years old, the boys would spend their days sketching cars in their hometown of Bautzen, about 50 km east of Dresden.
“It was a journey together,” says Maksymilian, or Maks for short.
“It was always cars, trucks, and sometimes aircraft,” Ben adds.
It’s a freezing night in Munich, and the guys had traveled from their respective homes near Ingolstadt and Stuttgart to meet during one of this winter’s coldest spells. Tall and lanky with fair complexions and sandy hair, the ethnic Sorbs sit hip-to-hip in a leather chair in the brightly lit library of the Roomers hotel. Ben wears his hair short and nearly side-swept, while Maks’ longer locks are pulled back into a bun. We’ve barely arrived, and they’re already finishing each other’s sentences. Back and forth, they weave their story with a seamless prosody, making it hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
“Being born behind the Iron Curtain, you don’t see a lot of different cars,” Ben explains. “You have some Skodas if you’re lucky, maybe you have some Russian brands like Moskvitch…”
This content is available to subscribers only | Sign in
Unlock exclusive design knowledge, inspiration & connection.
Knowledge
Inspiration
Billed as $194 annually
Other currencies: £149 / €179 annually
Available to new subscribers only
Knowledge
Inspiration
Connection
Billed as $259 annually
Other currencies: £199 / €239 annually
Knowledge
Inspiration
Connection
Billed as $389 annually
Other currencies: £299 / €359 annually
Explore more subscription options.
For help with individual user subscriptions please contact:
Eric Ng
Eric.Ng@ultimamedia.com
For help with multi user subscriptions please contact:
Angela Yang
Angela.Yang@cardesignnews.com
Ford veteran Todd Willing is Ford’s new head of design, filling the role vacated by Anthony Lo earlier in 2024
Polestar has appointed Philipp Römers as its new head of design, replacing Maximilian Missoni who headed up the Swedish EV brand design department for six years
Jean-Arthur Madelaine-Advenier, previously head of interiors at Polestar, has joined Xiaomi as design director at the brand’s Munich studio
