Oh yes! The original model for the GM corporate structure- Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and not to forget Step-child Saturn. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Actually, BMW were the biggest proponents of that school of thought, so they hired Mr. Bangle. Audi & Benz were equally guilty as well for many years.
This is the sort of thing Chip Foose does to custom hot rods but in very small areas to make the design "cleaner." Stephenson's mods are not exactly "minor tweaks" (his words) but would involve major changes in tooling when he begins moving A and B pillars, etc. Leave the E Type alone. Perhaps effort should be directed to "improving" the infamous Pontiac Aztek. Even our friend the Sketch Monkey came up short on the Aztek challenge.
Don't worry, John. Me and my ruler just fixed the Aztek for the world and for all time! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Now THAT makes sense. Just an aside. I was in the studio next door to where the Aztec was being designed. I’ve mentioned this before. It still makes me sad to this day. Didn’t have to turn out like it did. End of conversation.
I saw the Lucid Air prototype in Malibu (at the informal cars 'n coffee at Malibu Beach that takes place each Sunday. My general impression was it was like a Genesis 90, pleasant but not groundbreaking in any way.I read some Fchat on the Cadillac Lyric before starting this letter and also see a resemblance to that electric rival. I looked inside at the dash(practically all screens) but forgot to look up. In some publicity it seems like the windshield continues to become to the roof, no seam to indicate top of the windshield. So my question is: what do they do to stop the heat of the sun? I have heard of glass that somehow turns dark (used in some limos for separating chauffeur from passengers) but is that their plan for the roof? You would think being based in Arizona they would be very conscious of baking in the sun. Also they claim a cd of .21. I somehow doubt this. Because I remember when the '84 Corvette got somewhere around .34 so how could this four door sedan be more aerodynamic than a purpose built sports car? Also the headlights. Their press release, chock full of superlatives, says their "Micro Lens Array" uses literally thousands of “light channels.” Developed entirely in-house, this technology, they claim, " provides the brightest, most precise and advanced lighting system ever. You can switch light channels in different directions," Kind of reminds me there's been a couple of cars that would move the headlight beam in whatever direction you turn in. I'd like to be re-assured these headlights meet current US laws as some European automakers have superior lights to what they sell in the US but have to "dumb them down" to get them into the US. Finally pricing. There was a bit of bait and switch at the reveal. When you first were shown the car they said "$80.000"but then admit this was not the price for the top of the line model shown, which is something like $170,000 which is like $40K more than the Tesla Model S. They are already taking orders, for $1000 down, which to me is more realistic than GM requiring only $100 to get in line for the Hummer EV. On Google you can see pictures of their factory (which is better than Nikola, which has no factory)) but you can't see inside the factory. I want to see photos of cars coming down the line. I know I sound like a curmudgeon but I am still a little burned from last week when I did a story on the Hummer EV and how it sold out in an hour with advance orders but then later, when I inquired of GM PR how many cars that was they refused to tell me. So now I am more wary about claims for this new gen of electric cars. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yikes, Frank. The only E types that have been fiddled w/ that look sharp, in my eyes, are those by Eagle.
BTW, I forgot to thank you for posting this list of design pages; so thank you! Nice to have them all in one place - Now I just have to remember what page there on...
While I'm at it, I thought I'd post a photo of one of my favorite pieces of the art in design. Alfa Romeo 2300 8C engine - The Zagato suit ain't too shabby either... The only other engine that rates as highly for me is the Delage 15 S8 from the 1927 GP car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login First sketches of the Hopium Machina, designed by former Porsche, Tesla and Lucid designer Felix Godard break cover. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Further FYI These are the first sketches of the Hopium Māchina, designed by former Porsche, Tesla and Lucid designer Felix Godard.⠀ Hopium is a new French car brand powered by hydrogen. Its CEO, Olivier Lombard, is a former French racing driver who earned his reputation by becoming the youngest ever driver to win the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2011. The Hopium Māchina is a 500 hp carbon-neutral sedan with a 621-mile range and a minimal recharge time of three minutes. The new car combines performance, connectivity, safety, and ergonomics as well as unique luxury and a sporty interior design. Read the full article on formtrends.com See more on Hopium and the Māchina on the brand’s Instagram account @hopiumofficial
Image Unavailable, Please Login THE FERRARI ROMA WINS 2020 CAR DESIGN AWARD Maranello 28 October 2020 The Ferrari Roma has won the Production Cars category of the prestigious Car Design Award, which ran from 1984 to 1997 before being relaunched in its current form in 2016. The remote 2020 prize-giving ceremony was held today on the Car Design Award’s YouTube channel. The plaudit is an acknowledgement of the work of the design teams responsible for the automotive sector’s finest production designs of the year. Launched in 1984 by Auto&Design magazine, the Car Design Award is aimed at projects that have contributed to the evolution of car design. This year’s winners were selected by an expert jury of 12 journalists from the leading international car publications, including Auto&Design itself. In assigning the Production Cars to the Ferrari Roma, the jury stated that “The Ferrari design team, led by Flavio Manzoni, did an incredible job with the Roma. This car reinterprets the classical lines of a Gran Turismo car and projects them into the 21 st century thanks to sensual, evocative and cutting-edge design”. The Ferrari Roma is Maranello’s new 2+ coupé, a model with sublimely refined, timeless design and all the power and agility required to guarantee a unique driving experience. Its signature Italian styling is a contemporary reinterpretation of the carefree lifestyle of 1950s and ‘60s Rome, from which it takes its evocative name, Roma. Stylistically, the Ferrari Roma is characterised by clean, symbiotic forms. Its beautifully harmonious proportions and elegantly pure, balanced volumes are verymuch in line with the Ferrari mid-front-engined grand touring tradition of which the 250 GT Berlinetta lusso is the most iconic example, and from which the car takes itsinspiration. It embodies an extremely modern design language, which underlines its authentic, refined styling. Equally, however, its sleek lines retain the sporty vocationshared by all Ferraris.
Not to be debbie downer but once the wheels are made in a realistic scale and the greenhouse is widened so a human can see out of it, it will look like everything else.
It seems strange to me to show these sketches. Most new companies rush to get a design to a point where they can release photo realistic renderings of a car that will never make it to production as they go out of business. What is the point of showing a ho hum sketch of an unrealistic car from a company that has no history?