car design thread

Nice article... Sam can't spell axle though.

I've alway thought... take an old Beetle, stretch it out and smooth it out; voila' a 356.

Do it again, a 911 (ok, not as smooth).

Did not realize that the 991 is heavier, taller, longer and wider than the 928.

Shoot, even the new Boxster makes my 911SC look small, though.

 

Last night on the series "Restoration Garage" they visited Pininfarina's showroom and they had a Sergio on display, interesting design.

 

That VW bus looks great..a couple of Long Boards on the roof and we're talk'n.

 

new Alfa Romeo Giulia breaks cover.
something a little different from the comps -
after all these years, they still seem able to come up with ways of incorporating the trad Alfa "shield" up front, a bit of Cali in the side vents, C-pillar is a real C for a change, back end is a bit too baggy pants for my taste...
I like the front 2/3rds quite a bit; feels substantial but still Italian.
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Looks good.

My only problem with Alfas is that the central grill doesn't allow for licence plate mounting, which is required in many countries, and they just look dumb as a lop-sided afterthought. I like symmetry.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I like it! Is the car equipped with carbon ceramics brakes?

 

As I thought it also looked very Italian, here are my reasons:

Looks sleeker in the hood. The hood length looks relatively longer and the hood height looks a little less high somehow. Sleek narrowed headlights. Looks taut, like a very well-fitted and sharp-cut made to measure suit.

General sporty style that isn't trying to look too brutish testosterone-fueled. The things like the grills and brake air intakes and bumpers are not blocky and blunt but delicate-looking and sculpted. Most of the surfaces have a subtle curve to them, very few dead straight lines.

Remember, I've absolutely no design training, so that's just a complete layman's comment.

All the best
Andrew.

 

the simple answer would be "Monica Bellucci"!

As I think you know, I too have constantly tried to " understand 'design nationality'" over the years, and how it's derived from social circumstances & environment.
In years past, it was always easy to tell French, Italian, English, and German cars apart, although it has gotten more difficult in a global market.

To attempt an answer, when I think of "Italian", I think of something that's more voluptuous, more sensuous; more "tits & ass" than "high concept".
I lived in Italy for a while and sex is a more open part of daily life on all levels, from the "veline" to the former P.M.! The women, the food, the language, the music; everything is a bit more exuberant, and I think this is expressed in their design.

 

It looks Italian because it is an Alfa grill(A VERY LARGE ONE)!!

I think the front might look better in person. Some of the photos make the front look more rounded. Maybe they should have angled the grill back more. The rest of the car looks pretty good to me, other than the Toyota tail lights. What's under the hood of the QV version will put almost everything with 4 doors to shame.

It sort of looks like a G8 from the side, with some Infiniti/BMW thrown in. Those brakes look big and at 3350 it is lighter than an ATS. I will buy one.
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Doesn't seem like a coherent design. Bits of BMW, bits of Infiniti and an Alfa grille.

Too bad Alfa didn't keep faith with its tradition.

 

I don't think that its so much a particular style as it is style itself that makes Italian design unique.
I find that I can recognize Italian design across a myriad of products that have no common themes.

 

No, like I said on another thread it looks like a G8/Infiniti/BMW/Lexus with an Alfa grill. I was being facetious with the grill comment. Almost everything is cookie cutter now. That does not make the new Alfa a bad car, just not really Italian. I always thought of Italian design as having a tight greenhouse using as little space for the passengers as to not block the air flowing over the car. They also were good at throwing in nice rounded tails and scoops/vents and still allowing the design to not look to busy. Then came the Kamm tail and they adapted very well until the wedge(folded paper) came along and they were leading edge on that too. After that the Italians kind of lost their way in my opinion(1980's). They have come back now on some of the designs but most do not look as Italian as they did back in the 1950's and 1960's.

 

And then there's the French.


Have they done a great car design in the last fifty years?
So much they get right, just not cars.