Cars & Designs

An interesting architecture discussion emerged on 'Wither Vintage Ferrari Values'. It seems that there are a lot of designers and design interested folks out there who are drawn to Ferraris by their designs as much as anything else.

So I propose that this thread be focused on thoughts, observations and creative impluses that involve cars. Architects, artists and industrial designers have long been in influenced by cars. While Ferraris are great design sources this discussion need not be limited to them.

My first question: What Ferarris have influenced other designs?

Jon

 

John Vardanian's PF Coupe is a car I've long admired. Somehow it's design and color seem perfect for each other. The following link (http://www.autocollections.com/index.cfm?key=3293&action=details&tab=juke) was just sent. Note the Continental's similarity to the Continental Mark 2. The design similarities can't be an accident, they are too strong. Henry Ford long admired Ferrari. He owned the last 212 Barchetta (a 1951 I believe). Anybody know more about this?

Jon
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Bill Ford's interest in Ferrari is well illustrated in his Barchetta. This car (#0253 EU) is shown in 'Making a Difference' v.2 pg 322. Anselmi and Massini write that the car was designed by Touring and that its first owenr was and Italian, but say nothing about the origin of the design. The American influence is clear but seems mis-placed and fetish like. Note the chrome rings, exhaust location, fins, double hood scoops, windshied, simplified over all shapes.... Anybody know this story?
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Wow Rijk - this car is new to me please tell us more!

Jon

 

Rijk - I drew a lot of cars as a kid too. My father had a XK150 when I was a boy in the early 60's. So my first focus was on Jags. But we also restored Model Ts and early Buicks then. My first car was a 15 Ford touring - it took 4 years to restore. Finished it the summer after graduating from high school. While working on cars of various years and makers as a teen I became fascinated in their evolving engineering and design. The collaborations required between stylists and engineers have always been especially interesting to me. Somehow I never considered being a car designer. Don't really know why, architecture just seemed to have an even stronger pull.

Jon

 

Ron - Yes, teh AC Bristol has great similarities with the standard barchetta as well. Especially at the front, but also the top profile. This is one of the most classic designs of the period. It was also the base for the Cobra.
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John - I can't agree more. The PF Coupe is a much more advanced design. While the Ferrari is merging traditional elegance forward with the simplification of later cars. The Lincoln is over detailed like older cars. Ford's barchetta is similarly fussy.

Compare the details on the sides; the Lincoln has a crease, the PF is smooth. Look too at the top to the fenders. The PF has one arching line from front to rear, the Lincoln is stepped.. Similar fussy details are found at the front of the Lincoln. Its interesting to think of the upcoming Kennedy Lincolns and the 63 Cad. Its clear that the later Lincoln was based on the Mark 2. It takes that long for US designers to catch on to the fact that fussy styling is a thing of the past.

Automobile magazine writes:
The 1961 Lincoln was designed by Elwood Engel. Elwood Engel’s staff had just developed a Ford Thunderbird model that picked up on themes from the Continental Mark II. Ford president Robert McNamara happened upon it, and he was so taken that he asked Engel to create a four-door to be the new Lincoln. Two weeks later it was done, and it beat out a rival worked up by Lincoln studio chief Gene Bordinat, who attempted to maintain continuity with the huge, garish ’58–’60 models. Engel’s car went into production almost unchanged, won an Industrial Design Institute award, and established Lincoln as a design leader for the first time in decades.
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Hi Scott, my responses after your words...

The Lincoln MKII is one of the best designs ever to come out of Detroit...The PF coupe is much smaller and the ultra-clean shape works better than it would on the Mark II. / Agreed!

I've always noticed a similarity in frontend treatments with the MKII, PF coupe, and 250 GTE/330 America. / Another interesting observation. I agree, perhaps this is PF's closest follow up to the Coupe. But I prefer the Coupe's lines and scale..... something quite sweet in this design.

My college architectural design training was based around early European modernist work, particularly that of Le Corbusier. / Scott I share this interest as well. Have you visited any of his buildings? I am going to take this up in the other thread.....

Life experience was growing up from an early age in Dallas neighborhoods...Lakewood and Highland Park.../ Cool

I decided early-on to do only residential work. There's been a huge revival in traditional styles / This is a unique architectural service. I prefer doing modern designs, but highly respect the talent to do good traditional styles. I had two such jobs in LA several years ago. Between the overly involved clients and the design challenge.... it was no cake walk! One wanted a 'mediteranian' but didn't have a clue what this was, except that he liked the classic Beverly Hills examples. But it was a remodel so there were a lot of compromises. I pushed for a culturally specific design so we went Spanish, imported a lot of tiles.... THe other was for a neighbor of this client who was from Vietnam. He wanted a Vietnam style French Chateau! Didn't have much to go on, but dang, there really is such a thing!


When it comes to cars and architecture...I am much more attracted to the pre-1970 area of automotive design, as I am to the earlier periods of architecture, and am fascinated with the vast amount of creativity in the product that actually made it onto the road in that era. / I agree about the cars The sports cars of the 50s and 60s are a special thing. Also love really early cars and cars of the 30s. Re. the architecture I lean more toward modern work but like lots of stuff - the quirkier the better.

Regarding Ferraris, I own an early Series I 330 2+2...most of you will probably think I have very bad taste but I prefer the 4-headlight version of this model. / You're right, I'll go for the 2 light version myself.... (even though they dopn't provide enough light!)

Jon

 

Yes Tom - these remain one of the best examples of American automotive design and engineering. The detailing is in perfect proportion to the car. Especially like the chrome at the top of the fender and smooth sides. Rode around in a couple when they were new. They were quite well built cars. Had a (metallic pink) 60 Sedan de Ville for a while too - it was a lot of fun. But I think that the Lincoln was a better built car.

Jon

 

Tom - I love to compare 'apples and oranges' - think its the best way to learn new perspectives and foundation for excellent innovations... Design is like humor. The best jokes acheive laughs by revealing insights through mixing contexts. So too design.

Speaking of jokes, this one just came in....

'Three women go down to Mexico one night to celebrate college graduation, get drunk, and wake up in jail, only to find that they are to be executed in the morning, though none of them can remember what they did the night before.

The first one, a redhead, is strapped in the electric chair and is asked if she has any last words. She says, "I just graduated from Brigham Young University and believe in the almighty power of God to intervene on the behalf of the innocent." They throw the switch and nothing happens. They all immediately fall to the floor on their knees, beg for forgiveness, and release her.

The second one, a brunette, is strapped in and gives her last words. "I just graduated from the Harvard School of Law and I believe in the power of justice to intervene on the part of the innocent." They throw the switch and again, nothing happens. Again they all immediately fall to their knees, beg for forgiveness and release her.

The last one (you know it), a blonde, is strapped in and says, "Well, I'm from the University of Texas and just graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and I'll tell ya right now, ya'll ain't gonna electrocute nobody if you don't plug this thing in.'

cheers,

Jon