I remember an old Road & Track article about best designs. The cited the XKE but then used a picture of a body in white saying that this was the best iteration of the car. It went on to argue that the basic design was outstanding but the detailing of lights and bezels was less than it could have been. I have agreed with that and wonder how much of the detailing issues were caused by manufacturing issues. I find the tail light solution with stuck on cast housing to a prime example of the detailing issues.
This has left out the European tour of duty by Jack Telnack. Jack returned to Detroit from Europe around 1975/76.
From today's Autoextremist As race car designs go, I think this is pretty cool. Image Unavailable, Please Login (Nichols Engineering images) This is the Nichols N1A: a contemporary Can-Am-inspired supercar that embodies the classic McLaren M1A design aesthetic with a radical update. Boasting an aggressive demeanor from its low-lying nose to its definitive tail, but with increased dimensions and space, the N1A mirrors the striking design simplicity of the MP4/4, all thanks to the same master designer, Steve Nichols. As a teenager, Steve wanted to be an F1 designer. The path wasn't obvious as a young man growing up in Utah. This meant a degree in aeronautical engineering and a first job at Hercules designing rocket motors and familiarizing himself with a new material, carbon fiber, years before its introduction in motorsport. Steve then spent two stints at McLaren. The first bringing his experience of carbon fiber to the McLaren MP4/1, working alongside John Barnard in a design department initially consisting of just three people. When John left to go to Ferrari, Steve became Chief Designer and saw firsthand the triumphs and tensions of the Senna/Prost pairing, while also acting as Ayrton's race engineer. Nichols was the Chief Designer of the McLaren MP4/4, the most successful car of all time, which won 15 out of 16 races during the 1988 season in the hands of the legendary Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Steve followed Prost to Ferrari, but returned to McLaren several years later at the request of CEO Martin Whitmarsh in a broad and hugely satisfying role covering all aspects of the F1 team. “When I was looking for a project to keep me amused in my old age, the idea of taking a fresh look at the very first McLaren, the 'M1A', had great appeal," Steve commented. "Initially intended as a prototype but time and registered interest has meant pursuing it with the aim to turn it into a beautifully finished vehicle worthy of its, and my, McLaren roots.” According to Goodwood Road & Racing, an initial run of seventeen launch-spec cars will feature a dry-sump 7.0-liter development of the GM LS3. These new blocks have been bored out to their new 427-cubic inch capacity with steel liners and upgraded pistons, producing around 660PS (485kW). Each of these engines will be built by Langford Performance Engineering, a company that has produced F1 engines in the past, most notably that of the Jordan 191, the car in which Michael Schumacher made his debut at the Belgian Grand Prix. All models will come with a six-speed manual gearbox. We don’t have any performance figures yet, but a power-to-weight ratio of around 710PS (522kW) per ton suggests that these will pack a Can-Am punch. No more than 100 Nichols N1As will be built in total, with production commencing before the end of 2023. Prices are said to be in the region of £450,000 after taxes in the UK. Editor's Note: Peter had to be revived after reading about this machine - it definitely put him over the edge. As far back as I can remember, he's talked about having a Can-Am-like sports car for the street. Well, here it is. -WG Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Steve's on the left. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login AUTOMOTIVE STYLING WATERCOLOR BY JOHN FRANCIS MARSH bought this the other day at an auction - Image Unavailable, Please Login
https://electrek.co/2023/08/01/automobili-pininfarina-pura-vision-concept-electric-luxury-utility-vehicle-ev/#more-313036 Image Unavailable, Please Login Check the link for more pix, or see it in the metal (carbon?) at Monterey in a couple of weeks........
1972 Mercedes-Benz L 408 Bus with Trailer by Ernst Auwärter $150,000 - $170,000 USD estimate 6 year restoration Image Unavailable, Please Login The range of buses, trucks, flatbeds, and vans known as the “T2” or "Düsseldorf Transporter" served working people across the globe over three decades of production. These vehicles were the second generation of the post-war Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle and retained a similar layout to its predecessor....the “T2” was a common sight wherever there was work to be done or people to move. Image Unavailable, Please Login Fashioned for continental touring, the interior features well-padded seating for 14 passengers surrounded by extra-large windows and two pop-up sky lights for incredible 360-degree visibility. Image Unavailable, Please Login Looks like a very high quality restoration Image Unavailable, Please Login Green.. everywhere! Image Unavailable, Please Login Under the bonnet, a Type OM 314 diesel inline four-cylinder engine displaces 3.8 litres and provides 85 horsepower to the rear axle. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Roadtrip anyone? This might be one of those perfect vehicles to battery swap... then again the A/C might destroy the range half way up the alps.
Back in 1968 this little concept car, known as the Pontiac XP-886, appeared on the GM Design Patio. Little is known about this project, but Pontiac came up with proposals for different versions including a 2+2 with a removable roof panel, a sport wagon, and a version where the rear glass and roof panel could be removed making for a sort of dune buggy. via -Michael Noun I'm seeing a lot of Vega in this - Image Unavailable, Please Login
This makes the current Camaro look positively 'airy' Can't help wondering if there's an 88MM foreard facing option.
If I'm (barely) remembering the same article, the photo the chosen was of the coupe body in white as it was a purer shape. Sound familiar?
Interesting to compare with what was going on across town at Fordin 1967 with the Allegro II Concept. Looks a lot like the Vega and Camaro front end! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks, one of the cool events of the summer around these parts (SE Michigan) At 10:58 my Lyriq was parked next to the '58 Olds.
Art Center epansion... It seems they have a number of ongoing projects. Business must be good - https://archinect.com/darinjohnstonearchitects/project/mullin-transportation-design-center-at-artcenter-college-of-design "Art Center Expansion. Mullin Transportation Design Center The future home of ArtCenter’s undergraduate Transportation Design and Graduate Transportation Systems and Design programs will debut in Spring 2024. Originally a supersonic wind tunnel, the site is being transformed by Darin Johnstone Architects (DJA) into a suite of educational spaces to facilitate research, experimentation and cutting-edge design, providing full-scale vehicular access that replicates the experiences of professional design studios. When the renovation is complete, the Mullin Center will showcase 31,000 square feet of specialized labs, classrooms, exhibition spaces, studios and offices. DJA has envisioned a number of hovering elements that appear to float within the wind tunnel, including a flex lecture space and viewing deck on the mezzanine level that floats above a fabrication studio and Vehicle Architecture Lab on level one, and a curved ramping gallery connecting to level two that slips around and floats over an Art and Process Lab framing the upper division Undergraduate Studio. Adjacent to the new Mullin Transportation Design Center, a portion of the 950 building is also being renovated to hold the new Hyundai and Kia Innovation Lab (currently housed at Hillside Campus), which is dedicated to research and design exploring the user experience. Mullin Transportation Design Center South Campus 950 S. Raymond Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105"
