Looks like the rear car was mostly passengers and an enclosed rear row of seats for crew. What’s the correct term for such a car? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Observation car. Link to more than you ever wanted to know about Observation Cars: https://www.american-rails.com/observation.html
More photos. This has turned into the transportation design thread. Sorry John. Let's get back to automobiles. Good transportation design is good even if it's trucks, trains or cars. This trains engine somehow reminds me of the 1959 cat's eyes Chevy. Can't figure out why. Maybe the windshield and cab. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Raymond Loewy, although more of an Industrial Designer rather than an Automobile Designer, is particularly noted for the 1953 Studebaker, the 1962 Studebaker Avanti, and the Greyhound Scenicruiser. And of course, numerous trains, planes, boats, corporate logos, appliances, et. al. Here is the quick 58 second summary: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PgU7jbvTdkI?feature=share
Here is today's AI Fantasy Click Bait offering being called a Hyundai Pallisade. Interesting paint scheme, but the blue lights wouldn't cut it in the real world. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That looks like a steam engine?? Well, that does seem to be a trend, build coal plants all over the world to power all the new EV's
I wonder if the AI Bots have started emulating Luigi's vehicles yet? Image Unavailable, Please Login
The Cadillac Sollei Concept Revives the Great American Convertible Image Unavailable, Please Login LUCAS BELL July 21, 2024 at 9:00 PM Image Unavailable, Please Login Cadillac Sollei Revives Great American ConvertibleCadillac It’s no secret that Cadillac is looking to recapture the image it once held atop the American luxury market. While the $340,000 Celestiq sedan marked the first serious step on that journey, the brand’s designers have been hard at work on the automaker’s latest jaw-dropper. Known as the Cadillac Sollei Concept, this massive two-door convertible, unveiled Monday, harks back to last century’s greatest Cadillac models. While drop-tops have long been a key part of Cadillac’s image, the brand hasn’t actually sold a convertible in quite some time. Outside of the Corvette-based XLRwith its retractable hard-top, Cadillac hasn’t offered a true convertible since 1976. And while the Sollei remains just a concept vehicle for now, it’s clear that we won’t have to wait another five decades for the next Cadillac without a roof. The open-air experience is at the very center of this design project, with the name itself being a portmanteau of “sol” and “leisure”. (It’s pronounced like Cirque du Soleil). Senior Vice President of Global Design Michael Simcoe went as far as to acknowledge the lasting expectation of a high-end convertible Caddy among clients. Image Unavailable, Please Login Lucas Bell The concept itself is a running vehicle, based on the brand’s Ultium platform that also underpins the Celestiq. In fact, the Sollei shares nearly everything with the sedan ahead of the A-pillars. Like the production sedan, the Sollei is a large machine, but its proportions are more traditional. The overhangs are much shorter than the Celestiq’s, eliminating that ungainly rear end. Gigantic 68-inch doors provide access to the cabin’s four seats, and fill out the entire center section of the car. The bodywork on this particular example is made from a mix of carbon fiber and fiberglass, with a focus on minimalist shapes. “Not a lot of designers can have the opportunity to do something like this,” Lead Exterior Designer Takahiko Suginoshita told R&T. “It’s a once in a while type of project. So when I was told about the project, I was super excited. Of course Cadillac has this heritage, so we wanted to make sure that we kept true to that heritage, but while still looking towards the future. What was our next step? I think with the styling there is more concentration too. We want clean and minimal design so that we can embrace all of the details.” Image Unavailable, Please Login Lucas Bell The exterior detail work begins at the nose, which features bespoke “sunburst” lighting elements. The rear lights also borrow this theme, and are one of the clear design highlights of the exterior. The metalwork throughout is all genuine, finished in a unique Aurora tint. These elements were chosen over the brand’s more traditional “chrome” accents—a material that's currently being phased out at other manufacturers, like Stellantis. There's no trace of plastic throughout the entire concept, fitting of its place atop the lineup. The massive 23-inch wheels sure look like chrome, however, tying back to the brand’s peak in the 1950s. Even the Manila Cream exterior hue is pulled right from the brand’s 1958 catalog. The color is represented as it was, without the addition of any modern flake. Image Unavailable, Please Login Lucas Bell The same can’t be said for the yellow Nappa leather interior, which features a pink iridescent pigment in the finish. This supposedly allows for some shifting hues under different lighting, reminiscent of the colors of the sunset. Of course it might be hard to notice that detail with all of the gorgeous woodwork surrounding you. The Sollei features five different hand-cut wood veneers across the doors, seatbacks, and console surfaces. The pattern itself is based on the sun and brings a genuine art-deco vibe to the interior. It looks extremely expensive, but it’s something we’d love to see find its way into a production Cadillac. You’ll also find a bespoke drink cooler with Sollei-specific glassware, which features the same pink pigment as the seats. Jumping on the current popularity of bird watching, Caddy has also fitted the Sollei with a set of bespoke bird calls, complete with curated paintings of different avian varieties. That’s certainly a feature you aren’t going to find in the Spectre. The electronics are borrowed from the Celestiq, but the 55-inch screen does come with bespoke graphics for the concept. Image Unavailable, Please Login Lucas Bell While the Sollei is not currently slated to enter production, the car will be headed to the lawn at Pebble Beach later this summer. Cadillac will surely hear from many of the event’s wealthy patrons, as this thing is truly striking in person. Cadillac’s executives have clearly stated that they are no longer interested in chasing Mercedes-Benz or BMW, and this concept is a great step in that direction. The name Cadillac is more likely to conjure up images of an Eldorado Biarritz than a CT5-V, so perhaps it's finally time to head back to the era of drop-top Caddys. Image Unavailable, Please Login Cadillac
This is what should've been built first. Far more attractive. And an actual use case for the coastal crowd.
Looks like what a Cadillac should be! Front end appears a bit "busy" but that wouldn't stop me from buying one!
Needs an ICE option. Very nice to see Cadillac do a car instead of an SUV. The R&T article points to MB and BMW but this car is more in the Bentley and RR lane. Overall, nicely done.
Agree. Saw the clay two months ago at the unveiling of the new Design Bldg. The car has presence, and to my eye looks better than the Celestiq. Maybe they’ll build one for a wealthy customer.
I agree this is more RR material than MB/BMW. Definitely worthy of Cadillac badge. Quite tasteful, but perhaps more Vanilla than Manila
Hemmings Op-Ed on the SOLLEI (includes a video)- Image Unavailable, Please Login https://www.hemmings.com/stories/news/the-cadillac-sollei-convertible-concept-reconnects-us-with-nature/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EDaily&utm_campaign=2024-07-24&uemlid=8e43f6a5abf43ff70e0771781e4993de6c08fd1510eadb1414b4ce6b84c34e12
Autoweek There’s Nothing Easy About Looking Inward Developing a great interior for any vehicle requires incredible coordination and the guts to not cut corners. BY DAVE RANDPUBLISHED: JUL 19, 2023 12:56 PM EDT Image Unavailable, Please Login STELLANTIS In the past and even today, many design VPs had little or no experience developing interiors before becoming responsible for the entire product. Designing an interior is considerably more difficult than the exterior, if for no other reason than the content of what must be designed. The author suggests a lot of the most innovative and exciting design is now happening inside vehicles. If you ask a child to draw a car, most likely the result will be a side view of something approximating a vehicle with two circles indicating wheels. Even not so young aspiring automotive designers, before any formal training, will likely sketch in the same way, a side view of a vehicle. This may be a result of the importance of the side elevation in determining the overall look and proportion, or simply from a lack of understanding of perspective. Whatever the reason, what you will not see these future designers doodling is automotive interiors.The simple reality is that most of them think of a vehicle from the outside, with the interior playing a secondary role, if they think of it at all. For many years the automotive industry had the same priorities, with the design departments following in step and in culture. In the past and even today, many design VPs had little or no experience developing interiors before becoming responsible for the entire product. Image Unavailable, Please Login Minivans Can Be Cool—for the Next Generation Here’s the simple truth: Designing an interior is considerably more difficult than the exterior, if for no other reason than the content of what must be designed. Think about all that’s involved: Everything that you see, touch or even smell requires consideration. Take seating, for example. The studio will initiate the physical design, which will likely have to fit within a corporate seat frame, with the seating supplier in consultation to ensure execution, functionality, and cost. The studio is responsible for establishing the sew pattern, details such as seam execution or piping, as well as developing and releasing surface data which includes hard trim. The color and trim department will be responsible for fabric selection, in conjunction with the studio, and then there will be validation of seating comfort, with engineering, in extended rides. Image Unavailable, Please Login AUDI Pushing interior design boundaries is Audi’s activesphere concept. Then there’s the instrument panel. It used to be simple when there were round analog gauges, before digital readouts and now fully reconfigurable screens. There is an ever-increasing amount of content and features without a corresponding increase in real estate. Designing for all this considers ergonomics, the latest display and infotainment technologies, as well as input strategies, whether it’s simple round dials (please, more of this) or touch-sensitive switches or touchscreens with multiple layers and menus for all functions. Technology is ever evolving, and you don’t want to get stuck with a CD player when no one uses it anymore. Also, it’s likely that multiple components—like steering column stalks, light switches, window controls, etc.—will be shared across corporate platforms or brands, so add designing those to the list as well as figuring out how to incorporate them without compromising the design theme. When a program is over cost, it’s easiest for the program exec to pull content from the interior. Perhaps one of the most significant differences with interior design is the coordination of color, grains, and gloss levels. Unlike the exterior, the interior is made up of many different materials that must be color matched. A door panel, for example, may be made of both hard plastic and soft touch leatherette, with each material attempting the same appearance. Add the complication that the graining—the texture that is molded or formed into the part—is also trying to be identical, even if different manufacturing processes are employed. And how about uniform gloss levels? It gets tricky trying to achieve them when different adjoining materials are chosen. Image Unavailable, Please Login BENTLEY Bentley Flying Spur interior. If all this didn’t make the job hard enough, a door panel may come from a different supplier than the instrument panel, further complicating attempts to make those match in color, grain, and gloss. These are issues that exterior design simply does not have to contend with. It’s incredibly difficult to visually validate all these interior components together before production commitment. And when a program is over cost, it’s easiest for the program exec to pull content from the interior. At one point in my career, I was assigned responsibility for General Motors’ interior design, color, and trim. It was a job I did not want, having done only exteriors up to that point and now being put in charge of a design discipline where seemingly everyone involved knew more about it than I did. It was intimidating. Image Unavailable, Please Login With Celestiq, Cadillac Tries to Regain Its Mojo But it was also a time when GM interiors were not competitive and there was a lot of opportunity. Five years later, GM was doing award-winning interiors, and I had become a better, more rounded designer—with a more complete understanding of what it took to design from the inside out. Today, I think the situation is better, and the emphasis has changed. Maybe it's because the public expects more from interiors, as manufacturers have pushed for better perceived quality and execution. Maybe it is because of all the emphasis on functional SUVs, but I think a lot of the most innovative and exciting design is now happening on the inside. Perhaps aspiring automotive designers will begin to think this way, too.
