car design thread

another legendary designer is 'driving off into the sunset'.......

Auto & Design | News

http://www.cardesignnews.com/articles/whos-where/2015/11/walter-de-silva-retires/

 

this is the car that does it for me -
hand built to this point by Jackie Howerton, it was then sold, "finished", and was voted AMBR at the L.A. Roadster Show a couple of years ago.
I much preferred it in its raw state -
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I like this one better

 

Here's one from his website. That's some engine compartment!
Speedway Special

 

Very retro. Looks like a 2 passenger late 1940's-1950's Offy Indy car.......

 

this car comes out of (and is in my opinion the ultimate expression of) the Hot Rod tradition of the track roadster used from the '30s to early 60s on the dirt bull rings.

the craftsmanship on this car is truly staggering.

 

Simple cars/basic transportation discussed:

Is There Still A Place For The Simple Car? | Form Trends

 

one of the very best in the business IMVHO

Walter de?Silva Steps Down as Head of VW Group Design | Form Trends


http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2015/11/more-vw-managers-head-for-the-exit/

 

Chief Designer at McLaren does boats as well:

McLaren's Design Boss Just Built the World?s Most Beautiful Powerboat

 

A matter of taste, I suppose.....nice try, but nothing special IMHO.....plenty of modern iterations of slippers already.

 

I think it's cool, but you're right nothing new.
Looks like a sketch...
There's a resurgence lately around here (Midwest) in these boats, particularly with some design guys.
trendy I guess

 

here's a cool piece for all you aero junkies on the new GM scale model wind tunnel:

A Visit to GM?s New Reduced Scale Wind Tunnel | Mac's Motor City Garage

 

John,

could you please attempt to explain to me what in the world they were thinking when they ended up with this mess?
The grille has two very distinct & distinctive textures in a super cheap looking plastic.
They then applied the character line of the original to the side, but it rises to the rear rather than falling away on the original.
And the rear? really? I mean REALLY?

the best that I can say is that it appears to look better in solid colours...
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Those tail lights almost look like the ones on the Ghibli. I have to say the latest Italian car designs with connections to FIAT that are making it into production are not very inspiring!!
All have ugly noses and most are just ugly. Even the 488 is a ruined 458. And the Giulia nose is a mess and mated to a Toyota Camry rear and BMW M3 cabin...

 

what can I say?
someone thought it looked great....
these things don't fall out of the ceiling at night!
someone was in support of the result...........kinda disappointing however..
can't seem to find a good shot of the front


from Autoblog:
Design

Fiat Chrysler design lead Ralph Gilles is super excited about this car. "I think it's going to change lives," he told the assembled media at an event in Auburn Hills, MI earlier this month. Yes, it's definitely exciting to add a small roadster to any lineup, especially one that uses such a proven platform. But we're not sure people are going to get all that jazzed about it from a design standpoint. Love it or hate it, we're kind of leaning toward the latter.

Every single body panel is new, and the design is "100 percent Italian." There are a number of creases and angles throughout the exterior, with a squared off rear end and rectangular taillamps. Fiat trusts you'll be able to spot the similarities between the new 124 Spider and its original predecessor, but we're not so sure. We can see a bit of the old car's grille on the new car's face, and the dual hood blisters are a nice throwback touch, but that's about it. Trust us when we say that this car looks way better in photos. In person, it really didn't wow us.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One colleague told us his wife, a long-time Miata owner, hates the look of the new one but will absolutely adore the Fiat. Good for her, and good for Fiat. But based on design alone, we'll take the Mazda every single time.

 

Gilles is on crack. The only lives it's going to change is the designers who signed off on that steaming turd. Anyone who thinks that design is even remotely Italian needs to be demoted to color and trim.

What an opportunity missed.

 

"I think it's going to change lives"; especially those who will be laid off when this thing sinks like a stone.

"Trust us when we say that this car looks way better in photos."
Hard to believe it could look much worse in person...

How on earth did the same culture that produced the Pininfarina Duettottanta allow this thing?

I've just been reading about a very pretty spider project by Alex Bacon based on the mechanicals of an old 2600. If one guy (granted a seriously talented one) can come up with something this nice, it really shouldn't be that difficult for a company with global design talent to do better than this 124.
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very nice, they don't get much simpler than that

 

found a shot of the front:
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If it were a new Hyundai Id like it...but not for an italian

 

no argument from me

 

Call me strange... I like it.

 

and that's what makes the world go round
I'm confident the team that did it, loves it...
so many solutions to there same design problem.........that's what makes it so interesting

 

As John says, different strokes...

I dont think its horrible like some of the posters. And I do see the family ties to the original, but it lacks the sex appeal an Italian needs, IMO. Feels Asian to me.

 

thats because it is

Fix It Again Taichi!

I don't think it's a total disaster but I'd rather just have a Miata.