car design thread

the interior is equally refreshing
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Kind of reminds me of this with the side treatment modified. It was also well received...
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yes it does...

 

That nose won't age well.

 

you mean the coarse Mercedes grille?

 

I thought it was Maserati...

 

Thought the same thing.

It was noted with the X2 exercise that BMW were evolving their signature grille and I couldn't understand why. Now it's obvious with this car - they have Mercedes and Maserati grille envy!

Having said that, this is what a Maserati (not to mention Ferrari 812) should look like.

Question for jm2: what is it with this copycat design trend of the front fender line not being the real fender line, rather the hood height is defined by the hood crease that blends into the A-pillar? Almost EVERY car has this feature.

 

No real good reason for the fender profile. I never understood the idea of copying someone
else's design solution. There is no good explanation other than they just do.
I'm giving a talk this weekend about design, and one of the topics is: 'Why do all cars look alike.........or do they?'
Sometimes I have to eat my own words

 

of course, how could I omit Maserati? Those grinning toothy Buick grilles of the early '50's won't go away
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Was this car something official or someone building a custom? The only parts that look familiar are the wheels. Circa 1970ish?
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Doesn't look familiar to me. I don't remember a GM showcar like that. Pontiac wheels though. The sign says a Vivani 1977. Have no idea what that is.

 

a prototype Pantera on the left or something else?

early design work?
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AMC AMX3

 

RE: Not a Banshee
Running those unanswered items a couple of issues ago (HCC #63) paid off: About a dozen of you wrote in, so we now have an origin for the aluminum-bodied two-seat roadster, a name for it--the Vivant--and we even spoke with the builder.

Herb Adams, the famed Pontiac engineer who created the Trans Am, the GTO Judge and the Super Duty 455 V-8, said he built the Vivant right out of college in 1965 or 1966, drawing both on inspiration from the Alfa Romeo B.A.T. cars and Pontiac parts he sourced from a junkyard. He built the chassis himself, using a Tempest transaxle, Pontiac eight-lug wheels and a Pontiac 370-cu.in. V-8. He found a trio of Englishmen living in the Detroit area--Jack Kenser, Harry Kennedy and John Glover--and had them build the body as a calling card for their abilities. (And the scheme worked: The three became longtime employees of GM, thanks to Herb's influence.)
Herb said that, even though he worked for GM at the time, he built the car on his own. "DeLorean saw it once, and said it was beautiful," Herb said. "But the trouble with this disease of building cars is that as soon as I get any garage space, I have to build the next car." He sold the Vivant shortly after he finished it, and said he hadn't seen it since.
"It looks rough now," Herb said. "I think I'd like a shot at restoring it."
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Thank you Bill!

 

You missed the best of the Buick grilles, the '50!
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Ghia-ish 1965 Adams-Pontiac Aluminum Special | Bring a Trailer

 

...
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It also has a Ferrari Shark nose. So a lot of Italian design from the BAT fins to the Shark nose. Back then the Italian's were in a world of their own cranking out new styles almost monthly. Look at them now, they are almost to the point of being the copiers.

 

Tenney thank you very much for finding that Vivant 77 CARS magazine article and sharing it here! The display picture may have been taken at that museum event mentioned in the magazine article. Never saw that car before; very interesting for a 'home made' project...

 

I dig it. Some of the comparisons Im seeing online make me scratch my head

 

There is a lot of hatred for the car on other sites.

 

I REALLY disliked those frontends! Harley Earl run amok.

 

Indeed.

 

not a fan of the scallop.

BTW, is BMW's new design chief Canadian?
- front end looks like an angry beaver...