I'm looking at the B pillar rearwards: the rear roof treatment, light placement, & chunky rear hips. BTW, the interior is really nice; elegant, sporty, and simple. Really dig what looks to be a carbon fiber matrix support for the wheel.
so much to like on the inside. the gauge cluster in the wheel, choice of colours, the luggage straps, and the pattern in the floor & deck that reference the quilted padding of cars like the early sixties Ferraris. I' going to think a little longer about the bench seat tho -
This article was published in Hagerty Insurance' magazine. These Pontiac ads educated a whole generation of designers in the '70's about reflections and surfaces. To this day their work still resonates, whether you're a car person or not. https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/04/11/fitzpatrick-and-kaufman-best-pontiac-ads?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Daily_News_Monday_April_15
The Mustang, that could've been. In 1990 Ford contemplated the idea of the Mustang being built on the FWD Mazda 626 platform. Traditionalists prevailed and the Mazda based Ford Probe was an out-come, while the Mustang remained on a modified version of the Fox platform. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sketches of the Genesis Image Unavailable, Please Login probably done 'after the fact', but who knows?
saw this recently.........made me laugh Image Unavailable, Please Login just for the record, those two vehicles do NOT look alike, but it is amusing
I loved the Probe when it came out. I was really into hot hatches in my teens/20s. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I haven't the slightest idea as to why but I wanted a Probe SO bad when I was kid; I thought they were the coolest things on the road.
There was a great deal of discussion within Ford at the time regarding the name and how women would react to that name. They went ahead anyway!
Mazda takes credit with getting more tumblehome in the Probe design. Remember that the Probe platform was shared with the Mazda 6 and both were built at the Flat Rock plant.
A tour of the New York Auto Show with discussions with real car designers! <iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
John - you left out the most important part of the kia design.......mind reading! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think that's a version of the "Bruce Jenner" RWD design study. There was an aggressive looking car called the "Rambo." The two were blended together to create the "Arnold Schwarzenegger," which became the SN95 Mustang. Below is the FWD "Mustang" which eventually became the Probe. Image Unavailable, Please Login The final "Bruce Jenner" Mustang. Image Unavailable, Please Login The blended "Jenner/Rambo" "Schwarzenegger" car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
design story of the original Mustang https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/04/16/the-sketch-that-launched-the-mustang?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Daily_News_Friday_April_19&fbclid=IwAR1RasgNrl9GozvH1Gaz9TyNQ_qzbREQi6ojfof5PwT3gzFuTQomzlz3vf0
This is a case where the final released product turned out much more pleasing than some of the design considerations- I cite the second photograph of the side treatment and lack of "hop up."
Interesting that the 'hop up' in the quarter came from the MkII Continental. Who knew? Also interesting that the front & rear were done without sketches. Hand waved I guess. I caution young designers to NOT try to find the design in the clay. Only one rule: there aren't any.
posted this in the 'other cars' thread, but it's as much about design , as anything:https://www.hobbycarcorvettes.net/without-harley-earl-the-corvette-would-not-be/?fbclid=IwAR3LPMwO-7UrraaNsPH6C1Z6wg8YtnQu7Nbtuya3Ztcv10zdmyswEpvdXf4
Nice article but they pretty much give Earl credit for prototype pre production car models and automobile manufactures designing cars for esthetics and not just function. He did neither, although models were made out of wood before I think and not clay. Airplane industry started wind tunnel testing in the 1920's with wood models so they should get the credit for both. Hell the aerospace industry started anti skid in the late 1930's, now known in the car industry as ABS.
This is quite a striking statement in the article: Up to this time, American vehicle bodies were not designed in such a way to be stylish or sleek or works of art. They were merely mass produced means of transportation. Because of this, the unique talent and skills that Earl brought to GM were not considered of great importance in the beginning of his career. Because of this, despite his undeniable talent, he wasn’t always taken seriously by his GM peers. Things could have turned out quite differently in history but for the fortune of good timing.
The function of design in its early days was anything but popular or sought after. When Earl was hired by Alfred Sloan to form an Art & Colour/ Styling staff to ‘style’ cars, it was a new function within the car industry. Previously the engineering team along with artistic types did the body designs. Earl formed the Styling Section with the intent purpose of styling/designing the bodies of GM products. It was uncharted territory, and met with a great deal of resistance within the corporation. Particularly within the engineering organization. They just didn’t trust ‘artists’ within the tough-guy culture of the automobile business. It took the support of the Chairman, Sloan himself to shield Earl and his team from those that wanted the Styling function to fail. Once the corporation realized just how important design was, and that it could generate huge profits, eventually everyone else fell into line. The annual styling change had begun. Henry Ford resisted design to the detriment of the Ford Motor Company, and it cost him Ford’s position in the industry. We can argue the importance and impact of the function of designing/styling cars in those early days, but it was a way to differentiate the product, and create customer enthusiasm. Witness all the conversation on FChat around every new Ferrari design, and things haven’t changed that much since the design profession began in the late ‘20’s. Customers still love beautiful cars. That’s been a constant for 90 years.
