car design thread

I was under the impression that Mark's relationship with Alain Clenet may have been a partnership, at least later on when they were working on a Jeep type vehicle.

I have seen his original renderings he did for the magazines back in the mid to late 1970. Done on illustration board with marker and chalk.

 

Designers: sharpen your rapiers: Your opinion of my design critique: 2023 Z

The car world has been waiting for the new Z for some time. The Z started out as a simple car more than 50 years ago and evolved as tastes changed, at one time it was even a 2 plus 2.

It is aimed at a different market (or is $40,000 a low cost car now?) in that it is expected to be around 40K before you order a special limited edition model. The only engine talked about so far is a 400-hp. V6, achieving that power through twin turbos. There will be a 6 speed manual or automatic available.

The newer one is roughly 5 inches longer than the 370Z but to me still looks short and stubby. . It still has some of the design cues of the first gen and all the generations since. It is an exceedingly simple design.
Doubtless it will be modified for markets in different countries and no doubt the aftermarket will be offering wider fenders, different spoilers and a host of other parts intended to take it in one direction or another.
This reaction is based on the photographs--no doubt when I able to see it in person, and run my hand over a fender ridge or two, I will have a different opinion.
But since the car won't have a press preview until 2022, that's a helluva long wait so, for those deciding to buy a car now or to wait for this one, here's my opinion.

FRONT A similar hood. headlight and fender relationship as the very first one. I wish they had picked a later model but at least it has modern in vogue headlights with two LED horizontal strips giving the car character. The first spy pictures didn't have a grille. This production one one does but it's an overly chromed grille, when I think cross hatch wire grille (like sporting Bentleys) would have been sportier. This grille actually looks like in an industrial kitchen, metal trays stacked on a shelf.


REAR The rear haunches are muscular without promising too much (like the 427 Cobra's rear fenders do). The tail lights seem generic--like "We'll take some horizontals" but aren't designed to fit in any carved out space designed just for them. They look simple in daytime but at night have a sort of interesting 3D effect--like they are floating. The rear spoiler is just tacked on, when the design could have included it as part of the body (though sometimes automakers go too far with that s in the BMW Z4)

SIDE The side is very clever considering it's got a short fat shape and is trying to look sporty. The side sculpturing is not exaggerated, and makes use of a small horizontal "rocker panel extension": for want of a better word to control airflow. The door handles are body color, much distracting as the outsize vertical metal one on the last 370Z. The roofline has a delightful bright piece that goes from the windscreen 3/4 of the way to the rear of the car, defining the shape.

INTERIOR
All new with an optional set of gauges projected electronically. One interesting retro touch is three gauges in pods on top of the instrument panel-harkening back to gauges of earlier models.

COLORS There will be six two tones, probably with the roof staying black no matter what the other color. and a few solid colors and colors only for limited editions.

IN SUM:It is a child of the family, with many character lines that say "Z" but not a dramatic sports car per se say like the F-type Jag. It projects a modest image, but at least it doesn't go overboard like the 2020 Corvette which is hurt by overdone details (like the art deco influence on the coupe's rear window frame) . I predict it will evolve so fast that, five years from now, it will not be appropriate to call it "modest."

What say you?

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Wow, someone made a coupé version of a BMW Z8!

https://www.smitve.com/gallery​

I am not a convertible fan at all, and the bolt-on hard top just looked naff, so this finally fixes the Z8 design for me.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Wonder if that new top is fixed or removable?

FantomWorks in Norfolk, VA made a removable 1963 Corvette Split Window hardtop several years ago.
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I'm with him on the side treatments. The sill shape is kind of an add-on and the side intakes should have been NACA ducts.

Otherwise, terrific. I don't think the top intakes should have been the huge boxes he suggested though, it's much cleaner and more modern as they did it.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I think it's fixed on the new Z8.

That's a neat solution for convertible hardtops. It's much more integrated than the steep-backed bolt-on normally applied, which looks out of place with the flow.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Pretty cool - looks kinda 2+2 - back seats?

 

Hey, I worked on that car

 

I think it's still a 2-seater.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

On the original convertible Z8 or the new Z8 coupé?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

The coupe.

 

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are black wheels a result of design following culture?

 

Design wise? They coulda done better.

Car wise? 400 ponies for $40k with a warranty? I'm in.

 

Race cars. For some reason, black wheels became the thing.

 

Hides the brake dust in the winner's circle?

 

Frankly, you’d think less paint would be better on wheels, but what do I know?


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

Hemmings advocates for the Cadillac Escalade being a future collectible!
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https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/09/01/why-the-cadillac-escalade-will-be-a-future-collectible?refer=news&utm_source=edaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021-09-01

Of course, what about the Wagoneer, the Explorer, the Navigator, Highlander, etc?

IMHO, the only collectible SUVs were the early "Surveyor" vehicles.

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I owned a Cadillac Escalade for a few months. It was structurally unsafe, required a replacement chassis, and would have cost twice what it was worth to do the bare minimum to make it safe to drive. I put less than 500 miles on it driving it home and to my local garage, before eventually being forced to (successfully) sue the authorized dealer who fraudulently misrepresented the condition to me throughout the sale. I did eventually get my money back and costs covered.

I actually appealed to Cadillac/GM directly to assist in meditating an amicable solution prior to the lawsuit, but they distanced themselves and said it was nothing to do with them. They kept referring me to the dealership's customer experience manager when the dealer principal had already told me to get lost.

I love the designs, which is what compelled me to seek out a Cadillac in the first place. The interior is particularly well-thought out in the Escalade with luxury, utility, and a great use of space. However, I dislike the business practices and ethics of the company. For those reasons, it was likely both my first and last Cadillac.

I can see why it would be thought of as a luxury collectible. However, if you do buy one from a dealership with the expectation that the dealership or the company will stand behind the product, caveat emptor.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I can see that. Kids who grew up seeing Rappers and Athletes pimping Escalades will eventually, like every other generation, want to own a piece of that childhood.

Theres tons of real crap, from cars to clothes to video games, that have increased in value because certain generations grew up coveting them.

Thats how I make my living

 

And my childhood nostalgia still loves them.