LOL! About 50 years back I was seriously considering replicating the look with the engine & gearbox from one of my Renault R16s. Luckily (?) I was soon distracted by a cheap Elan...
Has the western world of car design gotten into a rut? Another supercar rendering from none other than Russia, weird and I have to say more interesting than a lot of western stuff nowadays. Harping back to the 1960's just like Sasha did with the Nilu 27. Not saying this is good or bad, but it is interesting. I have an idea, students in car design school should not be allowed to look at the internet and must live in a cave in Siberia Keep the designs "Fresh" Image Unavailable, Please Login
It looks like a 1995 Ford GT90 mixed with 2005 Ford GT... but rendered to minimize curves. I guess they got the heritage part correct, given the decals, but it's a clunky looking thing. All the best, Andrew
Here is my entry for Mystery Red Car of the Day! It comes from a click-bait ad touting the Hyundai Palisade. Notice the detail to lighting on the front end, and the release handles on the front fender, and the whatever (?) sitting on the dash in front of the driver. IMHO, AI is getting worse, not better! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ch.10, the latest installment: Image Unavailable, Please Login Never A Dull Moment : Studio High Jinks Serious fun. Image Unavailable, Please Login During the Bill Mitchell era, General Motors Design, while on one hand was a creative hotspot, there was in parallel, an unlimited propensity for hijinks and goofy pranks. As someone mentioned, it was much like the popular TV show, Madmen. Mr. Mitchell and his staff were producing a series of cars that would become design icons: the Buick Riviera, Olds Toronado, Cadillac Eldorado and the ’63 Corvette Stingray to name a few. Along with the creativity however was the stress level to constantly produce winner after winner. One either produced or one fell by the wayside. There was no room for slackers. Within this highly charged atmosphere, one way to let off steam was to engage in elaborate pranks, escapades and practical jokes. There were no limits to the levels some designers and studios went towards the production of mischief and stunts. The only rule was that there were no rules. Many of these pranks took place before my arrival at GM Design, but the stories and legends formed part of the culture and lore of the organization. Looking back, in today’s environment, these hijinks would have been grounds for dismissal. Back then however, it was all part of the work environment. The silliness was never mean-spirited, but just a way to let off steam and have fun. Chuck Jordan was the center of many of the practical jokes running rampant during that period. He was second in command to Mr. Mitchell, but he was always game for practical jokes both towards others and surprisingly himself. The designers enjoyed playing jokes on Chuck and he was a very good sport. Image Unavailable, Please Login CMJ Ferrari Daytona Several of Chuck’s personal cars played a role in some of the prominent larks. While on a overseas trip several designers thought it would be fun to tinker with Chuck’s personal Ferrari Daytona. With cardboard, tape, colored paper and various mockups, they transformed his Ferrari into what was known in North America at the time as a “Gangster Mobile”. It was a brilliant job of transforming his cool Daytona into a rolling joke. Upon his return I was told he was taken aback, but thought it was a brilliant execution. On another occasion, Batman actor, Adam West was scheduled to visit GM Design. The pranksters went at it with a vengeance and mocked up Chuck’s Corvette Stingray as a garish Batmobile. When the executives and Mr. West saw the car they were amazed at the level of execution — even more so with the simple materials that were used. Image Unavailable, Please Login On a personal level, as a Senior at Art Center my 7th Semester, we were assigned a project by GM to design an enclosed motorcycle. Part of the project had Mr. Jordan visiting the LA Campus for a review at Mid-Term and then the final presentation at the end of the semester. At the Mid-Term Chuck came to critique our progress. He often liked to stay at Marina Del Rey while visiting LA. Upon his return to the hotel after our review, he was arrested for passing bad checks and put in jail in Marina Del Rey. They took his belt, shoelaces and locked him up. He had to call GM to have someone bail him out. Subsequently the police discovered they had made an error and it turned out to be a false arrest to which Chuck wound up suing the police department. Needless to say he was rather annoyed about the whole debacle. Of course the goofballs back at Design weren’t going to let this situation pass without some sort of acknowledgement. The pranksters mocked up Chuck’s office to resemble a jail cell with bars and all, and upon his return he was amused at the level of creativity. At the final presentation of our GM project he bragged about how he had been falsely arrested, sued the police and the ‘guys’ back at the office had mocked up his office as a jail cell. He was the consummate good sport. Image Unavailable, Please Login There were endless examples of craziness that transpired. Gelatine in a designer’s top desk drawers with pencils suspended, spray cans of black spray slid underneath moveable boards with the nozzle taped wide open spraying black paint everywhere, water fights with adjoining studios, and on and on. Some stories are probably not for public consumption, but it was all in the name of fun. Image Unavailable, Please Login Andy cartoon With all the artists present, there were an endless supply of cartoons produced mocking everything and anything. Andy Hanzel did a wonderful caricature of Design Management perfectly capturing each executives features to a T. Image Unavailable, Please Login That era came to an end during the ‘80’s. When I was Chief Designer in the Pontiac Studio during the ‘80’s, we played Studio Sports, and generally tried to have fun. However, everyone and everything became serious and there was little or no time for such silliness. Having fun at work was slowly disappearing. We worked hard and played hard.
A welcome addition to the last video I posted. PCA NA has been putting out fantastic creative content lately. Time to hunt for a good Porsche book to read.
Lexus LFR Rumored to Enter Production in Summer 2025 Image Unavailable, Please Login Latest Image Image Unavailable, Please Login Previous Image After years of rumors and speculation, the Lexus LFR – a proper LFA successor – is now reportedly slated to debut very soon. Rumors surrounding the effective successor to the Lexus LFA – the Lexus LFR – have swirled for years now, and it certainly feels like we’ve been waiting for this particular machine to make its official debut forever at this point. Along the way, we’ve been treated to multiple spy sightings of Lexus LFR prototypes, rumors pertaining to its powertrain, and various other tidbits to keep us keenly interested in the future supercar. Now, a new rumor suggests that we won’t have to wait much longer to see the Lexus LFR in the flesh. According to Japan’s BestCar, the Lexus LFR will now enter production this coming summer, in fact, which means that we could see it debut very soon – with deliveries commencing as early as the fall of 2025. There are still a lot of unknowns, however – including whether or not it will be called the Lexus LFR as long expected, or perhaps as a Toyota GR model or even a standalone offering sold under the Gazoo Racing banner. https://www.clublexus.com/articles/lexus-lfr-rumored-to-enter-production-in-summer-2025/?utm_source=2025221&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=content And, of course, here is what our notorious Sketch Monkey says:
With that copious front axle to dash ratio, Lexus could entertain something interesting like this! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Things start to get interesting in the Cadillac Studio: https://driventowrite.com/2025/02/26/never-a-dull-moment-part-11/#more-123423 Driven to Write Independent Thinking – Distinctive Voices – Fresh Perspectives Image Unavailable, Please Login Never a Dull Moment — Part 11 The Standard of the World All images (except where indicated © GM Design. The enormity and challenge of being assigned to the Cadillac Exterior Studio wasn’t lost on me. As a kid from a Ford family I couldn’t believe my fortune.Designing Cadillacs; I let that roll around in my head for a while, trying to make sense of it all. The late 1970’s was a period where the Harley Earl, Bill Mitchell edicts were still entrenched as part of the culture, and that meant no one was allowed into a studio where they weren’t assigned. During my several years in Oldsmobile, I had limited access to the Cadillac Studio in spite of the fact that it was physically next door. Old habits die hard and Mitchell and Earl had a firm grasp of Brand Character, and they knew instinctively what made a Cadillac a Cadillac, and a Buick a Buick. The Cadillac Studio had a reputation for getting the undivided attention of Messrs Earl, Mitchell and now Rybicki. To General Motors it was still ‘The Standard of the World’ and one of the Crown Jewels of the Corporation. The Chief Designer was Wayne Kady and his assistant was Kip Wasenko. I would be the ‘newbie’ in the studio along with two other designers. Image Unavailable, Please Login Source via Tumblr All Cadillacs: C Body DeVilles/ Fleetwoods, Eldorados and Sevilles were designed and modelled in the one studio with four full-size clay model rails. There were four support engineers and a team of eight-to-nine clay sculptors. There was never any downtime and we were going flat-out. My assignment in Cadillac would wind up being nothing like I had imagined it would be. The second oil shock was picking up steam and suddenly Cadillac was facing all manner of threats: The Federal Government fuel economy/safety standards, competition from the Germans and potentially the Japanese, quality issues and a fear of fuel availability being amongst them. This was the incubator that forced Cadillac management to make some rather bold moves and implement strategies with a greater degree of risk. In the early 1980’s, Cadillac dealers were becoming increasingly concerned that the cars were too large and suffering from poor fuel economy. They came to the realization that the customers were balking at the Cadillac lineup, but in realitythe customers hadn’t seen anything yet. Blasphemy. Cadillac introduced the V8-6-4 and the Diesel in an effort to help solve the fuel economy issues. The division was also beginning the rollout of the then termed ‘Bustle Back’ Seville. Mr. Mitchell had an affinity towards Rolls-Royce design at the time the 1980 Seville was under development and during his final years as VP Design, he wasn’t shy about explaining the source of his admiration for the crisp lines of the Rolls of that era. His edict was if you’re going to rob someplace, you rob a bank, not a gas station. He believed ‘borrowing’ inspiration from Rolls was like robbing the bank rather than stealing from a lesser known brand. He knew when to borrow inspiration. Image Unavailable, Please Login My first day in the studio was a real eye opener. The clay models for the downsized DeVille/ Fleetwood were under way and there in the middle of the studio was a white fiberglass model of the upcoming 1980 ‘Bustle Back’ Seville. My first thought: Moby Dick? One of the few times in my life I was without words as to what my response might/should be. I honestly didn’t know how to respond, as it certainly wasn’t my personal taste; being a fan of all the designgoing on in Italy and Europe at the time. As a professional, I’ve always taken great pride in telling it like it is. But not being a customer, who was I to say whether it was right or wrong? It was crisp in the Bill Mitchell design vocabulary no doubt, but was it right for the market? The first Gen Seville was such a hit for its design and sales success and it had become an icon. Now we were throwing all that out for a completely differentstrategy down a totally new path. Bold indeed, but I had my doubts. Having spent the previous several years working on full-size Oldsmobile 88’s, 98’s and Toronados, I made the transition to Cadillacs rather seamlessly. Both were luxury vehicles, with Cadillac occupying the top space of the food chain at GM. Source: GM Design However, there were storm clouds brewing, and soon Cadillac would enter a problematic phase from which to this day they are working to recover from. The Diesel and V8-6-4 debacle was still churning and the dealers were becoming more than vocal about their ability to remain in business during the recession/fuel crises. Interest rates had risen to 15% for home mortgages and gasoline prices skyrocketed. These were going to be unique times and the need for a small Cadillac to compete with the likes of newly re-energized BMW and Mercedes were at the top of everyone’s minds. The previously downsized Eldorado/ Seville were starting to show up on the radar as needing another round of small-sizing to gain better fuel economy. Added to what we were doing with the DeVille/ Fleetwood, we had to start thinking about the next-Gen Eldo/ Seville. In my mind I thought it would offer an opportunity to rethink the new Seville. Image Unavailable, Please Login ‘86 Seville. Source: GM Design The pressure to create ideas every day would sometimes turn into humorous situations. Our boss, Wayne Kady went on vacation; so naturally Kip and I decided we would perform a full court press and try to set the tone for the upcoming ’86 Eldorado without any additional input. While the cat’s away. . . something about the mice? Kip and I proceeded to cover every square inch of available wall space with Eldorado sketches. There were dozens of ideas for Eldorados and early on a Friday morning we invited Irv Rybicki and his second in command, the legendary Jack Humbert, in to review our handiwork. Irv and Jack spent time carefully scrutinizing each and every sketch and when they had completed their examination, Irv turned to Jack and said: “They’ve got nothing in here Jocko”, and with that they spun around and walked out the door. So much for that plan of attack. Image Unavailable, Please Login 1986 Seville. Source: GM Design In any organization there is always movement as people quit, get transferred, retire, etc. The Assistant Chief designer in the Chevrolet Studio had just quitand this would begin a chain of events which I never saw coming. For whatever reasons, Design Center management often times made personnel moves on Fridays; probably to let the dust settle over the weekend. I had been in Cadillac less than a year and late one Friday afternoon, Jack Humbert — one of my mentors and someone I had the utmost respect for — decided to pay me a visit at my desk. He asked me what I thought about becoming the Assistant Chief Designer in the Cadillac Studio. Whaaaaat?
Thought the bustle back was cool in an inverse beetle-with-a-Rolls Royce-hood sort of way. Wondered if a custom job at first, because the rest looked like a regular Seville. Then thought it might be cool to have a Pro Street bustle back Nova, then stopped thinking. Another great one - keep 'em comin'! (easy for me to say ...!)
I called that Seville a "Humpback". In the Car Styling issue covering the 1st gen Seville development there was a humpback proposal shown. Mac touted that and claimed that Mitchell had really wanted it then. To me the 2nd gen humpback was a repudiation of everything that the 1st gen had represented. A clean tasteful design that was an acceptable alternative to a MB or senior series BMW buyer. I will give credit to the humpback's surfacing by the clay modelers - they did a great job. The humpbacks by Lincoln and Chrysler were not done anywhere nearly as well done. JOHN: What was the feeling amongst the designers? Was there a real split on opinion between the young and old designers? JOHN: You mention Jack Humbert as being Irv's #2 but wasn't that officially Jordan as Design Director?
Funny you bring that up. This is the 50th anniversary or the original '75 Seville, and I've been asked to write a piece on the car. Stay tuned. At the time there was indeed a split amongst the designers regarding the Bustleback. The younger guys tended to like the 1st Gen Seville, whereas the more experienced guys gravitated towards the Bustleback. Chuck was indeed 'on paper and officially' Irv's 2nd in command as Dir of Design. Jack Humbert was Irv's close friend and one of the most talented designers I ever knew. There wasn't much chemistry between Irv & Chuck, and Irv preferred getting Humbert's council. However, Jack fell ill early on under Rybicki's tenure and passed away too young. At that point it didn't matter as Jordan was indeed Irv's Lieutenant. Made for stressful design reviews.
I was a designer at Porsche Weissach in the 1980’s. Anatole “Tony” Lapine was the design director. This sounds like a repeat of a future 911 review we did with him around 1986. His comment after reviewing all the walls of work was, “I think I’ve seen just about enough!” and abruptly walked out of the room without any more comments. Tony was full of clever quotes. He started at GM in the design studio in the 1950’s and eventually was assigned to the Skunkworks. He came to Porsche from Opel working for Chuck Jordan around 1968/69 and took over from Butzi Porsche. Maybe a part of GM Design culture?
Yes indeed. Chuck used to tell stories about Mr. Lapine and how he left GM Design to head up Porsche Design. So many tales. I think so many of those quotes can be traced back to Harley Earl & Bill Mitchell.
I feel really fortunate to have experienced first hand an amazing design era. When I was at Art Center I was one of two students chosen by Larry Shinoda for an internship. At the end of the internship he introduced me to Tony Lapine which led to my position at Porsche.
I remember Tony Lapine visiting Art Center and a group of us upper classmen one day. This would have been 1977/1978.
This weekend is the annual Detroit Autorama. The Final 8 entries for the Ridler Award: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login I have my own pick, but I'll wait till the winner is announced Sunday evening.
