Image Unavailable, Please Login My Senior Project at Design school in the early '70's. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Retractable training wheels!! Image Unavailable, Please Login And here's where I got the idea.Gyro would keep it stable 'at speed'. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Saw this today - My two take-a-ways; I've never quite understood the bizarre relationship between Italian carozzeriae and models in the late 60s/early 70s, and I'sd forgotten how very good the first iteration of the Countach was before they loaded it up with crud... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sometimes they just don't get it right... 1959 Maserati 5000 GT Coupé by Touring Image Unavailable, Please Login
How about this Coventery university design project? CODI by Elyza Cho https://www.instagram.com/elyza_drawing/ Image Unavailable, Please Login There's also a render of it in action! It's so cheesy, in a good way!
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43884957/giotto-bizzarrini-obituary/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=socialflowFBCD&src=socialflowFBCAD&utm_medium=social-media&fbclid=IwAR0nHwxBN6vWCCZUAsH18-sFI8D-g_Lo8zvMPxm42cSVUGCF2tjkayNjnQ0 At the age of 96 the historic engineer and tester who designed iconic cars like the 250 GTO and the Red Head has passed away. Giotto Bizzarrini, from Livorno, took the first steps in Alfa Romeo before arriving at Rossa di Maranello. From his mind was also born the V12 engine that mounts Lamborghini . In 1964 he then founded the “Prototypes Bizzarrini” to produce GT cars. Rest in peace Giotto, by name and deed Technically not a 'car designer' , but responsible for some beautiful designs nonetheless.
A long life well lived; ci vedamo Giotto - I always rather fancied one of his pretty Europa coupes. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Part 3 of the Pininfarina/Eldo/Seville story Pininfarina vs Cadillac Part 3 May 15, 2023 By pete 1 Comment Image Unavailable, Please Login Cadillac Studio made an early presentation to Cadillac management showing that the added length by Cadillac Engineering was still not enough to arrive at a proportion that would result in a good design for the Seville and Eldorado. The proposed extensions added rear seating space and luggage capacity that also resulted in lower aerodynamic drag that improved fuel economy, higher than the shorter 1986 Seville. A more design enhancing and functional package was the result of the additional length. The proposed extensions, shown on the left side front and rear, added more rear seating space and luggage capacity. The longer car also resulted in significantly lower aerodynamic drag resulting in improved fuel economy, helping to make the 1992 Seville higher in fuel economy than the shorter 1986 Seville. The new more design enhancing and functional package was the result of the additional length to be added front and rear as seen on the left side of the clay model. By Dick Ruzzin Cadillac Studio had won the battle with Pininfarina for the Eldorado design, but earlier, when the production release dates came for both the Eldorado and the Seville, we had missed them, which was a financial disaster for the Corporation. There is an enormous stream of work to design and engineer the full line of GM products so when one program gets out of phase from a timing standpoint the pre-production development process suffers delays that are very costly. FINALLY, THE “RIGHT CAR” In addition to being late, we did not have the design for either car. To everyone’s amazement we then created an entire new Seville design in twelve days, one that would later become a big winner in the corporate product clinics. The effort was like a very good artist practicing for two years and then making a single fantastic painting in a flash. Only it wasn’t a painting, it was a car designed and created by a group of over twenty people in a frantic coordinated burst of creativity. Image Unavailable, Please Login This quick side view rendering by Dennis Little was corrected in the rear to come close to what we would end up with on the Seville. His next rendering where he raised the top of the doors became the turning point for the Seville design search. It was then transferred to a clay model where Larry and Scott actually airbrushed the design shape onto the clay model surfaces. Our Design Engineering supervisors gave up their full year’s vacation and worked overtime seven days a week to release the Seville, as the outside contractor proved to be incapable. For the Eldorado and the Seville, the Cadillac Studio twice worked 24 hours for over three days in a row to meet the new release deadlines. We had a lot of help from other sculptors and engineers in the building and we divided the studio staff into two teams to manage the workload. Design management was providing every available resource to win the war against time. Image Unavailable, Please Login While the Cadillac Exterior Studio was struggling to find a design for both the Eldorado and the Seville the Interior Design Studio under the direction of Chief Designer Marv Fisher worked to create an interior that would match the different versions of both cars. Sporty and elegant, the result was a beautiful clean and contemporary interior that had excellent ergonomics. Designer Jeff Nasca created the instrument panel theme that matched the two cars perfectly. The instrument panel hood that curved up and over the instruments gave the cars a driver orientation and a special feel of stability when moving as its reference to the horizon was always correct. Image Unavailable, Please Login The last trip to the Design patio for the clay model of the 1992 Seville design before being released for production. The final data from the windtunnel tests had been included on this release model. This was the last chance to make any design refinements or changes and to match the criteria for door cuts, wheel clearance and ride height. It was late in the afternoon and usually Design management would show up just to add more eyes to the party but this time they skipped the show. We did not work overtime that night for the first time in over two years. THE ELDORADO DESIGN In two weeks, we had created another Eldorado, in another flash. It was unlike any proposal previously done but it did have some design features from our past work that was skillfully knit together by the Cadillac designers over a period of four days. We released the car as fast as possible but we were one month late. The new design started on an existing outdated fiberglass model, put together with paper, pins, plastic, tape, cardboard and whatever else, to represent the new design. We showed it to the Cadillac management the following day in the morning in the Cadillac Studio. We had the model covered and when the cover was pulled there was a very large intake of breath by the entire Cadillac team. They absolutely loved it. Image Unavailable, Please Login The front end of the Cadillac STS (Seville Touring Sedan). What the car was about was not a mystery. Larry Erickson, Scott Wassell and Gary Smith created the STS in two days while I was in the windtunnel. Again, they used paper and tape to design a clean and simple statement on the Seville fiberglass model that was in perfect harmony with the high performance luxury mission of the STS. A visual statement of sporty elegance, the hot-rod Cadillac engineers were ecstatic! We were flying on fumes as we prepared the model for an outside show late that afternoon. We made some minor adjustments, brought it back into the studio and then spent several days on corrections and refinements. It was sent to the plaster shop to be cast and then returned to the studio. Normally clay models are damaged in the plaster casting process but this time we were lucky. We made some minor repairs, added more refinement and then released it for production in two weeks. Did we work hard? We all worked harder than we ever had in our lives. Thousands of aesthetic decisions were made in a matter of a few short days. The car was so good because a lot of people worked very, very hard. Cadillac was so happy they did not care that we were late. Both the Eldorado and the Seville were big winners in the upcoming Corporate product clinic and later in the market. The result was worth it. Image Unavailable, Please Login My favorite picture, the one and only shot of the Eldorado and Seville together taken after the GM Corporate product clinic where they received very high marks. Although they shared many different components, even some on the exterior, that did not hamper our desire for each to be visually unique. Cadillac received everything that they hoped for and our designs were carried on a chassis that was every bit as good as the design. Henry Meier, Chief Engineer for the Eldorado and Seville said, “Design has done their job, now we must do ours.” And they did in spades, engineering two wonderful contemporary luxury cars that surprised the European manufacturers with their driving prowess. THE SEVILLE Image Unavailable, Please Login The 1992 Seville fiberglass model taken in GM Design Staff’s secure reviewing patio. The Seville was designed as an import fighter and Cadillac Engineering matched its sporty and elegant look with advanced technologies, superb internationally inspired performance and fuel economy. Aerodynamics was important in its design as the Seville’s drag coefficient was very low at .33, a key factor in the increase in fuel economy. One day the Vice President of Cadillac, John Grettenberger, came into the studio. He stopped and looked at the clay model of the Seville that was being released for production and said,” It is already a classic in my mind”. That was his way of giving a great compliment to all of us. Over twenty-five years later Dan Neil, then the auto writer for the Los Angeles Times, declared that the 1994 Seville STS was a modern classic. All four of the major car magazines named the Seville as the Car of The Year, a historic first. The yearly Motor Trend contest for most desirable new car that was traditionally won by the Chevrolet Corvette went to the Cadillac Seville for two years in a row. THE ELDORADO Image Unavailable, Please Login Looking very different than the Seville, with gently curving surfaces and taught lines, the Eldorado moved away from the then current rounded design look of the day. It presented a new futuristic aesthetic of horizontal longitudinal lines linked by transverse rounded sections that were more subtle than the Seville. The combination proved to result in excellent aerodynamic numbers due to the simplicity of the surfaces and rounded plan views. When the Cadillac Eldorado was introduced at the Detroit International Automobile Show in Detroit in January of 1992, I was standing near the display when the Chief Designer of Lincoln came up to me and introduced himself. He looked at the car for a moment and then said, “Come on over to the Lincoln stand and see our Continental, it really looks new”, intimating that the Eldorado did not look new. He did not understand that the Eldorado had been designed to be ahead of and beyond the “Ford trendy and round” design envelope. The Lincoln was not and three years later no-one would bother looking at a Lincoln Continental. Not so the Eldorado. It was very successful and the number of orders for the car were so strong and steady that its production was continued for twelve years. Most were built at a plant in Detroit only four miles from my home. I lived close to and had met several of the people who ran the plant and I was told that it was the longest running production car in General Motors history. The way it looked was a big factor in that success. THE LIGHT When our full-size Eldorado clay model was taken out to our secure viewing patio for the one and only outside review, a very strange thing happened. Normally a production car model is taken out many times before the design is released for production to improve and refine it, but our time was gone. It was December, dark, damp and cold, the temperature was about 30 degrees. There was salt on the patio blocks and we waited and shivered in the chill wind for our moving staff to bring the model out. It was five o’clock and starting to get dark. The sky was lead gray and having the clay model in silver did not enhance it in that lighting. We always covered our clay models before they went out as the winter cold would cool the clay too quickly and make it crack, a real problem when you are working in clay to a one tenth of a millimeter tolerance. As the car was rolled out of the building to my great surprise it was not covered. As soon as we saw the model we were all elated. For the first time in two years we had a design in front of us that met the Cadillac Studio design expectations and it looked better outside in the real world. We, the Cadillac designers, really liked it. And so did Chuck Jordan and Dave Holls who we were responsible to. It was getting dark, being December, and about 5pm the sun was very low on the horizon in the west. Suddenly a brilliant light hit our clay model in a very small spot in the middle of the door. I looked immediately to the right to see where it was coming from. There was a large bright yellow light in the streaked and glowing western sky; it must have been thousands of miles away. A small slit in the clouds had opened up and the light shot through, yet the light on the car was very small. I had never seen anything like that before. Although it was a strange event it did not stand out at the time as it was in company with so many others. It was just another one that passed by as we were so happy to finally arrive at an Eldorado design that pleased all of us. Needless to say, the two-year fury of activity took its toll on all of us. We did 17 fully-finished clay model proposals for the Seville and Eldorado in 21 months and released two cars for production as well as substantial facelift work on the rest of the Cadillac line including a Presidential limousine. We also created the first Seville STS on the old smaller platform that was a big success in California. I could not speak about what we had done for two years as Chief Designer of Cadillac after I left Cadillac Studio and on a new assignment at Opel Design in Europe. Success in the creation of the new Eldorado and Seville was an incredible achievement that almost did not happen. When questioned about the Cadillac designs over two years later, even after being assigned to work in Europe, I had to just walk away until the subject was changed. The years of constant emotional stress were just too much for me to bear, I am sure others felt it too. Through all of it our Design management acted like one of us, we all worked together as equals. We also had without question the best studio staff in the building, every person performed beyond expectations. It was flat out, all out, for over two years. This story is all true to the best of my memory thirty-three years later. I have written it to honor the members of the Cadillac Studio and all those from Design who came to help as well as the studio staffs who worked in the Advance Design area who definitely were part of our eventual success. Bob Dorn, Cadillac’s new Chief Engineer from Pontiac Division, was appointed shortly before I was sent to Cadillac Studio. He made many key decisions that favored our design efforts as he believed that the appearance of the two cars had to be exceptional. He and his engineering team created light weight cars with elegant performance that matched our designs, proved by the many awards that they received for their engineering excellence. Of special importance to him was the strategic roll-out of new technologies for Cadillac so that when the 1992 cars arrived they would be state of the art. He did what had to be done even to the expense of his own career. Very special credit should be given to my studio management, Dennis Little, my Assistant Chief Designer, our Chief Sculptor Ray Hildebrandt and Bill Mullaly, our Studio Engineer. Marv Fisher, who was Chief Designer for Cadillac Interiors, did an absolute superb job in crafting an interior that perfectly matched the sporty elegance of the exteriors for the two cars. Also to be mentioned are the many people from Cadillac Division who watched as we struggled to succeed and were encouraging and very helpful, many going above and beyond their responsibility. Hank Meier, the Eldorado and Seville Chief Engineer throughout the entire program, was encouraging, trusting and patient and we all worked hard to help him every way that we could. Everyone contributed at a very high level over a very long and trying period of time. It is the reason that we succeeded; all of the dedication and perseverance made the difference. We did not give up as a group. We did not give up as individuals. All through the trying time, Len Casillo, Dave Holls and Chuck Jordan guided us and never lost faith in our ability to succeed.
Your dose of Friday Morning Comedy! This came in my email today. I would say Lexus Advertising Copy Writers have a rather poor mastery of English! My answer to the prose about which worst feature got "killed" on the new and improved (more better) would be the Spindle Grill. However, looks like the same-old-same-old grill on the 2024 model. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Part 4 Pininfarina/Cadillac Story 05-23 Pininfarina vs Cadillac Part 4 In this article we will make a strategic and technical comparison of the design efforts of Pininfarina and the Cadillac Studio. I will try my best to be completely impartial in my assessment of their actions. By Dick Ruzzin The Cadillac Allante as designed by Pininfarina should have been considered as a design influence for their 1992 Eldorado design proposal. However, the Eldorado presented to Cadillac Division looked nothing like the Allante. The Allante was the most expensive Cadillac at that time but it was quickly determined that the hoped for “Italian Design” cachet was not important to the American luxury car customer. A major Allante flaw besides the design was the manual convertible top that diminished its market success; most customers wanted to push a button to raise the top. Pininfarina chose not to use any of the Allante design cues on their Eldorado proposal. Their proposal over the Cadillac Engineering platform also “looked” smaller than expected, still too close in size to the last small Eldorado, which was a dramatic sales failure. Pininfarina had the opportunity to make their proposal longer but chose not to. The new Eldorado as the Cadillac image car would have to strongly influence the design of those cars to create the expected new Cadillac family look. The Allante had failed in that role. How the Eldorado by Pininfarina or the Cadillac Studio design went, so would go the rest of the line. It would be the key design statement that would set the stage for the other Cadillac cars in the American market. To make things more difficult, the new Seville design would have to be acceptable to foreign buyers and it was designed to do so. COMPARING THE TWO ELDORADO DESIGN EFFORTS. Image Unavailable, Please Login The three dimensional shape of the Cadillac Studio Eldorado even in this small image is very evident. The surfaces are sheer like the Pininfarina car, but also very curved. The Pininfarina car does not have the sculptural interest or graphic sophistication of the Cadillac Studio proposal. It is the shape of this car that makes it so entertaining when you are close to it. It looks like a Cadillac in every view. Image Unavailable, Please Login The 1992 Cadillac Seville was designed at the same time as the Eldorado in Cadillac Studio. Its basic form philosophy was the same as the Eldorado, linear longitudinally and rounded in its transverse sections. The Seville’s rounder sections aligned it with European luxury cars giving it a more robust look. The Seville appealed strongly to the import market and was very successful. This running show car was built in one month from a GM Proving Ground prototype with over 62,000 miles on it. Here in the Superstition Mountains for pictures on its way from Detroit to the 1991 Los Angeles Auto Show it was the first time that I saw the new Seville out in the real world and driving. It was a stunning experience for myself and Kyle Johnson from Cadillac Public Relations who had followed the design process closely. Image Unavailable, Please Login The 1994 Cadillac Deville was designed immediately after the 1992 Eldorado and Seville. It displays the new design character and many graphic and surface design elements from those two cars. All three cars show crisp profile lines and rounded sections which result in rich reflections as seen here. If the Allante would have had a front like this car it would have looked like a Cadillac and the rest of the design would have easily followed. Image Unavailable, Please Login The 1995 Cadillac Fleetwood was intended to be the last big rear wheel drive Cadillac. Originally conceived in the Advance Design area by designer Dennis Burke it was inspired by the then recent Cadillac show car the Voyage designed by Gerry Brochstein. It was designed and released for production by a small team led by designer Scott Wassell within the Cadillac Studio. The Fleetwood was done during the flurry of design work that followed the creation of the Eldorado, Seville and Deville. It also was blessed with excellent aerodynamic performance. Image Unavailable, Please Login If Cadillac had chosen the Eldorado as presented by Pininfarina the following Cadillac Seville, Deville and Fleetwood would not have had the Cadillac form language and aesthetic design character that was available in the 1992 Cadillac Studio Eldorado. It was an evolution of the past Cadillac design culture which had been cultivated by Cadillac Studio for years. It would have been lost. Design Definitions as applied to Pininfarina and Cadillac Studios Below are technical terms used by designers and their definitions around the world. They are used in the following review of both Cadillac Studio’s efforts to design a 1992 Cadillac Eldorado and the Pininfarina car. Stated are their responses to each of these technical design challenges. ARCHITECTURE This term describes the complete assembly of the essential and basic functional elements that form the platform of a vehicle, its interior spaces, exterior size and volume distribution. PININFARINA Both design proposals shared the same platform architecture as developed by Cadillac Engineering to start the program. It was an evolution of the earlier 1986 platform that was too small. Pininfarina followed Cadillac’s original direction to define the size of their proposal. CADILLAC STUDIO On the contrary, Design did not agree with the Cadillac Engineering platform proposal for the Eldorado and Seville and presented designs that were longer than Cadillac Engineering had recommended. All parties then quickly agreed that both cars needed the extra length to make enough of a change from the smaller 1986 models. PROPORTION The length, width and height of all the related volumes in total that the designer must deal with when creating a car design. PININFARINA The Pininfarina Eldorado suffered from the original shorter length of the platform as provided by Cadillac Engineering even though it had been extended and was longer than the 1986 car. They chose to stay with the more European shorter proportions, Cadillac Studio proceeded to design a longer car. CADILLAC STUDIO The added length over the original Cadillac Engineering proposal was a significant factor in bringing the Cadillac Studio design into proportional alignment with the overall character of previous larger Eldorados. It also improved aerodynamic performance, rear seating and luggage capacity. It also resulted in improved fuel economy. DESIGN GRAPHICS The two- and three-dimensional shapes of the various elements that are added or are part of the basic design form that provide the vehicle with a visual identity and the necessary road-going legal requirements. PININFARINA The Pininfarina design proposal had everything required to meet all legal requirements. The taillamps were of particular interest to us as they reflected past Eldorados. The front grille graphically was like a previous Deville which was clearly not appropriate. Glass openings were very coupe like but the most important graphic design element, the sail panel in the rear corner of the roof, was not even close to any other Cadillac and resulted in an overall weak design solution. CADILLAC STUDIO The Cadillac Studio Eldorado picked up the line on the side from the Allante to connect it to the design of previous Cadillacs. The front was thinner and wider looking than the Seville using the same headlamps and side turn lights. Even though the two cars shared many structural parts they looked very different. The side glass graphic shape and taillamps on the Cadillac Eldorado design were a direct reflection of previous Eldorados. A completely new plan view shape for the roof sail panel made the design special, that of a new and modern Eldorado. FORM LANGUAGE The overt and subtle surface development and the overall sculptural character of the exterior sheet metal and interior surfaces as created by the designer. This is the designer’s aesthetic signature. PININFARINA The Pininfarina Eldorado had a consistent character that was very professionally executed. The forms were well developed and supported the visual mission to design an elegant coupe. The car did have a “wooden” look, like the Allante. It possibly was created in plaster which limited the more fluid form development that is possible in clay. CADILLAC STUDIO The Cadillac Studio Eldorado was also very well developed and received enthusiastically as a beautiful car. With slightly more length the surfaces were slightly curved in all views, well developed and harmonic throughout. Of special note not easily visible in the images is the sculptural form of the Eldorado in total which is very elegant. ARTISTIC CHARACTER The aesthetic personality of the design is the message that it sends the viewer. Success of a car’s artistic character is confirmed by the compatibility of the aesthetic design and the cars functional mission and how well they work together. PININFARINA The Pininfarina proposal was carefully designed and consistent in its modeling. It was well detailed and surfaced and it had a consistent sculptural character. The design looked European and it appears that the car was created by a very experienced modeling staff. The design theme, however, was not strong or aligned with previous Eldorados with exception of the taillamps. CADILLAC STUDIO The Cadillac Studio design proposal was consistent in artistic character throughout. Its real strength was that it had a fresh, classic and new aerodynamic aesthetic that was highlighted by the rear of the roof sail panel. It looked American, sporty and elegant in a new way but most importantly it was unmistakably a Cadillac. HARMONY How well the design elements go together, the blending or contrasting of all the key aesthetic design elements for design effect. PININFARINA The Pininfarina design was well done, the surfaces were harmonious and overall the car was composed of smooth surfaces and accent peaks in the sheet metal. CADILLAC STUDIO The Cadillac Eldorado proposal was also well done with consistent surface development. Front, rear and side flowed together and it was a total design shape. DESIGN CULTURE As applied to an automobile, an aesthetic endeavor where art is bound by physics and science in the form of vehicle engineering and manufacturing. How well the design solution is accepted and stays relevant through time is a very important measure in the design evaluation of the 1992 Cadillac Eldorado and future Cadillac products that will share it.. PININFARINA The Pininfarina Eldorado design model was a clear statement but in retrospect the design was not strong enough and very importantly did not look like an Eldorado. It did not visually connect with past Eldorados or the latest most expensive Cadillac, the Pininfarina designed Allante. The design also was lacking in elements that could be translated to future Cadillacs and it was not inspirational enough as a foundation for the following Deville and Fleetwood designs. CADILLAC STUDIO The final design solution presented by Cadillac Studio over thirty years later has a strong memorable character that combines a sporty and elegant personality with a hint of of drama and high performance. Very importantly it could only be a Cadillac. It was also a very good foundation for the following Deville and Fleetwood designs. In person when observed the 1992 Eldorado has a great shape as well as a clear Cadillac identity. MY FINAL THOUGHTS Pininfarina had been very successful for years in the creation of designs for Ferrari and Peugeot. In those two cases the Pininfarina designers knew what the historic design character was as well as the aesthetic expectations of those brands. In the case of the Cadillac Allante and the Eldorado they were at a disadvantage as it is possible that they may never have been placed in a situation where they had to continue a design brand character without any history to do so.
Lost another Design legend this week. Harry Bentley Bradley. harry-bradley.html GM designer, Hot Wheels designer, Instructor @ Art Center College of Design. His sketches were in Car & Driver, Motor Trend, and countless auto magazines in the '60's-'90's. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bentley_Bradley Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just a small sample of Harry Bradley's work. https://www.pinterest.fr/tom1543/art-of-harry-bradley/?fbclid=IwAR3zSqPlk9k_drjG5WBthQtBLIGvk5HB8mNydDlUpPhULkWfKM5gzM1UGLQ
As an instructor at Art Center, he was feared by all. I somehow managed to never have him as an instructor but I did get a few unsolicited crits from him. He always had a strong opinion. I think I would have enjoyed his class. I don’t think I needed to fear him RIP
Most of my classmates weren't very fond of Harry's teaching methods. I got along fine with him, and he was a big supporter of mine. But i told him up front that my goal was to land a job at GM Design. He liked that.
Ken Okuyama of GM Design, Pininfarina (Enzo design) introduced this at Villa D'Este this weekend. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Ken's quote:Kode61 Birdcage is a simple proportion statement. Back to basics of car design.
I don't remember if it was in Hot Rod or Rod & Custom that I used to see his work, but it was always interesting! Lots more of his work here: https://www.deansgarage.com/harry-bentley-bradley-part-one/ & here: https://www.deansgarage.com/harry-bentley-bradley-part-2/
