Stile Bertone Mantide

So it's finally here...

We've all been waiting, watching, wondering, speculating. Ok, that might be exaggerating a bit but it's always interesting to read hype about a rookie athlete that will "save the team" or in this case Jason Castriota's new post at Stile Bertone that was hyped on the internet over the last few months. Jason had some nice cars at Pininfarina and his move to Bertone was sure to be an interesting one given that they haven't had much exciting press lately.

So the question is - What do you think? Did he pull it off? Is it what you expected? Is it better or worse than you expected? Do you think it's up to the level of his other work (P4/5, Maserati Coupe, Birdcage) or do you think maybe they let him off the leash too far?

I'm really interested in your thoughts because as you can imagine I have my own ideas but since I originally meant for cardesignpolice to be a discussion, I'd like to open it up to all of you.

Obama-rama!

Euro Fords Update

I have a couple past posts about this but more importantly, I've been calling for this for years and years and years. This could be the single most important reason why US car makers SUCK in the US. They keep trying to make cars that "look or feel" American instead of making cars that Americans actually want. Hint, Hint Big three - The Camry and Accord don't "look" American either.

Another hint:
We've NEEDED these cars since the 70's!

Last hint:
Don't be idiots and the minute oil prices go down a bit, abandon small, efficient cars.

We're now to the point where Chrysler and GM (as well as Renault Nissan) are in talks about a buyout. So maybe soon we'll say "The Big Two". But if Toyota is selling more cars than GM here in America, they really aren't that big.

Maybe we'll just call them "The Sad Two" (unless they get their act together. This is a good start).

Finally!

Finally, there's newer images of the Ferrari California - this time with the top up. I'll try to offer up some alternatives while still taking into consideration the roof packaging.

Stay Tuned...

Come Back, Giorgetto!

I haven't had much of an opinion about the new Scirocco, other than it isn't a Scirocco.

But driving in my Giugiaro-designed car today, I suddenly realized I liked the new Scirocco even less.



All I'm really going to say about this car is this:

I think Volkswagen needs to put Giorgetto back on the payroll.

Innovative Cars of History

1. Tucker Torpedo

This was a great example of the big guys getting scared of the innovative little guy and putting him out of business. But with innovative features, packaging and styling the Tucker Torpedo could have been a good step forward for the industry. It would not have taken the big three that long to catch up. In fact it would have made them better. But instead, they chose as they usually do to do as little as possible instead of evolving. Doesn't this sound like the Volt again?

2. VW Beetle

This car was so successful, it remained very similar throughout its lifetime - they rode that gravy train for 50 years! What would the next, better version of the Beetle look like? It wasn't the New Beetle. This car was a modern look-alike, but not an improvement. It was a totally different car that looked similar - that's not the point. The point would be to take the best attributes of the original and make an all new one - but better.

3. Citroen 2CV

This car is just plain goofy - but it was made for the average farmer in France - the French Model T maybe? It was reliable, cheap and easy to fix. Does that concept even exist anymore? No it doesn't.
This was also a very successful car that lasted in similar trim for 40 years! And to this day, it's still wacky...what would the next one have looked like? Actually, is there even a possibility that a similar car will ever be made again - by any company? The answer is a likely no.

Cars are too disposable now and are not meant to last very long. They're designed to last long enough to give the impression they're getting more reliable but the fact is, you cannot open the hood anymore and do anything in there. You have to take it to the dealer for any little thing and at some point will cost you soooo much money to fix - why not just walk over to the showroom and pick out a new one?

4. Citroen DS

The Citroen DS was also an innovative car as a whole. But if you just look at it as a styling exercise, this is an amazing car. This car came out in 1955 - and that means it was likely started around 1950. This car looks so modern even today - like it belonged in George Jetson's real car garage next to his flying saucer. And this one lasted a measley 20 years!

5. Aptera

The Aptera is yet to be released but is something I'm very excited about. Yes, it's an electric Hybrid which I've mentioned also produces emissions from the production of electricity. BUT, this is the first modern Hybrid with any sales potential that actually looks like it was designed to be aerodynamic. Well ok, it really was designed to be aerodynamic. So despite it being an electric car (or gas hybrid) it tries to use as little energy as possible unlike the Volt or even the Prius which are no where near as efficient. Imagine if this becomes the new benchmark for 5 seat Hybrids of the future...

6. Renault Concepts


These concepts are mainly here because of the styling possibilities. This era of Renault design is one of the best in recent history. Even the ones that were produced would still be considered more innovative than anything else on the road. Renault would have been so far ahead of everyone and could have kept innovating. BMW would have looked like another conservative old brand compared to Renault. Two problems: The first is they didn't bring the production versions to market very well. And second, they don't sell Renault's here in the U.S. - bummer. The worst part is, Renault has scaled back their forward thinking design language and have now settled back in with something resembling a VW - another conservative brand with lots of potential.

7. SAAB 92001

The Saab 92001 concept was a striking car in it's day. It was the birth of the Saab automobiles to come and designed by Sixten Sason, was the beginning of the iconic Saab profile. It was a very aerodynamic design based on the profile of the airplane wing and the production versions were quite similar considering there was no front wheel openings on this concept!

8. Volvo 3CC/ Pininfarina Nido


These two cars are of note because they utilize two similar interior safety concepts. Actually, the idea is similar to something I came up with when I was 14 - only slightly more appropriate. The idea is basically during a head-on collision, the interior seating is "floating" and will move on its own. This is beneficial because it absorbs even more energy than crumple zones alone. This in turn, lessens the affects on the body during this type of collision. The Volvo had additional features that assisted with this motion as well as other innovative interior features. The main difference between these two and my concept was the Volvo and Nido don't eject the passengers in the sled!

9. GM Autonomy


The GM Autonomy Skateboard is probably the biggest innovation in recent automotive history - period. The idea alone could change the face of the automobile industry. Too bad its a GM. I don't want to keep harping on GM but this is the one thing GM should be really trying to figure out - and maybe they are? But as I mentioned in the Volt post, I truly do not think they would do this for the right reason. Therefore it would not be done correctly and its effectiveness and impact would be greatly diminished. Of course most of this technology relies on new infrastructure which GM is not willing to invest in unless it guarantees them a monopoly - just like when they crushed most of the light rail in the U.S.

In 1949, executives at all companies involved were convicted of a criminal conspiracy to destroy light rail systems across the nation. The individuals involved were fined $1 each for their crimes. The companies were fined about $5,000 each, which was little more than a rounding error in the $30-$50 million in profits they earned from making mass transit less accessible.

Don't expect GM to change now...

10. Luigi Colani Trucks


What can I say? The Colani trucks (above) are the epitome of out-of-the-box thinking. Luigi Colani is known for some wacky ideas but the aerodynamic qualities of these semi-trucks are outstanding. And the reason these have not been adopted by any company is beyond me. The coolest truck by far that looks anything remotely like these is the Renault Radiance (shown). But you'll notice this Renault truck is more like a modern truck than it is like the Colani ones. The Colani design more closely resembles a modern bullet train which is a highly efficient way to move air around this long, thin shape.

So what can we take away from this look at some of the most innovative cars of history? I think that innovation should be pursued if for nothing else than it obviously pays dividends! The Beetle - 50 years, the 2CV - 40 years, the DS - 20 years, so on and so forth. This also applies to other products where innovation has led to a very prosperous future and a bunch of followers.

So keep trying to convince your boss to innovate and not follow. Remind them of these cars as well as others you may know - what are better motivators than sales and money? And you can sit back and feel good about not following others...

GM's American Best?

There seems to be quite a large number of people that believe GM constantly disappoints - except for loyal, repeat GM buyers of course. I'm obviously not GM's biggest fan, but this blog is not just about ripping on companies for their mistakes as I perceive them. It's also about giving companies and especially designers credit when it is deserved.

Cadillac has long been known as an older persons' car - not something exciting, impressive and certainly not worthy of any design awards in the last 50 years. The Allante may have been the nicest looking Cadillac in a looong time but since it was Pininfarina-designed - it never semed to fit in.


So when the first Cadillac CTS arrived, it was sporting their new "Art and Science" design language. And as often happens, it may take a while for a new design language to be massaged and refined. The first CTS was a bit awkard and had a very tall and narrow feeling overall. All of the graphics were oriented vertically which highlighted the narrow stance. It was often "under-wheeled" which made these characteristics worse.

But after seeing them on the road for a while, the latest CTS is actually a very nice design. It maintains the Art and Science aesthetic but is fuller and more dynamic than the previous CTS or the XLR.


The latest CTS works because of a few main points:

1. Though a bit taller, the CTS2 is also a couple inches wider than its predecessor. This always helps with proportion issues and we all know - we cheat the width first if we can.

2. Both cars have the standard Cadillac vertically oriented graphics. The difference is the CTS1's graphics extend up, over and then back. This extends the graphics and makes them seem even taller than they are. The Buick Rendevous is famous (at least in my mind) for this very thing. Tall graphics shouldn't be put on a tall package - whenever possible, the graphics should help alleviate a bad package. The CTS1's rear plate cluster also contributes to the perceived height of the rear end because it extends all the way to the rear deck.


3. Another very important difference is the centerline and shoulder relationship. The CTS1's centerline is lower than its haunches. This particularly makes the car taller but also seem more square - this then pulls in whatever section the bodyside has. This maybe could've been overcome with an obscene dose of crown in the bodyside - if only they had those extra 2 inches in the first car! The CTS2 has a better relationship in these areas and though still quite angular, it results in a softer, more dynamic design language. The CTS2's full hood powerbulge is the main example of this improvement.

4. In an ironic turn of events, some of the character lines that may have been designed to alleviate some of the height, are actually working against the CTS1. There are 3 main character lines on the CTS1's bodyside. These are meant to break up the tall bodyside but because there are so many, they actually highlight its height acting like light steps. Another car with this problem is the 5-series BMW. It has 4 highlights and a cut line at the rear quarter panel nearly equidistant to eachother. If you notice, the CTS2 only has the one bodyside line similar to many other cars at around door handle height. The second highlight comes from the trunk line but the key to why this isn't distracting is because the CTS2's DLO does not extend back and overlap the trunk highlight.


5. The last somewhat mysterious detail is the DLO shape of the CTS1. The bottom line really does seem flat. This again accentuates the height of the front quarter panel made worse by the diving bodyside character line. The CTS2's DLO is more dynamic diving downward with the bodyside character line.


Cadillac has worked hard to jazz itself up and market itself to the young Baby Boomers instead of the WWII vets. They started out quite extreme but are definitely getting the hang of this aesthetic. There's been a CTS wagon shown as well as the CTS Coupe concept which could very well inject some more American excitement into the Cadillac brand which begs the question:

Is the Cadillac CTS GM's best current American design?