A Strange Trend is Developing...

I took a little trip to the Huntington Beach Concours recently where the featured marks were Ferrari and Corvette. There were some nice examples of both Ferrari and Vette, but what really caught my eye is the beauty shown below!


I always wonder why it is that people do these kinds of things because it for sure takes a great deal of time and effort to make this happen. I suppose this car was made as an income earner maybe taking prom kids out or shuttling drunken frat guys around Vegas. Either way, it made me laugh but more importantly reminded me of a strange trend that is developing in the car industry:

Really loooooooong wheelbases.

First, the platform of the 612 Scaglietti, which ItalDesign also took a swing at, was noticeably awkward. The 612 was also not helped by its short front overhang and its long rear one. But as you'll see by these images, neither Pininfarina nor Giugiaro were all that successful in taming this platform.

Then it was Aston Martin's turn. The Rapide concept shown below didn't seem like a reproportioned DB9 but just a lengthened one. It's always seemed awkward because of this. The Rapide is very coupe-like but a sedan generally has a shorter front wheel to door ratio.


Lastly, Fisker's new hybrid sedan, the Karma, is the latest example of this trend. Also more coupe-like, what's more apparent here is the placement of the A-Pillar in relation to the front wheel. It's set back quite far and the lack of plan view in the windshield accentuates this even more. Granted, this is a low view but in other views you'll notice the same thing.


I guess we'll just have to wait and see not only how these latest concepts look on the road but whether or not the trend continues.

I hope not.