Car Design Fetish

Cupholders.  The bane of most designers.  No matter what we try, there really is no way to do right to the beverage-stabilizer that American buyers NEED in their vehicles.  How else are we going to keep our Big Gulps from spilling into our lap when we’re playing Peggle (and driving)?

From experience I can say that designing a good cupholder is far, far more impossible than designing a better mousetrap.

Core77 is linking to a great article from The Big Money’s Matthew Debord in which he speaks about the shift from exterior automotive design to interior, and what consumers demand to go with it.

Check out Core77’s article here, and then follow along to the full write-up on The Big Money.

Episode 14 of the CDF podcast in which we welcome Joe Simpson and Stephen Donald in an epic podcast to talk about car design, design education, and the perception of American automobiles from across the Atlantic.

Hosts:
Dali Dimovski
Dustin Shedlarski
Arvind Ramkrishna

Special Guests:
Joe Simpson
Stephen Donald

For more information:
CarDeisgnFetish.com
Twitter.com/JoeSimpson
Twitter.com/StephenJDonald

 

 CDF Podcast Episode #14: Across the Pond [40:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’m a sucker for cool automotive vehicle surfacing and renders.  Bruno Delusso has added to that addiction, bringing forth his incredibly hot Bugatti Stratos concept done in Alias.  Did I mention it’s hot?  Yes.

Utilizing influence from many classic Italian veehicks, Bruno incorporates some flame styling into the tension of the lines on the bodyside, incorporating graphic breaks via outlines and shapes strewn throughout the surface.  The shapes and break-ups capture a bit of old iron: Art Deco locomotives would feel right at home with this as a sibling.  The Bugatti cues are there, as well as the love of streamlining and speed forms.

It’s waaay out there as a design, but sexy nonetheless!  Check out the sweet images after the break, and then go on ahead to Bruno’s website to see the rest of his great work, including his gaming, non-automotive, and graphic design projects.

[Images courtesy Bruno Delusso via Autoblog]

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Okay, here is one more post from the Motorstadt VI Show.  There was just too much good stuff to put into one article.  This was definitely one of my favorites.  This CC was shown at SEMA last year which I missed going to.  As you can see all the right upgrades were made and in a believable or should I say attainable fashion.  Ground effects, wheels and interior trim bits make a huge effect on this sedan.  I really can’t think of what more I would want to do to this car.  It is hard to believe this a sedan that starts in the mid 20’s.

Check out lots more pics after the jump…. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Friday, CDf made the trek over to the Eve of the Eyes charity event during Eyes on Design weekend.  Held at the Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI the event brought together some of the automotive and design world’s biggest names in a fun-filled evening.

Dustin and I grabbed quite a few photos and video throughout the night, which we’ll post throughout the weekend.

Until then, enjoy the awesome cars we looked at outdoors, courtesy of Classic Design Concepts.

LARGE desktop pictures after the break.

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I know supercars are expensive but you would think when you need to change a tire you would have the right equipment.  Well I guess when you work at the manufacturer your love for such a fine piece of machinery is diluted when you interact with it every day.  Kind of like when the excitement of dating a supermodel turns into the same old routine.  Okay maybe not like that.

Anyway, I am sure any of us would give this car the love and attention it needs if Audi of America doesn’t have enough to spare.

I assume that anyone owning this car would not need to steal a wheel for their own car.  Then again times are tough and this is Detroit.
At least they didn’t leave it sitting on the rotor…..

Hit the jump for some other pics of the car.

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There was a great turn out at this years Motorstadt VI event held at Vw / Audi of America in Auburn Hills, MI.  Since VW has had so few generations of vehicles (Gen VI will be here in the fall) each row of the show is organized into a different generation.  It is fun to see all the different variations done to the same cars of a specific generation.  These VDubs do have a loyal following even here in Detroit.

Check out the pics and if you want even more head on over to the Michigan Volkswagen Enthusiasts (MIVE) website and check out the forums.

Jump for more pics….

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Motorcity Europe is organizing some fantastic sessions for design seminars, taking place in July and August in Cologne, Germany.  Topics of discussion include portfolios, sketching, creativity, and preparation for a career in the automotive industry in today’s economy.

For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page.

Full press release after the break.

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Here is a fun dose of Automobile History displayed in a way we can all understand….a board game.  Take a look through there are some interesting facts.  Did you know the first car phone was releasing in Stockholm in 1956.  The phone weighed 90 pounds and ran off the car battery, crazy!  Oh and save your pennies since in 2005 19 cents out of every dollar earned went toward transportation costs.  Oh that hurts.

Compliments of GOOD

NotCot is one of those websites where you just never know what you’re going to get.  Which, incidently, is why we love it for inspiration.  NotCot.com is the face of the NotCot website “empire”, spewing information gained from its collection of sites into an easily-readable format focusing on Design-related topics, cool products, and Designers.  It utilizes quirkiness to compell the readers to click around, in an almost exploratory way.

That’s about as much of a description that is needed, really.  Don’t take our word for it: check out the site(s) for yourself and enjoy.