The picture does not do the Z06 Justice, see this thing on the road and you will be excited……

I stopped by a cookout in sunny Farmington Hills, Mi. last weekend. This cookout was no ordinary cookout; it was filled with young (and young at heart) automotive designers from various OEM’s, mixing it up a bit. Side note to all the men at the party, you all suck at flip cup, loose 3 in a row to the women? Come on guys……. you are suposto be manley men….

So let me start the story. A few years ago there were 2 young design graduates that bought used Vipers right out of design school (good for them sweet car). It seemed for a little while there, the Viper had become the “it” car to have. Shortly after said 2 designers bought their Vipers, more and more designers started to pick up Vipers, and the running joke was, “when are you going to get your Viper.” Fast forward about 2 years, and the new designer trend is now going towards the Corvette Z06. Now only 2 designers have bought Z06′es, but I smell a new trend about to blow up. A wise rapper once said “you talk like who you slang with and piece like who you paint with.” If this quote is any indication of things to come, I can almost bet the next Designer Cookout I attend; there will be a new Z06.

So if there is anyone out there who is thinking of posing like a designer, be warned a Viper will no longer do it, you will be caught. Get yourself a new Z06, and you got yourselves instant designer street cred.

My own personal observation……. The new Z06 is HOT!!!!!! I am by no means a Corvette guy, but the new car is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. It screams beat the piss out of me. With wider front and rear fenders, more vents and scoops; this car looks like it came to drop the hammer…….

I was looking at the new Suzuki Splash and Opel Agila on Car Body Design.com when I noticed a strong resemblance to another car we have just been exposed too….the Chevy Beat. The Beat (I believe to be a favorite with the Gen Y demographic) looks like it was based off of these two production vehicles. Could that mean we could see it soon, maybe within a year since its’ brother and sister are already out. I sure hope so, I would love to see this little pocket rocket zippin’ around D town. Lets just hope the Beat doesn’t lose its’ flair like its’ siblings. Who’s with me…

The German Bulldogs at VW have officially done it. They’ve managed to create an orgasm at 325 kph.

The VW Golf GTI W12-650 concept vehicle might very well be the perfect boy-racer. We can babble on about the highly detailed stat sheet of technology under its hood (650 bhp, 6.0-liter bi-turbo W12 engine) but we’ll focus on the design aesthetics of it… because it is just so damn sexy!

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Grabbed your attention, didn’t I. This seating system from Dedon is perfect for those with a lack of space. The Obelisk’s 4 chairs and side table stack into this 8 foot tall “bullet”. Perfect for the 50ft woman…..

This set is made of woven polyethylene with a powder-coated aluminum frame and sells for about $9,000. The Obelisk certainly isn’t for the short ones out there unless you don’t mind pulling out a chair to put the chairs away. Anyway it is a pretty sweet concept and i hope it spurs other similar ideas. It definitely looks better than the four folding chairs leaning against each other in the garage.

When Pininfarina is on, they are really fuckin on (yes this hotness deserves the F word).

One car I have been lusting over of the past year is the Pininfarina-designed Ferrari P4/5. I do not know how they do it, but way to 1-up your customer (in the case Ferrari). There is a rare occasion that a styling house can actually do a better design then the original OEM. Yeah yeah Hamann, Alpina, AMG, etc. tune cars and “Kit” them, but what was created here was essentially an entirely new car over the bones of a Ferrari Enzo. The car was created as a one off fantasy of a very wealthy collector by the name of James Glickenhaus, an American collector with a yen for the legendary racing cars of the Sixties. Talk about masturbating in front of your friends, this car is the ultimate penis extender. However you look at it, I do not think you can argue with the subtle and timeless beauty of the design, proportion, and feeling this car exudes. Bravo Mr. Glickenhaus, for your self importance has given birth to a thing of beauty!
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This years CIA Spring Show was a good one. This was my first time to go back to my old school and really get a chance to go through all the work and get an in depth look at it all. I must say I was quite impressed. The quality of work was high and there was a lot of it. The graduating automotive students had a room all to their selves and they covered every wall from floor to ceiling with models filling the center. The work was so good that Chrysler was there giving interviews during the show of which two students were hired. I’ll let the work speak for itself. Check it out in the gallery.

Along with Automotive, students also study Product and Interior design. These other areas help develop students that have experience in every major area of design. In such a competitive market this school has the work to compete.

It is sooooo easy to design a super car……. this is a common statement made among car design students quite often. I heard it time and time again as I was a student, and finally, there is proof to my argument that designing a super car is not as easy as it may seem.

This statement comes about because a super car already has a sweet proportion, is low to the ground, wide, with huge wheel arches, and an athletic stance. Many argue that you can not mess it up too bad; well here is my proof, that designing a super car should not be attempted by the unskilled. Holy tortured surfaces Batman.

(Weber Press Release, who cares when the car is soo harsh on the eyes) The aerodynamic tuning is probably the most important thing from a super sportscar. Our technicians have spent a long time with the optimism. Over a period of nine months new models were designed again and again. The perfect result can be showed! Reaching the finale speed of over 400 km/h is guaranteed. Important in this case are those contact pressure in the front and in the rear, so that the vehicle remains stable at the street. The engine and transmission interpretation were determined due to these dates. We have a power reserve of 15%, in order to reach the final speed.
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What does AMG mean to you? There are many cars that get me going, but to me AMG has always been about starting with the best, and making it even better. From the subtle styling enhancements, to brutal performance gains, AMG has brought us the finest in Mercedes tuning for 40 years…..

(DaimlerChrysler Press Release) 40 Years of AMG: From a two-man start-up to a global business

Stuttgart, May 08, 2007 From its beginnings 40 years ago as a specialist motorsport and tuning firm, Mercedes-AMG GmbH has grown into a supplier of exclusive high-performance cars with some 750 employees, an extensive model range comprising 18 different AMG cars, customers across the world and a brand name which has gained a high level of recognition.

The company was founded on June 1, 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht (A) and his partner Erhard Melcher (M); the third letter in the company name (G) came from Aufrecht’s birthplace, Großaspach. The two men officially described themselves as “Engineering, construction and testing specialists in the development of racing engines”. The firm was based in an old mill in Burgstall (near Affalterbach).

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Sometimes, it’s much easier to have fun designing when you are given the task of working with non-traditional objects.

Chris Dimino was given such a task: Adapt a gas mask to fit our daily lives.

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The gap between gaming/movies and actual technology is shrinking. Nothing is more apparent of this than the all-new F-35 fighter pilot helmet. The mere sight of this helmet should make enemy pilots crap their pants.

Ahh yes, Master Chief would be proud.

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