Being an F1 fan, I’ve always been familiar with the name Ligier. Their French blue cars were a fixture on the Grand Prix circuit for years. Turns out they also made a production sports car: The Ligier JS2.
Every premium brand has at least one black sheep. For Ferrari, it’s the 308 GT4. For Jag, it’s the XJS. For Porsche, it would have to be the ol’ 928. I’ve never been a Porsche aficionado, but this car has always piqued my interest. I’m disappointed that even after 30+ years, it still isn’t held in high regard.
Category : Concept Car
What might eco-friendly vehicles look like in the future? How about the not-so-distant future? Jamie Martin, of the UK’s Jamie Martin Design, takes a stab at bringing a unique, exciting look at hatchbacks in the year 2014.
Martin’s vehicle has quite a bit of focus on airflow, both into and around the vehicle, and spacial distribution of material to give it a more dynamic, almost futuristic, appearance. The orange trim details maintain its sportiness against other near-future competitive hatches like the Civic. The boy-racer aesthetic lives on in 4 years.
The vehicle isn’t a wild departure from what we see on the road today. In fact, it looks like the evolution of what vehicles like the Chevy Volt and new Honda CR-Z can become, mixing crisp aesthetic lines with unique proportions on smaller frame.
More images and details after the break. All images courtesy Jamie Martin Designs.
The Domus Academy, based out of Italy, is hosting a unique automotive design competition through their Master in Car Design program. The competition aims to redefine what makes a vehicle unique, citing the constant merging and shifting corporate landscape as a possible reason why cars: A) still have 4 wheels, B) still have the same interiors, and C) are, well, still pretty much the same after 100 or so years on the road.
The competition asks designers to examine the neglected needs of the consumers and to propose solutions for their changing needs.
Scholarships are available to the three best entries, covering up to 70% of the total tuition fee for a Masters Degree for the 2010 academic year.
For those interested, this is a terrific opportunity to both continue their design education and to take part in a unique competition.
The competition is open to students and professionals, with a deadline of 31 March 2010.
More information can be found at domusacademy.it/unlikeacar
Full press release after the break.
Category : Events
Our friends at Autoline After Hours have a treat for us tonight, hosting a live webcast with GM Designer Bob Boniface (and former instructor of yours truly at CCS). Bob, who’s career spans companies like Chrysler (the Intrepid) and GM (Volt) will be chatting about design, GM, and the electric revolution. This is a great opportunity to speak to one of the individuals directly involved with GM’s creative content and the future of their automobiles.
The event starts at 7PM ET / 4PM PT at www.AutolineDetroit.tv, or view via the embedded video below.
Autoline After Hours #44
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Got questions for Rapid Fire? Put “AAH Question” in the subject line and e-mail it to viewermail@autolinedetroit.tv or … Call us at 1-620-288-6546 (1-620-AUTOLIN) or by clicking below!
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Category : Fetishing
Design and aesthetics are a very subjective topic. There is probably no item out there that everyone would agree is beautiful. In the automotive world clinics formed from a variety of people are put together to review a new product/ aesthetic. The feedback is then averaged out and produces something along the lines of a Toyota. Beige, bland and devoid of any personality. Supposedly this is what everyone likes and reduces the risk of launching a new product.
What if we can look into someone’s brain and see their reaction to something without even asking them a question? This observation can be more honest than what a consumer may tell you. Lets take it even further and put a monetary worth to it as well. That is exactly what researchers from Duke University Medical Center set out to do. Check out the article below and just swap out “person’s face” with “automobile” to make it relevant in the car world.
This process could totally change how new products and aesthetics are evaluated.
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) –
New brain-scan research is providing insight into how you decide what things are worth.
Two weeks ago, we reviewed Lap of the Gods, arguably one of the best F1 videos ever produced. Now, Terrific Stuff brings us The Saga of Formula One – Volume 1, a cornucopia of footage, interviews and anecdotes. Alain Boisnard’s films and the voice of Bob Constanduros comprise two programs:
One of my favorite movies is The French Connection. William Friedkin’s Oscar-winning masterpiece is so many things: Gritty, exciting, violent, dark, authentic, even funny at times. So much has been said about the cast of this film, but I feel not enough has been said about one key character: The brown Lincoln. Whenever I see a Continental Mark III at a show (which is rare), I can hear Gene Hackman in the back of my head saying, “That car’s dirty, Cloudy. We’re gonna sit here all night if we have to.”
Category : Autoshows, Design, Production Car
When I heard Saab would be “winding down”, the first thing that popped into my head was the new 9-5. All that work. All that development. For nothing? Surely, someone would step in and save the day. Thanks to some last-minute heroics and a lot of money, that someone turned out to be Spyker.
Every time I see the front of Cobo Hall (what I like to call the Q*bert facade), the first thing that comes to my mind is the image above: Nelson Piquet slamming down through the gears as he approaches Washington Boulevard. After several sharp turns and a quick trip through the tunnel, he unleashes the full fury of his Honda V6 along the Detroit River. Everything is running smoothly. Then, out of nowhere, WHAM! A slower car trips up Piquet, sending him into a barrier. The voice of F1, Murray Walker, quips, “Oh, well. It can happen to the best, can’t it! We’ll turn a blind eye to that one, Nelson!”