The AMX/3 made its debut at the 1970 Chicago Auto Show.  As we say in the business, this car was not “a runner” — just a pretty fiberglass shell.  However, AMC did make plans to build the car, and sent the body molds to Italian sports car maker Bizzarrini.  The resulting steel-bodied prototypes featured AMC’s 6.4 liter V8 engine married to an Italian 4-speed transaxle.  BMW drove the AMX/3 and said it was the most neutral handling car they had ever tested!  Unfortunately, like so many other installments of Cool Cars You’ve Never Heard Of, this one has an anti-climactic ending.  AMC decided to cancel the program after only five cars were built  (“AMC AMX”).

Speaking as a designer, I find this car very striking.  The character line obviously sets it apart from, say, a Corvette or a Ferrari.  The proportions are befitting of the Italian workmanship, looking like a cross between a De Tomaso Pantera and Mangusta.  One small point: I would love to see this car in a warm silver; I get the feeling that the yellow paint is not doing this shape complete justice…

“AMC AMX.”  Wikipedia. 21 Jul. 2010.  Web.  28 Jul. 2010.

Made in Florida by Sebring Vanguard,  the CitiCar is surprisingly capable given the era in which it was built.  Its eight 6-volt batteries can be recharged via a 110 outlet,  with a charging time between 3 and 9 hours.  Although  it can only reach 38 mph, it leaps right off the line — thanks to the fact that it only weighs 1300 lbs!  Appropriately,  the 6 hp motor was supplied by General Electric.  And not unlike another oddity from the same era (the Bricklin SV-1), the CitiCar makes use of exotic plastic processes.  Its Cycolac body, as you might guess, suffers from the same uneven fit and finish that dogs the SV-1.

Still, it was reasonably priced at less than $3,000 (you could spend several hundred more on a new Chevy Nova, for comparison).  And similar to today’s hybrid vehicles, the batteries lasted around six years.  Frankly speaking, I like the way it looks.  It reminds me of some Syd Mead paintings I’ve seen…

A few weeks ago, we featured formfreu.de as our Web of the Week.  This blog has generated quite a buzz in design circles, most notably for its amazing photos and great attention to detail.  Formfreu is the brainchild of German designers Thomas Sälzle and Markus Haub.  They recently took a quick time out to talk to Car Design Fetish about their process, their vision, and what drives them as designers…

CDF:  Tell us a bit about your backgrounds.  Where are you from, and where did you go to school?

Markus Haub: I am from Mainz, near Frankfurt. I studied Transportation Design with Thomas at the University of Applied Sciences in Pforzheim. That‘s where we met back in 1993. Thomas is from Ulm in the South of Germany.

CDF:  Were you both always this interested in cars, or is this a passion that built over the years?

Thomas Sälzle: Yes, for sure. My passion for cars started with toys. I was always collecting car brochures from various local dealers my dad took me to. I remember the 1983 Fiat Uno having a big visual impact on me. The car was so different from all the other cars on the street. So clean, so light…

M: I‘ve always liked cars. I read all the magazines I could get, especially about sports cars like Ferraris or Lamborghinis. I was about 12 or 13 years old when I started drawing them. First I copied existing cars, then I started my own creations. I still have them stored somewhere.

T: I think I was sketching doodles in the magazines on top of the photos. This means I was transforming three-box-cars, for example, into fastbacks or station wagons or doing some kind of restyling (laughs).

CDF:  What provided the impetus for you to start FORMFREU.DE ?

M. : We always travel to all kinds of events and take pictures. The amount of photos was just getting bigger and bigger, so we were looking for a way to archive and share these photos.

T: There are so many cool things to capture – architecture, life in trendy cities like Berlin and Barcelona, fashion shows, some hip happenings, and of course, cars.

M: I remember talking about the project for a long time. One night out at a bar in Wiesbaden, the idea and the name was born. FORMFREU.DE, which means something like the enjoyment of shape. But also plays with the DE ending. The blog provides the perfect format for our idea.

T: That was the Haltbar Pub at Neugasse in Wiesbaden. We should go back there one day. I haven’t been in a while.

CDF:  The depth of your blog’s content is quite amazing.  How many people do you have working on your site?

M: Basically it’s just the two of us. Sometimes we have friends and contributors who provide us with special reports, like Simon Grand from Turin or Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani from Rome.

T: Fabrizio recently sent us some amazing pictures of Mille Miglia cars in an underground parking garage in Rome. Super cool!!

CDF:  What kind of cameras are you using to capture these photos?  Do you use any special lenses?

M: No, nothing special. I only used a small Casio Exilim and a Canon PowerShot for years. Just recently I bought a Nikon D5000. That increased the quality of the images quite a bit, but in general, I think that the camera is not the important thing. It’s the eye for the object and the situation.

T: Markus convinced me to buy the Nikon, too. And I love it! I am also surprised about the quality of pictures done with the iPhone. Somehow, they have a special feeling about them.

CDF:  Many of your galleries are presented in portrait format.  Is there a specific reason you tend to favor this orientation?

T: Maybe it’s just different and unexpected…Cars are usually photographed in horizontal format. Sometimes we focus more on details and composition. I like it better this way.

CDF:  When you attend a show or a gathering, what do you two look for when you’re taking photographs?  What catches your eye?

M: I try to look for the beauty in the object. The composition of the photo is very important. The backround, the sharpness, the color. The object itself becomes sometimes secondary. Beauty is everywhere..

T: Perfect explanation, Markus.  (smiles)

CDF:  How many events do you cover in a given year?

M: We don‘t count or plan. We usually attend Geneva, Frankfurt and Paris as car designers. But there are also classic car shows and other events. We don‘t go always together. Thomas lives in Germany and I live in Barcelona, so we also cover our local events. This way we get a large variety of stuff. Basically, it’s just a hobby.

CDF:  Are there any places or events that you haven’t visited that you’re dying to see?

M: I would really like to go to Goodwood Festival of Speed.  I have been to the Le Mans Classic, the Mille Miglia, the Pebble Beach Concours d elegance, but not Goodwood.  Someday…  And I would love to go to New York again. Last time I visited there was almost 10 years ago, so it’s time to go again.

T: We should definitely try to make the Mille Miglia next year.

CDF:  What has the reaction been to your work since the site was founded?

M: We‘ve gotten a lot of good feedback and we’ve also made some interesting contacts — like the guys from the German INTERSECTION magazine. Now we collaborate with them, write articles and share photos.

T: Every month our number of visitors grows – and it’s people from all over the world. The success also requires a lot of discipline our side in order to feed the website regularly with cool stuff.

CDF:  Of all the photo collections you’ve posted, do you have any personal favorites?

M: I liked our recent series of posts about the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (see below). We had so much great material that we had to devide it into several sub-categories.

T: Markus took some amazing pictures at Hockenheim and the Nurburgring (see below).

I remember some exciting moments taking photos of the Bierpinsel building in Berlin or visiting the former Tempelhof Airport. These places are full of history.  Berlin is so inspirational to me. The best pictures are still on my harddisk and are waiting to be published! (laughs)

CDF:  Have you considered publishing a hardcover book of your photographs, as a sort of coffee table book?

M: Yes, this is still one of our favorite ideas. It‘s nice to have all the photos on the web, but we think a book would be a nice thing to have. We also thought about a magazine or even an exhibition. There are so many possibilities.

T: I think a book would be an interesting challenge; we could mix up pictures so there’s some cool and unexpected dialogue inbetween them. Markus and I also have a second project in the pipeline. We have been collecting hundreds of old pictures from flea markets that show people with their cars. Most of them are black and white. Taking photos at that time was only for very special moments. So you can really see the pride of the people in front of their own cars.  We would like to evaluate these moments and emotions and put together something really stunning.

CDF:  The bulk of your work concerns classic automotive details.  What are your feelings about the details found on automobiles sold today?

M:  Most of them are not so interesting. But maybe that‘s because you see them a lot on the street. Classic car details are rarer.

CDF:  What role or purpose do you believe details should play in the world of auto design today?

M: It’s not the main thing, but a nice car with bad detailing is a pity. On the other hand, nice details won’t help a bad car. The design should be coherent.  The love that went into the designing of the car should be apparent as well.

CDF:  Of all the auto companies out there, who do you think really understands the role that detail plays in design?

M: I think that Audi or Porsche pay a lot of attention to details and quality in general. Recently, I also found nice details on Ferraris, which are usually lacking in that respect. I remember the doorhandle of the Fiat Barchetta. Everybody talked about it. Or the Mini swichtes on the center console.

CDF: Who are your favorite automotive designers, past and present?

T: My heros are Hans Ledwinka (the man behind the streamlined Tatras of the 30s) and, of course, Giorgetto Giugiaro. From my times at Fiat I remember in particular Mike Robinson, today’s head of Stile Bertone – a great character and fantastic coach, encouraging and stimulating his designers with care and respect for their creativity.

M: If I have to pick one, it’s probably Giorgetto Giugiaro. The amount of great concepts and designs he’s done is just amazing, especially in the 70s. The Maserati Boomerang, the Bora, the BMW M1, the Lotus Esprit.. But also the De Tomaso Mangusta, or the De Lorean DMC-12 in the 80s. Or the Alfa Romeo Brera in 2002. I also had the luck to work at Design Center Europe (Volkswagen Group) with some outstanding designers, which I admire a lot. Jean-Pierre Ploue (who did the Renault Argos or Laguna concepts back in the 90s and the Renault Twingo I. He is today head of design at Citroen/Peugeot). Another designer was Davide Arcangeli, who has unfortunately passed away. He had an outstanding sense of proportion and volume and a beautiful drawing style. He designed the BMW 5er (E60) or the Peugeot 406 Coupe from 1996. I learned a lot from both, not least of which from their character. Later, while working at Renault I met fantastic designers like Stephane Janin, Francois Leboine or David Durand …there are so many more I could mention.

CDF:  Your tastes seem to be very wide ranging and eclectic, but are there any designs that you simply cannot stand?

M:  Carwise, I really dont like the Citroen Picasso (1999) and I never understood how it could be successful in the marketplace.  Also, some american cars of the 80s and 90s. It’s not my taste.

CDF:  What’s in the near future for FORMFREU.DE ?  Do you have a list of shows to attend this summer?

M: In the summer I will be in Germany, mainly. We will take part in the famous Sachsen Classic Rallye in August. I will also try to go to the Oldtimer GT at Nurburgring and some other events. And the Paris Motor Show is in October.

T: I am really looking forward to my trip to Berlin this week. The DMY Design Festival is taking place in the hangars of the former Tempelhof Airport, and there’s also the ILA Berlin Air Show in Schönefeld. And Berlin Fashion Week is coming soon…

CDF:  Do either of you have any advice for future or aspiring car designers?

M: I teach at the Instituto Europeo di Design school in Barcelona, so that question comes up often.  I think that they really, really have to love what they do. They also need talent, a good knowlege of cars and whats going on the the design field. You have to be aware of what the top level students are doing these days and what you will have to do to compete with them for a job. Its an international business, so good english is necessary. You might get a job outside of your home country.

CDF:  Will we see either of you in Detroit anytime soon?

M: I have no plans so far. It would be a big trip for me, and the Detroit show has lost a bit of its importance recently. But I have a good friend there, so that might be a good reason.

CDF:  Thank you both very much.

*all images used with the kind permission of formfreu.de

At this years Ward’s Auto Interior Conference held in Dearborn the other day J Mays was the key note speaker and brought a little something special to our shores.  The Ford Start Concept was on hand for the first time in the states after its debut at the Beijing Auto Show a few weeks ago.  This concept would definitely give Mini and the Fiat 500 a run for their money.  Look past the fuzzy cell phone pics and hit the jump for some fetish thoughts.

The exterior of the car provides a solid presence despite its diminutive size.  The surfaces are clean and simple emphasizing a more upscale and sophisticated look.  J Mays was presented as the designer who created the original Audi TT and the new VW Beetle.  I can definitely see those influences in this design.  J Mays even referred to the Start as charming which can also be used with the Beetle.  I see this car as being J’s new interpretation of the Beetle and TT, but for Ford.  It stands for everything the Beetle and TT were.  Simple, efficient and to the point.

A new take on familiar lines.

The lighting on the Start is very simple and minimal showing what you can do with some simple LED’s.  The wheels are also very cool.  They make me think of how a steel wheel can be redesigned to actually look aesthetically pleasing.  The design language of the wheel is also transferred to the engine bay in the sea of plastic covering the 1 liter eco boost.

J Mays talked about the interior having only three areas of criteria.  Be driver oriented, no clutter and a three spoke steering wheel.  These items all portray the new “Fun to Drive” mantra at Ford.  Every vehicle from now on must be Fun to Drive.  I like the sound of that.  The three spoke steering wheel and analog gauges speak to the racer in us with functional and easy to use interface.  No crazy 3-d graphics here.  Mays’ talked about this fitting in with the Kinetic design language, but I am unsure how.  I do like the Kinetic language but it is kind of busy and this concept clearly is not.

Could this be the next generation interpretation of Kinetic Design.  It would work well to follow the customer who is buying a Fiesta now.  As the consumer matures so does the product.  This could drive a returning customer.  Overall the Start is a charming small car that will  get you from point A to point B in a “Fun” fashion.

Just how rare are Buccialis?  Well, Paul-Albert Bucciali built only six cars between 1926 and 1932.  Of those six, only this one was sold!  During its life, the car’s coach and chassis parted ways for a period of time.  But thanks to the hard work of collector Raymond Jones, it has been restored to its original state — exactly how it was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1932.  On site, the ’32 TAV-12 is simply jaw-dropping.  The proportions suggest an owner somewhere between Cruella de Vil and Charles de Gaulle.  The contrast between the thin windscreen and the oversized wheels is beyond cartoonish, but it works.  Power is provided by a Voisin V-12 engine, while the body comes from Saoutchik, a French coach-builder.  The detailing is exquisite, employing such diverse materials as silver, bronze and gold-plated brass.  And the black/burgundy color scheme hits just the right note.  I have no clue what happened to the other five Buccialis, but at least we have this one shining example to appreciate.

As nice as the Pandion is, it doesn’t really read as an Alfa Romeo — for two main reasons.  First, the overall theme bares a strong resemblance to the BMW Vision concept. Yes, these are two different cars.  But the low sideglass with the white-on-black color scheme is a pretty indelible image — one that tends to push distinguishing details toward the background.  Second, the trademark Alfa grille flows into a horizontal slot, resulting in a sort of three-pointed graphic.  If the triangle were trimmed with a brighter accent, this might work.  But the way it is now, the identity looks a bit too subdued.

Still, despite these drawbacks, the Pandion is a well-executed theme.  I particularly like the sculptural framework inside the door jam;  most interior designers don’t consider this area part of their canvas, but they should.  The seat forms match the outside shapes well, and the intricate wheels compliment the clean exterior.  The overall impression is both classic and high-tech.  It’s just unfortunate that this concept has to share the stage with other vehicles that are much stronger examples of the Alfa Romeo brand.  On its own, I’m sure the Pandion makes a far more impactful statement.

“Peugeot”. I love saying that word. It’s sexy in that “I have a sexy French accent” kind of way. Birthing forth from Peugeot is the SR1, a turbo-diesel hybrid that anyone living in Twin Peaks would love.

Spacey, futuristic, and gorgeous.  Peugeot (almost) always makes sexy vehicles that rely on perfect proportion to stand out, and the SR1 does that with a tantalizing extended hood and silhouette.

Peugeot have done something interesting with this concept.  While indeed the silhouette rocks our socks, the incredible details are what really set apart this exterior.  The SR1′s use of slightly 3-D elements and surfaces are “painted on” the bodyside with what can only be described as being similar to the strokes from a palette knife or brush.  The 2-D lines that lead our eyes around the vehicle remind me personally of the zipping arrows that I used for call-outs on sketches.  Indeed, they point to great eye-candy here as well.

What makes the SR1 special isn’t just the exterior; the vehicle’s interior, especially the IP, is outstanding.  Like something out of Mass Effect, the futuristic wrap-around (wood?) is a minimalistic take on Martian landscape, yet the details scream for space ship navigation.  Here’s a prime example of why we love this car: the gauges aren’t gauges… they’re frickin’ crystals.

Atlantis, here we come.

The facts: the 918 Spyder is a hybrid electric engine capable of achieving 500HP, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, and 78 MPG.  The downer: it’s just a concept (for now) but Porsche admitted that they, too, are in love enough to potentially pursue the vehicle on the open road.

While at first glance there appears to be a bit of Ferrari envy in the front end, it can’t be denied that the 918 is all Porsche.  Taking cues from the 966, the curvature of the hood and haunches is only broken by some of the crisp and dedicated linework around the body. The Spyder looks to be constantly undulating in and our of itself, with slivers of carbon fiber (thankfully not overdone) emerging like fangs from a pit viper.

To say that the vehicle doesn’t have any excess isn’t true.  The rear roofline is littered with all manner of doohickies and plastic, culminating in the multi-layered back end and its brow-like wing.  But that’s just Porsche, you see.  They’re known for controlled excess and overkill.  In this car, they manage to capture the look of a devilish snake (front half) emerging from its skin (rear), perhaps ready to strike at the poor victims ahead of it on the road.

Images courtesy Porsche