“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

The Geneva Motor Show is in full swing, with news bites appearing every day.  The show, unlike the relatively production-oriented NAIAS Detroit show, straddles the SEMA line to bring some truly outrageous, often ground-breaking concept car design.  While there have been some absolute stinkers, what is considered good Design has been truly magnificent at times.

Let’s reiterate the reason that concept cars exist in the first place: they are usually seen as milestones for a company’s Design language and technological goals.  For example: while we may not see production cars with glass wheels anytime soon, the idea that the company is targeting light-weighting may be the real focus.

If what we see at Geneva is any indication, studios are now coming to an understanding that it is the sophistication in technology that can drive Design, not just flashy gimmicks.

We’ve compiled a few of our very favorite concept vehicles that will be driving European automotive design for the next several years.  We lead off with the excruciatingly wonderful Survolt.

Citroen is on a Roll

Not to trump itself with the recently released GQbyCITROËN concept, the double-chevron company strikes back with the Survolt concept.

The Survolt’s boy-racer inspiration hearkens back to the days when we were racing along Gratiot Avenue on Saturday nights, showing off our imports and Detroit muscle at every stop light. Save for the fact that Gratiot is not in Europe, of course.  The Survolt’s unique blend of racing and technology melts our Supra-loving minds, using Citroen’s curvaceous geometric form language inlaid with some unique details and tech.  Take, for instance, the slight indent around wheel arches that help outline the car like a sketch or the almost Tron-like neon surfaces.

Chief Designer Bertrand Dantec devotes some love to the stylish “ribbon” aesthetic, which is exemplified along the surfacing of the door and pillar and up into the roof.  The printed graphics along some of the body panels and the pretzel-twisty wheel designs are a nice frosting instead of a mouthful of cream.  The dark gray sheer sheet of silk that forms the car’s curves are akin to those of any Victoria’s Secret angel; we can’t help but caress the car with our eyes.

One more bit of housekeeping: kudos need to go to the marketing team behind the Survolt for the spectacular photos and imagery.  All cars need to be debuted with this much passion.

The Survolt balances along the tightrope of being almost overdone, which will keep making us give it a double-, triple-, and quadruple-take every time we see it.

Image credits

[Citroen Survolt: Laurent Nivalle, Director]

A new F1 season is upon us, and believe it or not, we’ll have 24 cars on the grid (26 if USF1 manages to work a miracle).  Add to this the return of one Michael Schumacher, and the 60th Grand Prix season is looking pretty promising.  We even have Lotus back (well, sort of).  All this spontaneous nostalgia got me thinking:  Wouldn’t it be great if Alfa were part of the F1 circus again?  Consider the following:

The first World Driving Champions, Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, drove Alfa Romeos.  And even before that, Alfa had conquered legendary races like the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia.  Frankly speaking, Alfa Romeo has a richer racing heritage than all of the current F1 constructors put together – if you don’t count Ferrari.  On that score alone, they belong in F1.  Now, I know that they made a less-than-successful comeback between 1979 and 1985.  To be fair, there were several flashes of brilliance thanks to drivers Andrea de Cesaris and Bruno Giacomelli.  The sport was going through a turbulent period back then, which certainly didn’t help Alfa’s cause.  There was also an ill-fated foray in Indy Cars, which culminated in a disappointing season with Danny Sullivan and U.E. “Pat” Patrick.  Don’t forget that Honda had a similar experience with their engines, but they eventually got it right…

The obvious barrier to Alfa rejoining F1 is Ferrari.  Indeed, why would Fiat want to run two F1 teams at once?  That’s not a very good use of resources.  They’re also a bit busy resurrecting Chrysler;  you may have heard about that.  So this little pipe dream of mine will likely remain just that — a pipe dream.  But speaking as a designer, I think the Alfa brand has come such a long way in such a short period of time.  When I visited the Paris show, I was captivated by their display.  The gloss red walls.  The coffee bar.  The beautiful women.  The passionate product line up.  The cross and snake are back — better than ever.  The only piece that’s missing, besides an American presence, is a Grand Prix effort.  God knows it probably won’t happen.  But hey — we didn’t think we’d be seeing Schumi again, did we?

In many ways, Alfa Romeo’s styling revival has been spearheaded by their hatchbacks.  Models like the 147 and the MiTo have made them serious contenders in this arena.  With the introduction of the Giulietta, their hatch approach takes on a leaner look — not quite as whimsical as the MiTo, but still just as sporty.  The face has a bit more of a technical feel, with multi-layered lamps and razor-sharp surface details.  The bodyside features a prominent bone line that fades in the middle, drawing your eye to the release handle.  Once again, the Alfa team has hidden the second release handle in the DLO, a decision that has never made much sense to me.  I always feel like something is missing…

I like to think that Alfa Romeo is sort of the Italian version of Mazda, and this car reinforces that belief — particularly from the rear.  The execution of the rear glass and spoiler is very Mazdaesque, as are the spearing taillamps.  The wheels also help drive home the sporting feel of the Giulietta, with directional spokes and a two-tone color scheme.  Unfortunately, I am not as enamored with the inside.  While the materials and details are nice, the overall interior theme looks a bit more French than Italian (gasp).  Perhaps it’s the cross-car approach that’s throwing me a bit.  Personally, I get more of an Alfa feel from the MiTo and Brera interiors than I do from the Giulietta’s.  Maybe this theme will grow on me…

Overall, I like the look of the Giulietta.  And it’s another indication of what a fine job Alfa has done developing a consistent look across their product line — without resorting to a Russian doll approach.  It will be interesting to see what new twists and turns this storied brand takes in the years ahead…

The Mercedes-Benz F 800 has style written over it, no really they even included it in the name.  So it must be stylish, right?  You should be able to come up with an attractive vehicle when you combine Audi, BMW and the new swoops of Hyundai.  Yes I just threw in Hyundai when talking about a Benz.  It is exciting though to see a relatively stodgy brand create a vehicle with such emotional surfacing.  The future is looking bright and curvaceous for the brand with the biggest front emblem.

The basic theme lines of the car are nothing really new but are executed in a precise manner.  The complex surfacing looks like Bangle stopped by to touch one more car.  If everything in between these lines was simplified the vehicle would result in a much classier execution.

The rear three quarter has a cool laid back appearance enabled by the downward arc of the DLO and fender crease.  The DLO does appear to sag a bit much in the rear and pinch the front quarter panel.  I think they took this line and added too much crown to it.  The rear lights are clean and simple but mimic too closely Audi and BMW.

The overall proportion of the side view is exciting.  The lines could use some more refinement though.  The front fender crease comes and goes causing some awkward twisting of the surface.  The rocker panel crease appears too flat and loses any dynamic quality.

For a design exercise this is a great attempt by a very conservative luxury player.  Some more refinement will do wonders and help bring in a whole new demographic of buyers.  Let the sport luxury wars begin.

[pics via Serious Wheels, Car Body Design]

This car makes me want to buy a big stack of orange canson.  C3 meets F-type — in an orange grove.

The Vauxhall brand received a serious shake up care of Wayne Cherry, who penned this car in 1966.  Unveiled in Geneva, the XVR borrowed its engine from an XV 4/90.  It featured a backbone chassis, all-independent wishbone suspension and disc brakes.  Unfortunately, only three XVRs were built at Vauxhall’s Engineering and Styling Center (“File:1966 VauxhallXVR.jpg”). When I look these pictures, I can’t help thinking of John DeLorean’s Pontiac Banshee proposal — which also had a short life…

“File:1966 VauxhallXVR.jpg”  Wikimedia Commons 10 July 2009.  Web.  11 Mar  2010.

]]> http://www.cardesignfetish.com/2010/03/11/cool-cars-youve-never-heard-of-vauxhall-xvr/feed 2 http://www.cardesignfetish.com/2010/03/11/cool-cars-youve-never-heard-of-jensen-p66 http://www.cardesignfetish.com/2010/03/11/cool-cars-youve-never-heard-of-jensen-p66#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:29:40 +0000 Jason White http://www.cardesignfetish.com/?p=5222

In another quantum reality, the Jensen Interceptor was never produced.  I know, I know.  The horror.  Pictured above is an intriguing glimpse at what might have been, the Jensen P66 prototype.

The P66 was intended to replace the very unfortunate CV8 (click the link at your own risk).  Only two P66 prototypes were constructed, this one being the sole survivor.  Jensen gave the green light to the Interceptor instead (pictured below), which enjoyed a healthy ten year run (“File:Jensen P66 Prototype 1965 Nottingham JOC International 2009.jpg”). Still, the P66 would have made a nice addition to the Jensen family.  It’s clean, elegant and well-proportioned — all the things the CV8 isn’t (okay, I’ll stop).

Carter,   Stephen.   “File:Jensen P66 Prototype 1965 Nottingham JOC International 2009.jpg”  Wikimedia Commons 6  December  2009.   Web.   11  Mar  2010.

Caprica is the only new show my wife and I watch every week  –  and if we miss it, you can bet we’ll be watching it on demand the following evening.  This Battlestar Galactica spin-off is as notable for its design as it is for its acting.  The Caprican society is technologically advanced, with their virtual reality clubs and robot butlers.  But this high-tech look is cleverly balanced with some inspired prop choices.

A stroll on the streets of Caprica City is like a visiting a museum — some of the most unique products in automotive history are here.  Daniel Graystone (played brilliantly by Eric Stoltz) is chauffeured about in a Jaguar Mk2.  Joseph Adama, a lawyer for the mob, drives a cat-eyed Citroën DS.  In one scene, he even parks it next to a DS wagon!  Other Caprican rides include Peugeots, Renaults and even the occasional Smart car.  Of course, this sort of juxtaposition is not unprecedented.  Science fiction often uses classic cars and/or foreign market cars to reinforce an otherworldly feel.  Ethan Hawke drove an Avanti in Gattaca;  Dark City featured Citroëns, old Chryslers and even an Edsel.  So with this in mind, I have some ideas for future automotive cameos on Caprica (feel free to chime in with your own).

1948 Tucker Torpedo – Admittedly, this selection might bounce a few people out of the show because of the 1988 biopic.  But it has such a great blend of future and past.

1962 Plymouth Belvedere – This car has a vaguely spacey feel about it — probably the spear shapes in the bodyside — but it also has an undeniably classic feel.

1934 Chrysler Imperial – One of the first cars designed and developed in the wind tunnel.  I think Daniel Graystone should trade in his Jag for this model.

1968 Citroën Ami 6 – I’m not sure if it snows on Caprica, but if it does, then this is the car to drive;  no need to clean off the back window.

1967 Toyota Century – This JDM luxury car definitely has some sci-fi appeal, what with its CRT screen headlamps and insect mirrors.

Wow!  This car looks like it jumped out of a Syd Mead painting.  And I’ll bet dry ice comes wafting out when you open the door.  All that’s missing is a soundtrack by Harold Faltermeyer — and some lasers.

Originally developed by Quincy-Lynn Enterprises, the Centurion is built for high-efficiency — that’s right.  Is, not was.  You can still purchase the plans from Robert Q. Reilly Enterprises. The concept combines a Triumph Spitfire chassis, suspension and transmission with a 17-hp Kubota diesel engine.  Obviously, you won’t be setting any speed records with the Centurion — but you just might set some fuel economy records.  To learn more about the car pictured above, visit the Lane Motor Museum website.