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concept cars

Andy Saunders, Automotive Alchemist

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Review by Pete Vack

Thanks to the kind services of Dalton Watson, we have been introduced to one of the more fascinating characters we have ever encountered.

Andy Saunders is a British artist, creator, historian, showman; a coachbuilder in the tradition of the great American customizers. And, like the great George Barris, he is unrestrained, outrageous, impractical, ingenious, he deconstructs and destroys and then creates with no mercy. Nor is he bound by a ’32 Ford body or chassis; his subjects run from a futuristic safety car prototype of the fifties to Citroën 2CVs to Panhards to Zagatos. Aside from mechanical constraints of using existing chassis, unlike other coachbuilders, Saunders has no limits to what he can create. He can and does build whatever comes into his head. I come, I see, I create. [Read more…] about Andy Saunders, Automotive Alchemist

Michael T. Lynch: Art of the Car Concours 2015

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One of the concept cars on the field that got a lot of attention was Scott Morris’ Rambler Palm Beach. This was a Pinin Farina creation built for American Motors Corporation. It was meant to be a replacement for Nash’s aging Nash-Healey and was first shown at the 1953 Turin Auto Show. The jet fighter-inspired design was a much more refined continuation of a theme Farina had begun with the Lancia 200 earlier in 1953. Shortly thereafter, AMC cancelled both the Nash and Hudson nameplates so the car never reached production. It remained with AMC President, Roy Chapin for a while. Both the colors and design are sublime and only the hubcaps reveal the chassis’ humble origins

One of the concepts on the field that got a lot of attention was Scott Morris’ Rambler Palm Beach. This was a Pinin Farina creation built for American Motors Corporation. It was meant to be a replacement for Nash’s aging Nash-Healey and was first shown at the 1953 Turin Auto Show. The jet fighter-inspired design was a much more refined continuation of a theme Farina had begun with an open and closed version of the Lancia 200 earlier in 1953. Shortly thereafter, AMC cancelled both the Nash and Hudson nameplates so the car never reached production. It remained with AMC President, Roy Chapin for a while and is now with Mark Hyman. Both the colors and design are sublime and only the hubcaps reveal the chassis’ humble origins. The Rambler won Peterson Manufacturing’s Bright Ideas on the Move Award.

Story and Photos (unless otherwise noted) by Michael T. Lynch

The 2015 Edition of the Art of the Car Concours® presented by the Kansas City Mercedes-Benz Dealers broke all previous attendance records as well as having over 200 entrants on the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute. Most important was the fact that in the Art of the Car’s nine years of existence, it has now contributed well over $1 million to the Kansas City Art Institute Scholarship Fund. KCAI is a four-year, independent, fully accredited college of art and design offering the bachelor of fine arts degree in a variety of disciplines. [Read more…] about Michael T. Lynch: Art of the Car Concours 2015

Concept Cars and Aerodymanics: Learning from the U.S.

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Cross Atlantic pollination: This Adler 2.5 liter model was introduced at the 1937 Berlin Motor Show. Its aerodynamic shape was a design of Karl Jenschke. The bodies were built by Ambi-Budd in Berlin, and lines were influenced by the Chrysler Airflow.

By Gijsbert-Paul Berk

What the Europeans learned from the Americans
In the previous articles we have presented a number of eye-catching projects and aerodynamic studies created by European coachwork builders or car and aircraft designers during the first three decennia of the 20th century.

See Concept Cars and Aerodynamics, Part 2, Part 1

Though it often seems that the Europeans had the edge in design, during the first thirty years of the century a number of American designers and manufacturers became important sources of inspiration for the European car makers. In this chapter we will determine how the Americans inspired and influenced European manufacturers and what they learned or copied from each other.

This historic machine has nothing to do with aerodynamics, but the 1917 Dodge command car, used by the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during WWI, was one of the first with an ‘all steel’ body.

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Concept Cars and Aerodynamics, 1917-1940

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Kelsch Coupé Aerodynamique on the chassis of a 2 liter Bugatti Type 30.

After the Armistice of 1918 that ended WWI, a number of men who had made a name designing or building aircraft switched their attention to creating automobiles. Some, such as Gabriel Voisin and the brothers Henri and Maurice Farman in France, did so because they needed other products for their factories and/or new challenges for their talents. After he was discharged from the Royal Navy, British inventor and designer Charles Dennistoun Burney sought new activities, following a brilliant wartime career. For the Germans it was pure necessity, as the Treaty of Versailles implied the closure of the German aviation industry and prohibited the Germans to develop airplanes or airships, even for civilian purposes.

Rumpler’s Teardrops
Edmund Rumpler, was an Austrian automotive engineer who was well-known in post-war Germany as the manufacturer of the successful ‘Taube’ (Pigeon), a German warplane based on an original design by Igo Etrich. Rumpler also had experience in automobile design and manufacturing, having worked for Nesselsdorf (later to become Tatra), Daimler and Adler.

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Aerodynamics and Concept Cars: 1888 to 1914

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1911 Grégoire with a coachwork by Alin and Liautard, especially designed to reduce the dust cloud created by the aerodynamic turbulences at the rear of a fast driven motor vehicle.

By Gijsbert-Paul Berk

The selection of outstanding aerodynamic designs up to 1930 that I will present to you is by nature, very arbitrary. During those years there were many other very original automotive creations as well.

However, the concepts I have chosen, have at least two things in common:

1. All of them incorporated new ideas that have influenced future automobile designers.
2. Most of them must have disappointed their designers/creators, as not a single one did everything they expected or became a commercial success. The only exception is Jenatzy’s electric record beater, because with that car he realized his dream to go faster than 100 km/h. But he did call his machine ‘Jamais Contente (Never Satisfied).

Jenatzy's electric powered 'Jamais Contente' was very advanced and streamlined. But the heavy Fulmen batteries were housed in a large square box under the chassis, the car measured 1,40 m. above street level. However, Camile Jenztzy’s large torso and head towering over the streamlined body and the rather unsophisticated undercarriage (chassis) must have spoiled its low drag.

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Making People Dream: Design Chiefs Discuss Concept Cars

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2009-Renault-DeZir

Top Design Chiefs Discuss Concept Cars

By Gijsbert-Paul Berk

Concept cars; one sees them today at every international Motor Show. Earlier this year there was even a special exhibition of both concept cars and concept motor bikes in Paris, as part of the 28th Festival International d’Automobile.

Over the years it has become a tradition that a number of leading car manufacturers and famous design studios show their vision for the future at major cars shows. Some of these concepts are far-fetched fantasies, with details – such as door constructions – that are impossible to realize in economical mass production, or use materials that are either too expensive or otherwise unsuitable. Others are more realistic reflections of how some models of the next generation will look.

During the 20th century, the construction and style of automobiles evolved quite dramatically. The dreamcars, or showcars certainly added interest and excitement to the various Exhibitions or Concourses d’Elegance. But in today’s world, is there a future for concept cars?

Today, however, the automobile is a fully mature consumer product. Creating concept cars is an expensive endeavor. And aside from the haute couture fashion houses, no other industry presents products which are not yet for sale. Cars are, after all, merely appliances. One wonders why the industry continues to spend huge amounts on concept cars that the visitors cannot buy. Why create demand for models that are not yet and indeed may never be in the showrooms?

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A Look at Today’s Concept Cars

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One of the highlights of this year's Geneva Auto Show is the 2013 Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio Concept, a design exercise built to pay tribute to the to late Sergio Pininfarina, who passed away last year. The 2013 Pininfarina Sergio is a realistic concept that could easily be produced in limited series, It is only 1,140 m high, 1,94 m wide, 4,55 m long and weighs 1280 kg. It offers real sports performance, with acceleration from 0-100 km/h estimated at below 3.4 seconds and a top speed of around 320 km. Click for YouTube.

By Gijsbert-Paul Berk

Ferrari Sergio Concept Car

The Ferrari Sergio Concept is a windscreen-less open two-seater sports car (Barchetta). Its mechanicals are those of a Ferrari 458 Spider. Thus the concept car has the same wheelbase and tracks and is also powered by a 4.5L V8, mated to a seven-speed sequential gear box.
[Read more…] about A Look at Today’s Concept Cars

Renault Alpine A110-50

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Alpine110-50

Story and photos by Roy Smith

For many years enthusiasts of the Renault Alpine have been yearning for a new model from the mother company, who still owns the rights to the Alpine name and logo.

But the likelihood of a new Alpine coming into production was, and in fact probably still is, a risky proposition for the risk-averse Renault.

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The Renault DeZir: The Emotional Concept Car

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Photo courtesy Renault Communications

Words by Roberto Motta
Photos by Renault Communications

Last week we brought you a bit of news about Renault’s plans for the new range of electric cars to go on sale in mid-2011.

This week, we present the DeZir electric concept car, first seen at the Paris Auto show in October 2010. The Z is for zero emissions, and the name is pronounced desire, even in French. And it is desirable—along with the Citroen Survolt certainly one of the most interesting and attractive concept cars we’ve seen in a long time. In the past few years, it seems that the French have taken the lead in both styling exercises and pushing the envelope on diesel and electric forms of propulsion.
[Read more…] about The Renault DeZir: The Emotional Concept Car

Dream On, Turin

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Turin dream show

Photos and Story by Alessandro Gerelli

Automotive history in the Turin area has developed in two directions: the first is production and the second is the creativity, craftsmanship and technology in body design which has resulted in a wide variety of important prototypes and concept cars that very often have anticipated the series production.
[Read more…] about Dream On, Turin

The Ford That Thought It Was a Cisitalia

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308-1.jpg
Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

By Brandes Elitch

As recounted in a previous article, the organizers of the Pebble Beach concours, in an effort to dispel the image of the entrants as so called trailer queens, initiated a drive for the entrants around the Monterey Peninsula.
[Read more…] about The Ford That Thought It Was a Cisitalia

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