Retired GM Designer Still Affected By Studebakers

[DEEPNHOCK]

http://www.digitaltrends.com/photogalleries/retired-gm-designer-creates-a-series-of-future-concepts-based-on-retro-classics/

.

.(snippet copy....see link for complete story)

Take a look at these fantastic future interpretations of some classic cars like the Ford Maverick and Jaguar XK 120 from former GM designer Nelson Barros.
Former design studio manager at General Motors Brasil, Nelson Barros, who has had more than 30 years of experience in the auto industry, recently sent CarBodyDesign

[gordr]

Well, it's nice that he gave Studebaker a nod, but the trouble is all those designs look like current offerings, blobs, with a few styling cues from their namesakes to make them distinctive. They mostly have the same overall shape, just like current cars. It's the tyranny of the wind tunnel. Cars used to have shape, and crisp definition of their body lines. No longer.

[Lothar]

It's the tyranny of the wind tunnel.

Well said, Gord. You gotta admit though, he did make the Maverick look better.

[TDITS]

The Maverick looks to much like a new Camaro

[kmac530]

but the trouble is all those designs look like current offerings, blobs, with a few styling cues from their namesakes to make them distinctive. It's the tyranny of the wind tunnel. Cars used to have shape, and crisp definition of their body lines. No longer.

But that is exactly the point. Take the cool details that make a car like that Bulletnose or that Xk120 and bring it up to date. Put it in a wind tunnel, get it up to modern performance standards and fuel economy, but KEEP the details and styling of the originals. I like all of those designs except the Maveric. That truely has no real styling cues to begin with. It was a kind of plain, generic looking car originally with few POP factors.

I actually think he has done a really good job of using modern aerodynamics and still keeping true to the look and feel of the vintage. What would be the point of just drawing a Bulletnose, 50s Vette, Xk120 that is nothing more than a drawing of the original....? They make beautiful art drawings, but this is automotive design.

I like it.

[kmac530]

PS: I do not like any of the modern blob cars either for the most part as well. They have no design to them. It is getting hard to tell a Camry from an Accord or a Malibu or a KIa whatever....but these cars do have vintage cues and stand out from those blobs...imho anyway

[deco_droid]

I would like to know really how bad the drag coefficient was on older steamlined looking cars. I've seen some beautiful looking deco inspired cars that look as slippery as any 2000-era blob car, but they had style.

[8E45E]

Mercedes Benz has been looking at the dynamics of the boxfish for vehicle design in the past few years to get away from the half-used bar of soap look.

Craig

[kmac530]

That will be a much better look Craig....a fish that is holding his breath....sounds like the new Prius V minivan thing.

I actually think with some serious wind tunnel time and testing, you could actually use the backward sloping front fenders of an old bulletnose and use the front bumper as a splitter and the compression of air in between could be used to create front down force and maybe exhaust the compressed air to the brakes for cooling or thru a steeply angled radiator to keep a low hood line. This would keep that classive pointed nose and receeding lower body nose aspect but use it to improve performance...possible, but I am no engineer or designer.

[Chris Pile]

He should have his fingers cut off for that new Corvette.... wretched.

[Scott]

I ran across this design the other day and I was not impressed because it looks like he took the top from any GM car similar to the Camaro with Studebaker features grafted on. The headlights were obviously inspired by Studebaker, but the effect is heavy and inelegant.

I do like his wheelcovers, though.