why is today…all of a sudden….i felt compelled to lust after a Triumph TR6?
sometimes my petrolhead brain puzzles me…..
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Pietro Frua’s 1971 Porsche 914 design proposal.
Pietro Frua is one of my favourite designers ever—-mainly because he created weird, mysterious, and often rejected-by-manufacturer designs which were generally better than the manufacturers ended up producing. I think car companies used him for his brainstorming, and then ditched his designs in the end only to steal them. BMW surely stole many of his ideas when they plagiarized his ideas from the Frua ‘concept’ BMWs on all their production cars of the 70s and 80s. I’m looking at this photo of a 1971 Hispano Aleman Porsche 914 design study and seeing all sorts of stuff going on. I see some De Tomaso Pantera, i see some Lamborghini Urraco, and I see lots of Frua cues. What i don’t see is a 914. Obviously Porsche did not use any of his ideas for their eventual collaboration with VW on the 914.
As far as I can tell, the car was seized by customs in 1971 after being shown at Geneva. The car was in ‘exile’ until 1976 and is currently put away in a private collection, having not been driven since 1977. Production of the real production Porsche 914 ended by the time the design was even recovered. Frua was paid $200k to make the design study. (source, Frua website cited below)
There are TONS of amazing pictures here on the Frua.de website (with copyrights so i cannot post them here)
foto of the day. 1965 Ford Mustang by Bertone.
some back story:
In 1965 Scott Bailey invited Bertone to have his say on the design of the popular Ford Mustang. The publisher of the prestigious “Automobile Quarterly” wanted to show that the Turin school of bodywork designers could achieve great things on cars which were very different from their usual projects. Bertone’s interpretation of the American car was put on show for the first time at the 1965 New York International Automobile Show, and was one of the most admired numbers: the Bertone model featured a radiator grille dominated by the emblem of the original car, while the disappearing headlamps were hidden behind the grille. All in all a very personal interpretation which turned out to be another coup in image terms for the Turin designer.
source: Carstyling.ru
Alfa Romeo 6c 2500 Frecchia D’oro
Yes, the first real production car after WW2 for Alfa Romeo—-and it’s a pretty sweet design. A swoopy coupe with some classic proportions. Not that many were actually made—between 550 to 600 from what i’ve been able to search up. I think it’s one of the ‘lost’ Alfas in time.
foto of the day. 100 Coupe S
more than one! Oh lovely.
Audi 100 Coupe S.
video of the day. GT3 Cup.
Yes it’s an advertisement, but it doesn’t make it any less cool.
F1 to Jersey!
It is super exciting news to hear that F1 is finally coming close to the NYC area in 2013! The race will be held in New Jersey right across the river—–with the race having a backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. This is very exciting news for race fans living in the tri-state area, and marks the latest in the sequel of F1 coming back to the US after unsuccessful stints in Indianopolis and Detroit. Obviously there is the Austin, Texas F1 return as well, however I (a) don’t like Texas and (b) think the east coast makes a better venue for F1 racing.
The announcement is expected next week! Now if we can just get the WRC to come to Brooklyn…
full story here!
art of the day. D-Type.
the legendary Jaguar D-Type…..in blueprint form
RIP Dan Wheldon.
Dan Wheldon died today in a massive 15 car (of 34 cars racing) accident in during an IndyCar race in Las Vegas earlier this afternoon. I salute him as a 2-time winner of the glorious Indianopolis 500 and a great driver. Other drivers were also injured and are being treated at the hospital. Racing has become so much safer in modern times, but this is a reminded that it’s still not immuned to catastrophe.
Following the accident, a red flag was introduced. The race was then stopped for good. However, following the announcement, the drivers and teams decided to do a 5 lap tribute to him:
Bugatti Type 101 Antem Coupe
The last ‘original’ Bugatti (referring to the original family run company) to be produced was the Type 101 and one of these 101s went to coachbuilder Antem and was transformed into something weird and somewhat charming. The Bugatti T101 Antem Coupe is an unusual looking design, smothered in mystery and uniqueness. In those days, plenty of ‘one-off’ cars existed, but the significance of this being of the final 8 cars Bugatti ever built before disappearing and being resurrected by an amped-up Volkswagen make this car even more interesting than it already is, in my opinion.
Only eight Type 101s were ever built. The chassis 101 504 would then be sent to Antem of Paris and become the unique Type 101 C Antem Coupé, arguably the most striking and beautiful Type 101.
more info here: http://www.supercars.net/cars/4296.html
video of the day. Fulvia orgy.
I have tried for many years to shake my desires to want a Lancia Fulvia—-but nothing works. It still creeps up in my head all of the time.
This video doesn’t help my lust for one. Wow.
foto of the day. Fulvia Zagato.
photo from Rally Pix
the beauty of the TT.
The MK1 Audi TT is just all types of wonderful. I’m not just saying that because I have one in the garage—-but because before I got my car—-i fantasized day and night about it, sort of how I fantasize day and night about the Alpine A110 and ur quattro now. The TT is more than a car, it is true art—-representing a point where history met with the modern world—–technology fell in love with the vintage. It could have been produced in 1965, or it could have been produced in 2005.
These photos are not of my car, however I stumbled across them looking at photos on Flickr. These are taken by Chun Yi of his impeccable 2000 225.
commercial of the day. Ur quattro.
the hotness.
Porsche: 24 hours at the Limit
Since I AM too lazy to actually get my Petit Le Mans photos together (i will try to do some on this fine Sunday)—–Porsche has posted some great photos on their Facebook page entitled “24 Hours At The Limit” in a few different galleries. These photos are comprised of choice photoraphs from the 24 Hours @ Nurburgring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
(click to enlarge)
F30 3-series M-Sport interior.
So I have found something to love about the new F30 BMW 3-series. Peter showed me some photos of the “M Sport” interior on the F30, and as a lover of Alcantara and sharp accented stitched and paneled coloured trim, i have fallen in love with this interior. I love the style, the sharpness, and the wicked choice of colours and fabrics.
BMW, you screwed up the exterior, but you NAILED the interior. For me, the interior of a car is as important as the exterior—-if not more, as most of the time when we own our cars, we spend inside the car fulfilling the art of driving.
more pics here: http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598186
40 porsches for 1 photo.
at the Rennsport Reunion IV
How Kia gets it right, and Hyundai gets it wrong.
I’ve been driving A LOT these days for my new job—which means I get several hours a day on the road watching cars go by, getting stuck in traffic jams, and finding time to dissect automotive design and styling trends. It’s a great way to pass the time in a traffic jams! I find myself comparing competing brands side by side as they are stuck in traffic.
What has struck me lately is how 2 brands which are owned by the same parent company have such different philosophies and ideas about how to infiltrate the modern markets of the world. Kia has hired Peter Schreyer for their design team, which is a huge accomplishment. Hyundai has Phil Zak, who used to be at GM.
Hyundais are overstyled, overdone, and just frankly ugly from most angles. I’m not quite sure how Hyundai has captured more market gains in the US market—-considering they are (in general) more expensive, uglier, and have worse interiors than Kias do. “Hyundai” is also one of the worst names in the auto business, sort of reminding me of how in electronics there is a company called Sanyo which sort of vaguely sounds like Sony. Hyundai to Honda. “Kia” on the other hand, doesn’t evoke such weird connections, however through years of budget brand image—has its own share of problems.
But either way, both brands are winning new customers by the day in the US market. What is shocking to me is how if you didn’t tell me prices, market share, etc….and just showed me the pictures—–i would 1000% think that Kia is the brand that is succeeding much more. Such is not the case, however.
IEDEI TIP: don’t buy a Hyundai. they hurt my eyes when i’m stuck in traffic.
Comparisons of designs which are on the same Hyundai/Kia platform:
Kia Forte Koup:
Hyundai Veloster:
Kia Forte Sedan:
Kia Optima:
Hyundai Sonata:
Kia Optima interior:
Hyundai Sonata interior:
video of the day. 2002 DTM @ Norisring
Laurent Aiello (Audi TT-R) and Bernd Schneider (Mercedes CLK) going balls to the wall against each other, no commentary. no BS.
IEDEI 
