Vellum Venom: Ferrari 275 GTB
I apologize for torturing you, dear reader, with over-analysis of absolutely mundane machinery for far too long. I blame it on my style–or lack thereof–as a student at the College of Creative Studies....
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2003 Volkswagen Jetta (MK IV)
Did you see an instant classic at last week’s Detroit Auto Show? Maybe that new Stingray. And hearing that the first C7 Vette was on the auction block to support the College for Creative Studies made...
View Article2012: Year Of The Mediocre Redesign
I recently rented a midsize sedan from Hertz. Hoping for a go in the latest Fusion, I was instead placed into a new Camry, though it may have been a 2007 Camry. Differences between the two are only...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2012 Nissan Juke
I was in a bad place about a year ago: fighting problems that resurfaced 10+ years of (secret) regret that my life at the College for Creative Studies shoulda ended differently. But then a few silver...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2012 Nissan Cube
Haters bust out the Haterade: I mastered your drama back at the College of Creative Studies. My luxury car proposals sported stand up grilles…and why not? The (beautiful-ish) 1990 Lexus LS400 proved an...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2012 Ferrari FF
Jeff Sanders, my best friend and reason for this series’ existence, once said “Ferrari’s are the tits” for all designers. It’s true, as his immense skill received far more praise from the design...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Aside from the fame, fortune and talent, my design school stylings were criticized much like the early works of one Mister Lenny Kravitz. I felt, as idiotic as it seems now, both of us were...
View ArticleVellum Venom Vignette: The Emperor Has No Clothes
Like Dizzy Gillespie’s cheeks playing trumpet vs. at rest, cars are bigger in every direction compared to their predecessors. Perhaps you’ve seen a 1980s Honda Accord in front of the latest platform....
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2012 Honda Crosstour
Here are a few books I consider required reading for Transportation Design students: The Reckoning, Rude Awakening, All Corvettes are Red and Car: A Drama of the American Workplace. These show what it...
View ArticleVellum Venom Vignette: Center Stage, High Mounted!
TTAC commentator Darth Lefty writes: Sajeev, I was looking at a new Fusion in the company parking lot and noticed how its center brake light (CHMSL) is basically a very thin flap jutting out of the top...
View ArticleChris Bangle On Current Car Design: “Real Need For A Change”
Designer Chris Bangle, who was strongly identified with BMW’s brand image and some controversial styling decisions before leaving the company four years ago to open up an independent design studio,...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 1966 Datsun Sports 1600 (Fairlady)
Can you remember when sports cars were a staple of design studios? When these wee-beasties were vellum fodder like today’s CUVs? Me neither. But Europe once made these in spades, and–much like...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 1970 Dodge Charger RT-SE
My departure from the cloistered world of automotive design was anything but pleasant: leaving the College for Creative Studies scarred changed me, possibly ensuring the inability to conform to...
View ArticleVellum Venom Vignette: Art and Design at The 24 Hours of LeMons 2013
My worst moment at the College for Creative Studies was during Portfolio Review: a presentation of one’s body of work since the beginning of the semester. So it comes as no surprise that my favorite...
View ArticleFord Fusion Rides Coastal Wave To Sales Success
From the neon-drenched beaches of Miami and the hipster enclaves in New York, to the high-tech castles in San Francisco and the studio lots of Hollywood, the Ford Fusion is experiencing a coastal...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT
@willstpierre tweets: @SajeevMehta Art history teacher talked about using vellum today. Nobody else knew what it was #bringbackvellumvenom While Ford and GM pissed away decades of heritage for...
View ArticleVellum Venom: MINI Cooper Hardtop (2012)
The end of the year, the end of an era for a famous British Marque. Let’s get crackin’ before the ink on the vellum dries for the (all new) 2014 model. Everyone knows this face, it’s Brand Recognition...
View ArticleThe French Injection: Ex-Peugeot-Citroën Designer Tapped as Pininfarina...
Pininfarina SpA will be see Carlo Bonzanigo succeeding Fabio Filippini as the Italian styling firm’s reigning design director on January 9th. Filippini’s decision to leave Pininfarina for “personal...
View ArticleMercedes-Benz to Give its Compact Cars Updated A-Class Aesthetics
Mercedes-Benz is giving the world an artful taste of its next generation of compact cars with its “Aesthetics A” design study. The updated design adopts a rounded, flowing look without the complete...
View ArticleChevrolet’s Early Choice for an Equinox Redesign Was a Real Dog: Report
To say the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox is an important model for General Motors is to downplay the importance of the crucial compact crossover segment. Lighter, trimmer and more fuel efficient than before,...
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