Design

Plus Ça Change, Plus Les Choses Sont Les Mêmes

By Frank Williams
September 15, 2006 -

According to those renowned postmodern philosophers the Barenaked Ladies, “everything old is new again.”  The maxim certainly applies to the automotive industry. Those of us who put ourselves in Moto-PR harm’s way are constantly bombarded by joyous claims of new and improved technology and the latest justgottahavit features: self-parking cars, adaptive cruise control, heated/cooled cup holders, etc. The truth is, many of the technological advancements we lust after are recycled ideas from days gone by. They may be “improved” but they definitely aren’t “new.” 

Plus Ça Change, Plus Les Choses Sont Les Mêmes editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | 33 comments

Jay Shoemaker’s Pet Peeve Revealed!

By Jay Shoemaker
September 6, 2006 -

Why do manufacturers of high end cars think I’m an idiot? Their automobiles tell me when their tires need air, when the coolant is low and when it’s time for an oil change. They [still] remind me to buckle-up, close my door and take my key. They warn me of approaching objects (front and rear). Yes, I know: this dumbing-down suits the majority of wealthy car buyers, who’d rather read a treatise on Keynesian economics than check their oil. Still, you’ve got to draw the line somewhere. Sun visor stickers are my personal line in the sand.

Jay Shoemaker’s Pet Peeve Revealed! editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | Safety | 77 comments

A Matter of Taste

By Frank Williams
September 2, 2006 -

Since the Model T, car owners have paid good money to make their rides stand out from the crowd. A brass radiator cap, special head lights, a steering wheel that pivoted out of the way-- these are just a few of the hundreds of mods that could turn a Tin Lizzie into your Tin Lizzie. Today, the trend continues with an even wider (and wilder) array of goodies lining the aisles of automotive parts emporia, tempting whoever wanders past with the promise of aesthetic liberation. With a few exceptions, the only thing that results from these efforts is a 9-1-1 to the taste police.

A Matter of Taste editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | 49 comments

Ford Taurus: Oedipus Wrecks

By Sajeev Mehta
September 1, 2006 -

In his own ew-inducing sort of way, Oedipus defined the Tragic Hero. His story teaches us that character is fate; the arrogant King can no more escape his destiny than a bad guy on a cop show. And so it is with the Ford Taurus, a vehicle named for either the constellation of the same name (minus the Ford) or the Zodiac sign ascribed to it. According to pseudo- science, Taureans are practical, reliable, patient, affectionate, competent, ambitious, determined, lazy, jealous, inflexible, greedy and stubborn. And some people wonder why the model took twenty years to die an ignominious death…

Ford Taurus: Oedipus Wrecks editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | 74 comments

The Ford Mustang GT Must Diet

By Bob Elton
August 31, 2006 -

No question, the Ford Mustang is a galloping success. Both the base and GT models are a runaway success, contributing significant revenue to their corporate parent. And now legendary racer, sports car constructor and chili magnate Carroll Shelby is adding some hot tamales to the feed bag. The Shelby Cobra GT500 goes on sale any second now, saddled with a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 good for 500hp. Although there’s little doubt that Shelby’s performance package will be a well-engineered addition to the core car’s strengths, it’s still a case of too much too late.

The Ford Mustang GT Must Diet editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | Sales and Marketing | 109 comments

The Imitable Audi 5000

By Mark Hasty
August 5, 2006 -

Six years ago, social commentator David Brooks published his book Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There. Brooks’ explained how the countercultural values of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s were adopted by the mainstream by the mid-‘90’s. Marketers devoured Brooks’ book like it was crab legs on a Chinese buffet. Ever since, we’ve seen an explosion of style in every aspect of our lives and every room of our homes-- except, of course, the garage.  If Wal-Mart (of all places) sells dinner plates suitable for the Museum of Modern Art, why are today’s cars so dull?  My theory: car designers are still in the thrall of the 1984 Audi 5000.

The Imitable Audi 5000 editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | 44 comments

Amphicar

By Stephan Wilkinson
August 2, 2006 -

A recent TTAC post asked for nominations for the car most likely to get you “a date” (as mywife puts it).  Our well-informed readers made all the obvious suggestions: studly Italian V12’s, check-out-my-package Teutons, midlife-crisis American roadsters, horny-royal Astons and phallic-as-you-wanna-be XKE’s. Yet nobody mentioned the absolute sure thing getluckymobile: the Amphicar. Yes, we’re talking about that 1960’s-era wackiness that answered the question nobody asked:  “Wouldn’t it be cool to have a car that floats?” Schwing!

Amphicar editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | Technology | 21 comments

Design Study: Chrysler Sebring

By Michael Karesh
July 10, 2006 -

Sometimes the photos don’t do a car justice. This is one of those times: the 2007 Chrysler Sebring is even uglier in the metal than it is in the photos. Hunting for a parking space last week, I had the bad luck to come upon a parked black 2007 Sebring in full production trim. Chrysler’s PR flacks gush that the new sedan is a “strikingly beautiful design” that’s “poised to inspire.”  They got the second part right. Chrysler fans are warned to look away as I share the fruits of my inspiration.

Design Study: Chrysler Sebring editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | 48 comments

It’s a Drab, Drab World

By Frank Williams
July 7, 2006 -

Remember when you got your first 64-count box of Crayola Crayons?  After inhaling the trademark smell, your eyes were dazzled, your left brain inspired by an eye-popping kaleidoscope of colors.  You never knew there were so many different shades of blue and yellow and red and green.  You could draw anything you wanted and you’d always have just the right color.  And when you started drawing cars – man!  That’s when you’d pull out all the best hues.  Never ecru or black or white or gray, though.  No way!  You always drew your dream cars in the brightest Technicolor hues you could find.  Too bad today’s designers don’t remember those fun times.

It’s a Drab, Drab World editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | 69 comments

At the Sign of the Cat

By Bob Elton
June 10, 2006 - Remember the Cougar? Not the oddly-shaped front-wheel drive Cougar of 2000 nor the big-bodied Thunderbird clone, nor even, God forbid, the huge sedans and wagons wearing “the sign of the cat,” but the 1967 original? Motor Trend’s Car of the Year was created from the Mustang. While it shared the Pony Car’s platform, it was NOT a badge-engineering model. Sales of the luxurious new coupe helped to lead the Blue Oval to some of the most profitable years in the company’s history. Hello? Ford? Anyone home?

At the Sign of the Cat editorial continued »

Posted in Design | Editorials | Sales and Marketing | 4 comments