Taking Estoque of things.

I'm posting this photo. Just because.

Cadillac Steals the Show at Pebble Beach Concept Corral

Pebble Beach was sensory overload for most attendees, myself included. But one standout among all the beautiful cars I saw was the simply sensational Cadillac Ciel Concept. They should have just called it the Eldorado, because this car wholly deserves the illustrious name bestowed upon it. The car has an extremely long wheelbase, allowing the surprisingly clever surface transitions plenty of time to flow gracefully from one to the next. The result is a study in elegance, fluidity and subtlety.  If the crowds of delighted onlookers were anything to go by, I wasn't the only one smitten by the big convertible land yacht. I heard statements like "Now that's a car!" and "Wow. That's really beautiful!"  This isn't at some mall parking lot, folks. These are comments being made 20 feet away from 2 Bugatti Veyrons and a putting green full of the latest exotic supercars from Europe.  It all made me want to shake Ed Welburn's hand, but I chickened out when I eventually saw him at the Concours.

The placement of the Ciel next to the BMW 328 "Hommage" (the extra M is for Mengele, I suppose? What else could have inspired such an atrocity?) only served as a snapshot of everything that is right and wrong in today's car design landscape.

The 328 "Hommage" Concept had horrific, stubby proportions, a pastiche of mismatched styling cues and textures, a mess of intersecting and folded surfaces that would give even Frank Gehry indigestion. It was ghastly, and actually made me disgusted to see the mighty BMW reduced to such a sideshow freak. Placing an original 328 next to this hideous abomination only rubbed salt in the wound. I bet all those people who hated on Chris Bangle for years wish they had him back.  His 328 MM coupe "homage" was brilliant and innovative, by the way.  My vote for most irritating design detail on the 328 Concept was the inexplicable ornamental double hood strap made of leather, which clashes horrifically with the semi-matte carbon fiber of the body. The Ciel, in contrast, was bathed in such perfect, luminous, lustrous paint that even rivalled the quality of Peter Mullin's "Best in Show" winning Voisin. Seriously.Honorable mention in the Concept Car Corral goes to the Jaguar CX-75. While many people squinted trying to see what if any E-type cues were in the car, it is clear that the designers were looking at the Jaguar XJ-13 for inspiration, with more than a passing nod to the XJ220. It's funny that Jaguar doesn't make much marketing hay around the XJ220 which is now almost 20 years old and still looks sensational (I saw one at the RM auction preview looking every bit the supercar). In particular, the rear end of the CX-75 bears close examination. It's a great interplay of flowing lines and aggressive elements working together. And it instantly says Jaguar. I would love to see this design theme translate into production Jags. Tomorrow.Last but certainly not least was Jason Castriota's "Shelby SuperCar (SSC)."  Now I've been pretty harsh on Castriota in the past, and I still think his talent to hype ratio is way off balance. However, I thought the SSC is probably his manifesto work, as it combines all his signature styling elements into one very cohesive package.  The car has a very slippery, aeronautical feeling to it that I quite liked, and I really loved some of the surfacing details along the bodyside.  The car has a lot of presence in person and I must give credit where credit is due.The Alfa TZ3 Stradale was there, and failed to impress me. The new McLaren was also a yawn. Even metallic chrome-look paint couldn't save it from looking hopelessly outdated when placed next to Castriota's car and the new Aventador. I'm sure it drives better than either of them, though...

Click HERE for the full Gallery!

Bertone's B99 GT5: Jaguar XJ12C Reborn!

I really loved the overall look and feel of Bertone's B99 Jaguar coupe concept at Geneva. I think it captured the Jaguar ethos better than the marque's current offerings.  But I must confess I loved the outlandish racing version of the car even more than the "production" version of the concept. The aggressive haunches and proportions instantly recall the Broadspeed XJ12C racing car campaigned by British Leyland in the 70s, and the wild spoilers and diffusers bring to mind some of the crazy Japanese Silhouette racers from the 80s.  Sure, it's a bit wacky, but after the trauma of the Alfa 4C, the Saab PhoeniX and the BMW Concept, it was a nice salve for my eyes. Check out these awesome renderings released by Bertone!

Dome P2: Japan's late 70s Dream Machine

When I was a kid, I had a really cool motorized "pushback" toy based on this car. I didn't really know anything about it until I recently bought a book about concept cars and saw these photos. I did some web research and found out that my little pushback toy had more to do with this car than I had thought.  But I'll get to that in a moment.  The story begins with the Dome-Zero, which was a concept car program started in 1976 and unveiled at the 1978 Geneva Motor Show.  In creating this car, Dome (when written in Japanese, it means "A Child's Dream") was trying to attract attention and funding to their company which was primarily concerned with racing car development.  By creating a sleek, wedge-like body to rival those coming out of the hallowed studios of Italy, the Osaka-based team figured they could make the world take notice during a period in which Japan was not known for leading-edge car design.  According to the company's website, a crack team of the best car designers and engineers in Japan were assembled and spent the following 2 years working on the Dome-Zero night and day.  The men rented rooms near the workspace and rarely visited them other than for bathing.  The website seems to take a particularly perverse pride in mentioning that while 4 of these workaholics were married at the outset of the project, all of their wives had left them by the time the prototype was complete!

As a reward for the team's sacrifices, the car received sensational press coverage, which only increased with the debut of the P2 in Los Angeles the following year. Hailed as "Japan's Countach" and featured on covers of magazines in many countries, the Dome-Zero and P2 really caught the imagination of the motoring press.  As a result of this tsunami of coverage, Dome was approached by a toy manufacturer that wanted to make miniatures of the cars. As they were negotiating this deal, another toy company approached them.  Then a model company.  Soon, Dome was making enough money in royalties by licensing their designs to toymakers that they were able to build a new headquarters in Kyoto and fund a racing effort at Le Mans! After years of trying to deal with Japanese bureaucracy in putting the Zero and the P2, into road-legal production, the company refocused itself on racing, which it continues to this day. 

So it turns out that my little toy car that I loved so much as a kid (it had flip-up scissor doors and flip up headlights too!) was actually tiny part of the great story of this interesting car. I had never before heard of a car company that thrived thanks to model cars and toys, but it's a business model I can definitely get behind!  Aside from the history, there is another reason I decided to write about the Dome P2:  It is so cool looking! While the exterior is a great expression of late 70's wedge design, and looks futuristic even today, I was really blown away by how contemporary the interior still looks! The hexagonal, faceted language used by the designers ties in perfectly to a lot of what is going on right now in today's new furniture design and car interiors. In particular, the color scheme as well as the steering wheel and shift lever still seem fresh and unique despite being 32 years old! If you'd like more info on Dome and its history, click here to visit their website. I included some pics below showing two examples of Dome-Zero merchandise.