Automotive Rambling Thoughts

I started designing cars at age five, at least my mother thought they were cars that I was drawing, I am now 79. I draw cars on copy paper, and I am running out of places to put all the designs. You can imagine after 79 years of continuous design one might have quite a number of designs! I have never shown any of these designs publicly, I would like to someday. So here are some thoughts on car design:

  1. There are a number of different types of cars that one can design: Economy cars, Sports cars, Personal cars, Family Sedans, Limousines, SUV, and Pickups and so forth. The height of economy cars can be from, say, 48 inches on up, sports cars from 45 to 52 inches, personal cars from about 52 to 55 inches high, family sedans from 55 to 60 inches, and limousines from 60 inches and up. A family might have a sports car, family sedan, but a “Personal Car” is a car that a member of a family uses for themselves only. I find that personal cars to be the most exciting cars to design, because they reflect one’s own desires in a car.

There are, I think, three broad areas of car design: Contemporary , Retro, and Futuristic car design. I find that contemporary car design to be the most boring, as almost all the cars look very similar. Retro car design is exciting, there is so much automotive design history in which to call upon in designing a retro car. I think cars of the 1950’s are especially interesting, as it was a new era in car design, designers were struggling with what a futuristic car should be, they came close as to what these cars should look like, but not quite achieving the perfect solution. We designers of today have a much better and clearer idea as to what these cars should have looked like, and now with better mechanicals we can design those better retro cars. I don’t like these new designs that look like they are forever plunging nose first into the ground, with the hood dropping off so acutely , and all you see is a windshield, it makes me think I am driving a city bus. Also such hoods make me feel like I have been cheated, that all the car that I just spent thousands of dollars for stopped at the windshield! I want a hood I can see, there is something wonderful about seeing a hood in front of you, it is noble, it gives you a wonderful feeling of direction. Yes I know, it is suppose to be more aerodynamic, I don’t care, I like hoods that I can see from the drivers seat. I hope car designers get away from the ground plunging look to level looking cars that do not have such high rear ends. Like a lady I once knew, she was 100 years of age, she called those high rear deck cars “Kiss My Ass” cars.

Show them here!

I’d like to see them too.

I’d like to see them as well!

Enough teasing!! Show us!!

I would love to see your designs too, and learn how you approached it.
Is there any way you or someone you know can make photocopies and publish them here?