The Automobiliac Proposes Vol. # 7: Maserati Quattroporte

New photos have come out of the new generation Quattroporte today, and it's a step in the wrong direction.  I fear they took what I felt was a very special car --the last true Italian GT sedan-- and turned it into a mix of Mercedes and Hyundai styling dreck.  Now the Gen 1 Quattroporte always had a headlight cluster that I found unappealing, but the rest of the car was just sublime enough to forgive that one flaw.  With the new generation, the boring, conventional headlights really kill the design.  The rear end is even worse, basically using warmed over cues from the Gran Turismo that don't work well on a sleek sedan.  The Gen 1 rear end was one of the all-time cleanest, most timeless ass-ends ever.  Why did they mess with perfection?

As retaliation, please enjoy my own proposal for the headlight cluster I would like to see on the Quattroporte.  First, they reference the compelling "cat eye" shape of the original 1960's Quattroporte's lights.  Second, they tie in much more closely with the well executed, and crisp grill treatment going on.  I felt that this nicely creased form language should carry into the headlights and front fenders.  Right now there is a disconnect between the flush-mounted Hyundai lights and the super crisp grille and hood treatment.  Last, I decided to outline the headlight opening in an LED ring so that when the headlights are off, you just see a nice clean ring profile that accentuates the shape of the opening. I think you'll agree the resulting shape is far more exotic, more consistent, and more differentiated than what they actually did.

Click HERE for more photos of the new Quattroporte.  Try not to wince when you see the back end!

Inspiration for the Ferrari F12 Rear End?

Dear friend Syed, over at IEDEI has a very interesting medical/stylistic analysis of the origins of the rear of the new Ferrari F12.  Click over to see his startling discovery!

The Automobiliac Proposes Vol. # 6: Alfa 4C

Normally I wouldn't waste my energy trying to fix the 4C. I think the car is an aesthetic travesty. But given that Alfa plans to launch their return to North America with a production version of the show car, I thought I would do my best to polish a turd. Is the result something I love? No. But I tried my best to improve the proportions and form where it really bothered me.  I made the headlight clusters lower and smaller, and reprofiled the "jaw-line" of the car to make the front end more vertical and have less of a jutting "chin."  Since the car is mid-engined, I kept the air intake in the rear fender, but made it much less dramatic. Hopefully, the eye will be more drawn to the clean fender side surfacing than the flashy, overdone detailing they had.  The last big change I made was the the C pillar. I feel like the current car's pillar is way too thick and is like a mashup of an Enzo and a Lotus.  I tried to give it more of a Cayman or 458 Italia feel.  I don't think the result of my efforts is a beautiful car, but I hope it's a little more refined and understated than what Alfa did. Please Alfa, if you are launching with the 4C, please redesign it!

Lamborghini's latest sculptural masterpiece

Now I'm not one for "engine porn" as they call it, but the new powerplant for the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 looks like a fantastical weapon to be carried by a Gundam. It's just beautiful and hyper-futuristic. The same words apply to the car itself which, though stylistically extrovert as only a Lamborghini can be, is so well proportioned and full of refined details it really blows me away.  I know many people might consider the new Aventador vulgar, but I think it's probably the most avant-garde thing happening right now in car design and it makes Ferrari's FF look positively declasse in comparison. Sure it could be a little simpler and more restrained, but I kind of love the fractured surfacing that gives the car such energy. It's like the took all the good things from the outlandish Sesto Elemento show car and applied them with a more production-oriented sensibility.  Bravo Lamborghini! Bel Lavoro!

The Jaguar XF that should have been??

I have spent a fair amount of time soul searching over precisely why the new range of Jaguars just don't have that "IT" factor that a true Jag should have. Obviously the E-type was an incomparable paragon of beauty and line that Coventry never again equalled. But despite many attempts to recapture that swagger, I think even the latest family of Jags have a brutal look that isn't right for the brand.  The new XF and especially the XJ look sort of thuggish rather than lithe; more bulldog than jungle cat.  They're not bad designs per se. They just don't express the Jaguar ethos, in my opinion.

I was perusing the Tesla Motors website the other day and it hit me like a ton of bricks: The new Tesla Model S is EXACTLY what the new Jaguar XF should have looked like. It's aggressive, yet refined. It's sleek and athletic, and is just straddling the line between a GT and a sports saloon.  The grill opening recalls the E-type, but in a modern, abstracted way that feels totally fresh.  The gorgeous headlight clusters also capture the right "Jaguar gaze" utterly missing from the XF.  I think the car's design is a stellar effort, worthy of a major automaker like Jaguar. I photoshopped a jag badge bar in the photo above to help your imagination, but I think you'll agree there is just something about the Model S that hits the spot Jaguar's designers have consistently missed for all these years.

Or maybe I'm crazy...