Future Coupes? Take Woody's Poll!

Parade of Early Chops Continues

Chrysler 300 Nassau, a V10 powered domestic luxury coupe. Woody Thompson, owner/writer of Woody's Car Site, has offered a poll this week: Which 4-door would you like to see as a coupe? When I read through his list, I realized I had created most of them already, lol. One I haven't rendered yet is a new Fusion coupe. I've started one, and I can tell you this, it's not what you're expecting! And I have yet to do a Subaru Impreza coupe. But the rest, I have rendered and will post here.

Please take a moment and click over to Woody's site and take his poll!

Infiniti M45 Hybrid coupe. Svelte, green, and powerful. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe a Jag . . .

Jaguar XJC, 2012 style. The newest large Jaguar luxury sedan is so coupe-like, it practically rendered itself. I smoothed out the trunk cutlines, simplified the taillights, added a unifying piece of chrome to the trunklid and a full glass roof, and that was about it!

But perhaps a more sublte, and smaller and economical coupe is for you. Perhaps a VW . . .

Volkswagen Jetta coupe. Again, the new Jetta sedan is almost coupe-like as is, so half of my work was cut out for me.I shortened the trunk a bit, lost the two rear dooors, and did the full "artandcolour" treatment on the rest of the car. I'll take two, please!

Except there is a Kia dealer next to the VW dealer near me, and I'm so in love with their styling. If they'd only do an Optima coupe . . .

Kia Optima Coupe—Ask and you shall receive! The newest Optima, designed by former Audi designer, Peter Schreyer is a tour de force. It makes an elegant, and natural two-door.

However, if you're craving a tall car, an AWD crossover, 2-doors are extinct these days. Call Cadillac and tell them you'd like the SRX Grosse Point produced . . .

 

Cadillac SRX Grosse Point—Some people just don't need "easy access" to the rear seat. They'd prefer the larger front door openings that 2 door cars afford them. This cream and gold metallic SRX would be perfect for them. 

Not on Woody's list, probably because Mercury is kaput, but still high on my "what if" list, a modern-day Mercury coupe . . .

 

Mercury Capri—Well, it could still be a Ford Taurus Capri coupe, lol. I really would like to see large 2-doors make a comeback. If they are pillarless like my version, well, that would be icing on the cake. Large luxury coupes, while undeniabley "sporty" do not have to be raw performance cars. The days of large luxury coupes, elegant and sophisticated, do not have to be over. 

And speaking of a Ford coupe . . .

Taurus SHO Coupe—I've also created this sleeker Taurus coupe, a modern-day Fairlane 500 XL. The roof is mostly glass and the C pillars quite thin and elegantly arched, much like the classic Ford coupes of the 1960s.

Or if you'd prefer a more elegant and formal Taurus coupe, how about a new Thunderbird . . .

Thunderbird—Instead of reprising the classic 2-seater Thunderbird, as Ford did in the early 2000s, I have brought back the also-classic 1960s personal luxury coupe Tbird. This iteration would be created from the Taurus's Volvo-derived platform with an extended wheelbase for more period proportions, moving the front wheels forward and cutting the front overhang. The C pillar is widened in this pillarless coupe, and the Thunderbird logo proudly centered on it. The interior would be suitably luxurious, with the rear seat designed with the same wraparound "cove seating" as the '64-'71 Tbird coupes.

The Maestro Knows Best

Kia Optima coupe—When I started this chop, I had every intention of changing the side window profile, to differentiate it from the sedan. I tried a full side window extending almost to the trunk. I tried adding a severely rising beltline and a pointed rear window, much like a 1971-72 Dodge Charger. I tried making the rear side window much narrower and more formal. Nothing worked as well as the original window profile Peter Schreyer used on his sedan. He is truly the master of design these days—you can't mess with the maestro! 

In the end, in addition to deleting the rear doors and making the front doors longer, I changed mostly the details. I moved the Kia logo from the hood into the grille; the way Schreyer's new Kia grilles narrow in the middle, almost the same as 1960s Dodge "barbells," makes a natural position for the oval logo. It emphasizes it and cleans up the hood. I also slightly changed the taillight lenses, adding neutral glass for most of the space. I tweaked the wheels, but seeing as I've often taken these wheels for other chops, I left them in position for this one. I adjusted the colors of the jpeg, added the pattern to the surface the car is sitting on and added some shadowing. Oh yeah, I deleted the silly front fender vents, I'm sure they're not functional. That's about it!

Another Hit for Kia's Schreyer

My Kia Rio 3-door, created from the just-released images of Kia's new 5-door in Autoblog.com. The photos were released by Kia ahead of the new car's debut at the Geneva show. It looks to be another hit for Kia's designer, Peter Schreyer. His designs have continuity and freshness, a balancing act he accomplishes with ease and elan. My version is a fairly basic 3-door, keeping all of the rear seat room of the 5-door. I changed the side windows and taillights a little, and added wheels from the Sportage. Perhaps Schreyer has a sportier coupe in mind, and if he does, I'll predict it's going to be hot.