Fiat 750: Elegant Two-Seat Abarth Coupe

Artandcolour's more elegant Fiat sports coupe, the 750 Abarth. Top-spec 500 Abarth drivetrains with longer and lower-yet-lighter bodywork. Rear seat is tossed in favor of fitted luggage and a fold-down bulkhead. Accordion-like folding roof continues with its structural side roof rails.

New Malibu Facelifted for '14

Sleeker Malibu might be an easier sell next to Ford's svelte new Fusion.

2014 Chevrolet Malibu sedan—At first, all I wanted to do with the new 'Bu was change the grille. I wanted to do away with the now-dated dual openings but didn't want to give it the new Impala's Camaro-like grille. The first thing I did was unify the openings and then I started leaning the ensemble forward and backward. I settled on this Mercedes-like proud front grille and hood shape. The opening textures would remain simple eggcrates and meshes as this upscale version sports. Then when I saw the way the new front end seemed defiant, almost leaning into the wind, the rest of the car seemed to want to be more aero. I gave it a 6-window greenhouse and introduced a few slight arcs to the fenders. I also dialed back the almost bug-like rear lights and cut-back trunk lid. That's the production car's biggest flaw in my opinion, the design of the rear of the car. I filled out the corners and sliced the taillights into a clean, modern shape. I also changed the contours of the rear bumper.

While no raving beauty—this is really a tall platform—I think my Malibu would stand up quite well with the Fusion and Altima and Camry. The new grille treatment would work on smaller as well as larger cars, too.

Continental for 1958

Opalescent Pistachio Point Green lacquer perfectly highlights the lines of this Wixom-built '58 Continental coupe. Altering the new-that-year unibody Lincoln, I changed the proportions for more of a personal coupe appearance. The hood length looks back to the Classic era consisting of almost half of the length of the car. The four passenger interior would have been based on the '58 Thunderbird, itself brand new that year and also built at the fabled Wixom plant. The roof would have been available in linen-covered steel or brushed stainless to match the front fender coves.

And, yes, I started out with the regular Lincoln that year, not the upscale Continental. This mockup would have been early in the process and trim was still being mixed and matched and developed...

I also left off the spare tire hump... Rocketships don't need no stinkin' spare tires, lol.

2014 E-Series TurboDiesel Hatchback: The Professor?

Sensible and SENSATIONAL! This is my idea of a Mercedes I'd love to see Stuttgart build: An E400TDI-h. For this "professor's" Benz, I've brought back the idea of a longitudinally mounted inline 6-cylinder turbodiesel powerplant, this time with a hybrid-assisted drivetrain. There is a practical hatchback in the rear and with careful aero-tuning I'd predict a nice round 50mpg of fuel-sipping diesel in combined city/highway driving. As much as I loved the first generation CLS 4-door coupe, the new one falls short for me and I'd rather have seen a fastback/hatchback E-Series instead!

The background is a detail from a watercolor painting I found hidden behind the cardboard of an antique frame. There was a second painting, too. Story at my artandcolour blog: here.

2014 Buick Invicta: Entry Level Convertible

2014 Buick Invicta. This is a pretty straight forward Opel-to-Buick chop, the base photo being the new Opel Cascada convertible. For this Buick version, I lengthened the rear trunk and overhang for a more balanced appearance, and I reprofiled the roof to include a much wider rear window.  I'd actually like the rear window to wraparound slightly, so I think it might need to be three pieces, with slender frames, and they'd all nicely fold into the boot area. That would be a neat look back at Buick's 3-piece rear windows on the many of their '57s. I also added the black/chrome rocker moldings, the Ventiports and Buick grille and gave it a sparkly cherry paint job. I would position this at the Verano level in Buick show rooms, in the $32-35,000 range. It would be a nice bookend to the eventual Buick flagship coupe/convertible, the Riviera.

2013 Impala Coupe-Sixties Inspired

All the planets have aligned in the past couple of days to give me time to do some chops. Finally! Above, the Impala 2-door coupe. Even with the vastly different proportions from the 1960s platforms, I've tried to give my coupe the feel of the '65-'68 fastbacks. I also emphasized the rear fender swage line. I think it recalls the '58's rear shoulder line now, the first year of the Impala. I added rocker panel trim to the rear quarters to try to make the rear overhang appear longer, another nod to the past.

2014 Corvette Stingray; Alternate Styling B

For my second take on the C7, I decided to keep the idea of a rear quarter window, but I reshaped it into a much simpler graphic. By bringing this new side window to a point, I referenced the Corvette supercar prototype from the 1970s, the mid-engined 4-Rotor.At the back  I created a set of aluminum-ringed quad circular taillight and replaced the new "V" crossed flags emblem with a "proper" set of flags from '72 'Vette. I cut down on the visual height of the bodysides by using another '70s styling trick: Argent colored rocker panels.The cool new Stingray logo has been moved to the B pillar when it's noticeable every time you open the door. Then in a nod to Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell, I gave Welburn's oversized (and now body-colored) side vents dual chrome strakes. It's a minor point, but I made the glass roof and rear window graphic read as one large tinted panel by glazing over the "baskethandle" instead of painting it body color. I think it unifies and simplies the C7's shapes and details.

2014 Corvette Stingray split-window

The Split-Window is Back! For my take on the new C7 Corvette Stingray I went backwards in time a bit. To begin with I restored its traditional four round taillights. I gave it a much more traditional greenhouse rather than the new car's first time and rather forced rear quarter windows. I also added a thin central paint-colored spine to the hatchglass, following the existing indented roof panel. I also edited the side vents so they'd fit better with the last several generations. Detail changes include moving the new Stingray logo to the B pillar and flattened out the new "winged" crossed flags. That newest touch just smacks of the Firebird's past logos an odd touch with the new car's Camaro-like taillights.I don't think the 'Vette needs to have any "Chevrolet" cues other than perhaps similar LED lighting details, road wheels, steering wheel and Sat/Navs.

For a second C7 "facelift" click here.

1996 Honda Accord. With Scissor Doors!

Not a chop of mine, and certainly not a car one sees everyday: A 1996 Accord LX 4-door sedan in "survivor" condition with mega-bucks scissor doors! I found this car in town yesterday and asked if I could take some photos. These young guys were pretty convivial. The tall guy in the center of this photo seemed to be the owner and was enjoying the ironies his car presents. I didn't even ask "why" because it didn't matter to me in the least.

The world is a better place with this car in i.

Future Lincoln Town Car?

I created this fully contemporary Lincoln Town Car replacement more than three years ago. There is still no real replacement from Lincoln for this once-popular long wheelbase sedan, and I can honestly say that my rendering would still look good in a Lincoln showroom today.

Should Lincoln be preparing an über sedan, perhaps with an extended rear wheel drive platform?

Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing Longroof

Click photos to enlarge, as always, here at casey/artandcolour.

Looking through my earlier work, I realized I haven't yet posted this mid 1950s Mercedes Benz 300 Gullwing Tourer on this blog. I chopped this up in 2007 or so. All the cool people that collect station wagons these days refer to them as "Longroofs" and that's certainly true of my version. I don't believe this change would have added too much weight to the original coupe and with that rear hatch and additional loading space, might have made this incredible sports car just a bit more useful for Grand Touring.

The New Gullwing 

My primary reason for modifying the current SLS, the newest Gullwing, was to change the window graphic. The new one has a solid B/C pillar instead of having rear quarter windows as the original. I just don't think the car looks right without them. I'm sure the blank quarters add torsional rigidity, but I'm also certain that Mercedes/AMG engineers are brilliant enough to overcome any loss with added windows. Above, my "South Beach" edition is metallic gold with additional strakes and silver trim. You just can't be "bling" enough for South Beach! Below, additional work was done to shorten the very long hood. I wanted this Gullwing to be a hybrid, and to be as lightweight as possible to I changed the proportions accordingly. I still think it's a beautiful car and could be the Hybrid to end all Hybrids if produced. 

Note:

My friend Woody Thompson's car site has a new URL now: woodyscarsite.blogspot.com. The old links won't work for it. Please adjust your bookmarks and head over there today!

Audi Revisited

Until I can carve out a night to finish several chops I've started, how about some cool Audis from my past... Above, the first generation TT coupe reimagined with a larger glass area, smoothed contours and detailing and more ground clearance for true snow- and off-road capabilities. The better for those quick trips to Gstaad in the winter.

One of my early chops, but still one of my favorites, a mythical Bi-Turbo V12 hybrid mid-engined super saloon.

My futuristic third generation TT e/Tron, based on a recent concept car from Audi.

Audi really ought to have a large coupe to compete with the S Class coupe (CL). Above is my large 2-door A8L-c.

The Black Forest edition Avant. I will keep trying to get today's manufacturers to use micro-veneers until my Photoshop is taken away from me, lol.

Another of my very early chops, this Audi A6C was inspired by the large Italian luxury coupes of the seventies, such as the Fiat 130 and Lancia Gamma.

My 2010 Mercury Hybrid Project

Back in early 2010 I was "desperately" trying to save Mercury in the only way I could: with renderings. It was my idea that Mercury could become FoMoCo's high-tech, hybrid division. Ford would be the mainstay bread-and-butter cars, the volume sellers, in a position it has held for more than 100 years. Mercury would be a step-up in price and features, but instead of just "fancy" upholostery, the drivetrains would have been exclusively hybrid and electric. The styling, inside and out, would be more contemporary and high-tech than Ford's more traditional looks. Lincoln would have been pushed further upscale, ensuring Ford's presence in the full luxury market. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Mercury was dead not long afterwards. In all, I believe I created more than 40 Mercurys in about 2 years of trying to bring the marque back to relevancy. 

My first car was a '69 Comet sport coupe, the bottom-of-the-line pillarless coupe. It was nicely optioned though with 302 V8, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and a power trunk opener. I'm not sure how many low-line Comets were equipped like that.

The renderings:

Subcompact "B" market Comet sports hatch.

 Compact-sized Medalist sedan. "Medalist" was last used in the mid '50s by Mercury.

Slightly larger Marin sedan, a prototype to replace the then-current Milan, but...

 

... then I created this new Milan 4-door "coupe" which I preferred.

Sitting at the top of the Mercury heap would have been this Cyclone sedan, a full size hybrid sedan with supercar levels of power.

Moving to crossovers, this Villager would have anchored the compact segment ...

... and the Mountaineer would have elevated their top-shelf SUV to Range Rover levels of capability at Land Rover prices.

So much work for nothing!   : )

Thunderbird Once Again?

Rather than starting with a base photo for this 2015 Thunderbird, I used a black Sharpie and did a quick sketch on paper. Then I scanned the illustration and "played" with it in Photoshop to work it up. This Thunderbird would be a 4-seat personal luxury sport coupe to pick up where the 1971s left off. Power would come from an EcoBoost family V6s with hybrid assist. Rear-wheel drive biased all-wheel drive standard. Aerodynamics would be managed extremely well with a cd in the low .20s.

Still Unique in all the World and Happy New Year!

Cadillac 3-Window Business Coupe for 2014

The re-emergence of a bygone bodystyle

Happy Holidays from casey/artandcolour!

2014 As more and more "coupes" debut with four doors, I'm reintroducing a bodystyle not seen since the early postwar years, the 3-Window Business Coupe. The space behind the front seats is beautifully finished with built in nacelles for the optional fitted luggage. The huge trunk, which may be opened as a hatchback or smaller, separate trunk lid, is also finished to a high degree with brushed aluminum, leather, wool carpeting and polished wood. And yes, it's a plug-in electric vehicle.

2014 Audi e100 Coupe: Electric Boogaloo

Seeking to add a bit of old time drama and elegance to the electric car "scene," I submit my Audi e100 Coupe. Besides the unexpected pillarless greenhouse there are "hidden" C pillar windows behind the aluminum extruded roof louvers. The wheelbase is extended in the front for additional battery storage as well as giving a better front wheel-to-driver proportion and additional weight balance in the Quattro all-wheel drive system. Introductory color is Opalescent Pewter Mink.

2014 Malibu Maxx: Reimagined Hatchback Coupe

 I think it's time to bring back a high-style 3-door hatchback to the intermediate class. Clickable thumbnail enlarges to almost full-screen, as always.

The cool 5-door Malibu Maxx hasn't been in the Chevy lineup for almost 5 years. It was produced on the 6th generation 'Bu platform from 2003-08. For this chop, I decided the Maxx could be updated into a very glassy 3-door hatchback with a very glassy roof. The original Maxx had a stationary glass roof over the backseat, so this 3 door just extends that glass panel over the front seat, too. For the profile, I looked WAY back to the 1970s Chevy Monza, an Italianate body hung over a slightly modified Vega platform. The louvered B pillar and "pointed" greenhouse evoke that cool Monza in a way Chevy never has.

2014 Lincoln Continental. 21st Century Flagship

Artandcolour's admittedly over-the-top Lincoln flagship, the 2014 Continental sedan. Besides dwarfing its contemporaries in wheelbase and interior room, Lincoln's aluminum and carbon-fiber construction allows it to be the lightest in weight among its competitors. Add in a twin-turbo V12 Eco-Boost Hybrid drivetrain capable of 0-62 in 5 seconds and a combined city/highway mileage of 45mpg, and you have a very capable performer well able to carry the mantle of this vaunted brand. Polished aluminum fender shields, a new Lincoln styling cue, are thermostatically controlled engine compartment vents as well as inlets for the HVAC system. 22" wheels are aerodyamically designed for maximum brake cooling.

• For the next 2 weeks, several of my cars are posted at Autoextremist.com. Peter De Lorenzo is gracious as always to allow my work to be seen by his audience. Scroll down, here.

2014 Cadillac ATS coupe—ATC?

Move over upscale German compact luxury coupes, there's a new ride in town.

It's just a matter of time before Cadillac's newest star, the ATS sedan is given a coupe sibling. My version, above, is not the all-out dramatically styled geometric paragon of haute couture as is the larger CTS coupe. This ATS coupe, or ATC most likely, is a bit more "practical" in appearance, more akin to the 3 series, A5 and C Class coupes. Gently rounded lines first seen on the sedan are gently becoming the new Art & Science norm, with proportion and stance as much a part of the brand's DNA as is the overt angularity.

Update:

One of the great commenters over at CarSpyShots.com's Photoshop section, where I have been posting my car chops for years, suggested I increase the glass area of the coupe a bit. Since I had raised the beltline from the donor sedan, I lowered it back to production height to see how it looked. I'm torn. I always like my original intention, but I have no problems at all with the increased glass. I think it looks quite fetching, actually!

2014 Cadillac Seville: The New Standard of the World

This is a rendering for a 2014 Cadillac Seville, a longer-than-XTS, rear-wheel drive, twin-turbo hybrid flagship with all mod-con electronic geegaws and doodads.

Starting with the XTS donor image, I replaced the original fastback 6-window greenhouse for a more tradition 3-box sedan. The new C-pillars are nicely faceted and lead to a roofline nodding back to the '75 X-body Seville. I lengthened the hood and pulled the front wheels forward for the new V8 drivetrain. The wheelbase is 10 inches longer than the front-wheel drive XTS with an extended rear passenger compartment as well. The extended range battery pack is nestled in the platform's raised center spine for handling and packaging needs, making this the first top-of-the-line Cadillac sedan to offer four Nappa leather-covered electronic Recaro bucket seats.

• For my other go-'rounds with the XTS, click here, and here, here, and here .

Second Generation Tunnelback XL, 1972

1972 Ford XL SportsRoof, courtesy casey/artandcolour.

C H O P — Ford's 1971 redesign of its full-sized car line reverted to a single coupe style, a severely formal-roofed pillarless coupe with a C-pillar at least three-feet wide. This chop restores the second, "faster" roofline choice, or SportsRoof in Ford parlance. It also restores the "XL" nameplate which was unceremoniously dumped after the 1970 model year. The '69-70 Sportsroof was a flying buttressed, tunnelback, full sizer with almost perfect proportions. The roofline was shared with Mercury resulting in the now-classic Marauder coupes.

For this second generation tunnelback, I greatly enlarged the side windows of the production formal coupe. I gave the C-pillar the look of the '67 Galaxie XL, but with the '69-'70's inset rear window. I left virtually everything else "production" on this "XL," the extra-cost spoke wheelcovers, the bodyside rub strip, the proper width whitewall tires.

And having grown up with a '72 LTD Brougham coupe in high school, LIght Gray metallic with a black vinyl roof, I can verify that those optional spoked wheelcovers are HEAVY but meticulously crafted.

1961 Dodge Lancer GT—Hardtop Coupe

This rendering shows what a dedicated 1961 Dodge Lancer coupe have looked like. The pillarless coupe Dodge produced was hamstrung in the looks department by the beancounter decision to use the exact same roof stamping as the sedan. This meant an additional, stationary window was needed in the C-pillar, which just looked odd with the pillarless glass in front of it. My coupe shows what they could have done if they had OKed a second, sportier, dedicated coupe roofline. It almost hints at sister division Plymouth's Barracuda coming up for '64. With bucket seats front and rear, this Lancer GT would have looked great next to that year's Corvair Monza sport coupe and would have predated the Mustang by three and a half years. Falcon wouldn't have a hot pillarless coupe until the '63 model year.

About the early sixties Lancer in general, it's clear that it's a sister to the original Valiant. I'm convinced that in '61 though, Dodge pulled off the better looking car. I didn't change anything in the front of this rendering, and look at those awesome lines! The grille is expensive looking, the and fender blisters work perfectly with the headlights and hood. With the windshield laid back a few degrees and the roofline lowered a couple of inches, my reversed C-pillar accentuates the rear fenders. It was suggested by an actual stamping in the production car's fenders.

Not My First

This is't the first early sixties Dodge Lancer I've rendered. This road warrior/daily driver sedan was done a couple of years ago. As in the chop at the top, I changed the C-pillar to include that reversed kink. There is a little pressed indentation in the production Lancer's and Valiant's doors (or fenders on coupes) that looks like it would lead to this pillar. The actual production C-pillar doesn't relate as well. I also gave it suicide doors just because I think they're cool, lol. The Lancer in the base photo was in better shape than "mine." I did all the battle-scars and aging in Photoshop.

Not My First
I just realized this is my 100th post here. Time flies! I just wish I could do new ones every day!

Imperial Convertible, 300 Sport Wagon. Past Retro.

A mid 2000s 300 front clip, an extended wheelbase and a '69-'71 fuselage era-inspired Imperial body combine to make this very elegant 2008 Imperial Crown Convertible.

S H A M E L E S S   S E L F - P R O M O T I O N — My two little blogs clicked over 400,000 combined hits recently. Yeah, lol! To "celebrate" here are two more retro-inspired Chryslers I've created. These were done in my early days of rendering cars in Photoshop, 2005 or 2006, and the quality is a bit rough, but I love these two cars. Thanks to everyone that checks out my work and makes this blog-thing worthwhile!

An original '55 300/Imperial front clip is mated with a restyled 2005 Magnum sport wagon body. I also added typical Exner-period chrome rocket taillight tubes in the rear. I would love to see this car on the road, lol.

1964 Imperial Crown LWB 5-passenger Sedan

Inspired by the 5-passenger Mercedes Benz 600 of the mid 1960s, I've smoothed out Elwood Engel's '64-'66 Imperial's styling for this long wheelbase Crown sedan. I think it's the poster child for mid-century coolness and modernity.

C H O P S — And now for something completely different from my exuberantly elegant Exner Imperial redux, the dark blue '62, here...

... Elwood Engel's '64 clean-lined Imp elongated and smoothed out for this long wheelbase owner-driven Crown sedan. The cabin is enlarged and extended rearward for maximum second row accommodations. The color palette is "subtle Turbine car" with a much darker copperfire hue for the body and a lighter gunmetal gray for the vinyl roof and leather-and-broadcloth interior. Pulled up next to an appropriate mid-century house, this Imperial is ready for an early morning, high-speed run out to Palm Springs with four jet-setting friends and their perhaps, dubious, luggage.

B  O N U S   P I C :

I've also chopped this Imperial Crown Coupé 2-door limousine. This would be an ultra smooth, long wheelbase chopped roof luxury express.

2014 Regal Century coupe

It's time there was a coupe in the Buick showrooms. Or five! I'd like to see two door versions of the Verano, Regal and LaCrosse and a new dedicated sports coupe. Buick showrooms should also offer a choice of front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive platforms. Above, is my Regal Century coupe. I've slightly reproportioned the entire body. Notably I've reduced the front overhang and extended the wheelbase in front of the windshield, hinting at its newfound rear-wheel drive setup, and massaged the roofline and greenhouse. The famed Buick "sweepspear" is now an angular indentation shadowing the window space above it.

Other possible new Buick coupes from artandcolour:

Skyhawk, RWD 2-seat GT hatchback

LaCrosse Centurion, AWD luxury 5-seat coupe

Regal GS, FWD 4-seat coupe

Verano Apollo GS, AWD turbo hatchback coupe