Artistic Photo #13

Ferrari 458 Italia in Naples, Florida (Taken on December 28, 2014)

Hood Ornaments Part 2

From the earliest days of the automobile, the hoods of many cars, especially luxurious models, were adorned with exquisite figurines. Hood ornaments are now largely a thing of the past, and several months ago I wrote a post celebrating this lost art. Today I bring you four more beautiful hood decorations.

2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class in Key West, FL

While simple, the Mercedes-Benz hood ornament has turned the logo into a icon. This example is seen on the bonnet of a 2013 S-Class sedan, and while the ornament is just the Merc emblem atop a small column, it screams luxury and authority. This legendary logo is now only found atop the flagship S-Class sedan. 

1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI

The Bugatti Type 41 Royale debuted just as the Great Depression sent the world into financial ruin. Therefore, its already exclusive run of 25 units was cut to just six, and only three examples made it into the hands of owners. One of the three sold currently resides at the Henry Ford Museum, and it only makes sense that such a special car has such an unusual and intricate hood ornament. The grille of the Royale is topped with a elephant standing on its hind legs, trunk raised triumphantly in the air. This sends off an image of rarity and opulence, as well as power. This is one of the most unique and ornate hood ornaments of all time.

1935 Miller-Ford Indy 500 racer at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI

Surprisingly, back in the 1930's even Indy 500 competitors had hood ornaments. Unfortunately this Miller-Ford never ended up being raced at Indianapolis, despite the team's best efforts. However, it does feature an elegant version of Ford's 1930's V8 hood ornament. I've always liked the way Ford sandwiched the 8 between the arms of the V, and the wing flowing backwards conveys a sense of speed--perfect for a race car.

Jaguar S-Type in Key West, FL

Another one of the most recognizable hood ornaments are perched on the hoods of Jaguars. Seen here on a S-Type, the jaguar is springing forward, its muscular haunches and lean physique bristling with energy. With a ferocious scowl and piercing eyes the predator strikes fear in the hearts of surrounding drivers.

Artistic Photo #8

Chevy Camaro Z28 in Key West, Florida (Taken on February 16, 2016)

Artistic Photo #7

Dodge Challenger in Miami, Florida (Taken on February 14, 2016)

DRIVEN: Mercedes-Benz C300

As we stood at the faux-wood desk in the noisy airport, I flipped through the rental agency's book that showed each of their offerings. I had just found out that our rental car was going to be a Toyota Camry--not the most exciting choice. As I turned the pages I pestered my dad about renting the least practical, and therefore coolest, cars I could find: Corvettes, Mustangs, and G-Classes. He ignored my suggestions and continued working out the details with the attendant. However, I then came upon the C-Class, and suggested this to my dad, with the preface that it is a relatively sensible family sedan. Amazingly it worked, and we soon had the keys to a Mercedes in hand. For one week our daily driver was a car adorned with the famous three-pointed star, and I was able to take a close look at both the interior and exterior design, as well as get a chance to take it for a quick spin.

The majestic Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222 in Merc-code) debuted for the 2014 model year, and it showed off the German carmaker's new design language. The new look pioneered by the luxo-barge has trickled down to Mercedes's less expensive options, including the C-Class. Many have called the C-Class a clone of the S-Class, and the two cars can be difficult to tell apart from a distance. While the C-Class's looks are derivative, when viewed on its own, it is a drop-dead gorgeous sedan, even in base C300 spec. 

Since our C-Class was a rental car, it came in the most basic form possible, the C300 trim level with no optional packages. Even without the intricate, optional LED headlights, the Merc has a handsome face. Curved headlights aggressively point inwards and slightly downwards. The inside line of the headlights follows the outside edge of the elegant grille. A large logo sits dead center, with two upscale, chrome wings extending out from either side. The grille sits farther out than the headlights, causing the center of the logo to almost appear to be the beginning of the vehicle, and that the rest of the car extends backwards from that point. Beneath the main grille sits an upside-down trapezoidal mesh grille, which is flanked by sporty vents. The black latticework on these lower intakes creates an athletic look, which is accentuated by a comfortable, yet capable, looking stance. Angry creases flow over the tops of the vents into the lower grille, and swooping character lines extend back along the headlights and into the side panels. The chrome strip beneath the lower grille and the extra, small Mercedes logo on the hood round out the opulent look of the front of the C-Class.

A crease extends down the middle of the hood from the logo to the windshield, while other lines stretch back to the A-pillar. Piano black B-pillars and a chrome window outline carry the upscale appearance to the side of the sedan. Expressive, nearly-horizontal character lines run from the front fender to the rear wheels. Speaking of wheels, the C-Class's hubcaps feature a five-spoke, silver design, with each spoke having a hollowed out center. These large hubcaps stand out, and give the Mercedes a brawny attitude. 

The lower character line continues on the other side of the wheel well, and flows seamlessly to form the bumper. The plunging vertical taillights sweep downwards alongside the outline of the trunk, creating a coherently designed rear end. A chrome bar stretching across the trunk and the shiny strip and chrome exhaust pipes on the lower bumper add a touch of luxury to the Merc's back.

Inside, the Mercedes-Benz is a class act: both stylish and easy to use. The doors close with authority, and the sills feature chrome "Mercedes-Benz" branding. The center console features Merc's COMAND infotainment system, which includes a iPad-like screen, and, where a gear shifter would have normally belonged, a touchpad atop a knob. Our car did not come with navigation, so the infotainment system was used for music alone. The touchpad and knob were fairly easy to use--the pad recognizes north-south-east-west swipes, and can be clicked to select items on the screen. It was quite similar to using a modern smartphone, and looked sleek and stylish as well. The digital layout on the screen was clean and well organized; however, it featured pale yellow accents, which looked cheap.

Above the COMAND system control pad was piano black section that contained a hidden cubby, a series of switches and buttons, the CD slot, and the air conditioning vents. The silver plastic switches contrasted well against the shiny black trim piece, and felt solid when pushed. The three circular vents are easily adjustable and look phenomenal--they are almost reminiscent of the front of a propellor airplane. 

The placement of the touchpad means that there isn't space for a conventional gear knob. Instead, gears are changed via a stalk behind the steering wheel. This different method of switching in and out of "Drive" was initially very disorienting--at first I would reach for a traditional shifter and come up with nothing but air. However, I grew used to it, and actually came to like it since shifting into "Park" required simply pushing a button. The steering wheel in front of this stalk was well-sized, and the button layouts only included the most important functions. The gauge display behind the wheel was clean and easy to read while driving.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about the interior of the C-Class were the adjustable seats. Detailed controls, in the shape of seats, are situated just above the door handles. This type of control allowed for a wide range of adjustments, in terms of which part of the seat needed adjusting and how much it needed to be changed.

The backseats weren't quite as luxurious as the front buckets. While there was ample headroom and a solid amount of legroom, the materials felt overall slightly cheaper. The large silver trim piece on the doors felt quite empty, and the plastic-leather around the vents felt inexpensive. My only other complaint about the C-Class was its sound system, which overall felt tinny; electric guitar-heavy songs sounded very thin while the bass was barely distinguishable when listening to bass-heavy tracks.

The C-Class made up for that by being an absolute hoot to drive. The 241 hp turbo inline-four provided the sedan with zippy pickup. While it's no C63 AMG V8 powerhouse, the straight-four even emitted a pretty satisfying growl when I floored the accelerator. The steering felt heavy, but in a assertive, perhaps German, way that made me feel very confident in my ability to control of the car. The C-Class felt very nimble when making turns, and combined with the assertive steering, I felt I was able to enter corners a few miles per hour faster than I might have in my family's 2003 VW Passat or a 2014 Honda Accord. Overall, the ride was very soft and smooth--I felt virtually zero bumps while driving the Merc. The seats were extremely comfortable, hugging my body when I dove into turns. The only issue I found when driving the C-Class was in using the turning signal stalk. Pushing it down or up felt like it took far more effort than usual. Other than this minor problem, driving this beautiful, luxurious sedan was an absolute joy.

Grade

Front: A

Back: A

Overall Exterior: A

Front Seats: A

Rear Seats: B+

Overall Interior: A- 

Driving: A

Rolls-Royce Corniche

This massive land-yacht, the Corniche, is the Rolls-Royce of ultra-luxury cars, both because it is a Rolls-Royce, and because its design so accurately captures everything one could ever want in a luxury vehicle. Simply standing next to the majestic coupe, I could feel its opulence radiating outwards.

The high-class appearance starts with the instantly recognizable, and stately Rolls-Royce grille. The golden hue screams affluence, as do the thinly spaced vertical bars. The famous "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament is perched atop the grille, which sits between pairs of circular headlights. The headlights themselves are not particularly special, but the shiny, gold-tinted trim piece surrounding them gives the front fascia of the Rolls a touch of elegance, taking it a step above everything else.

Bold creases stretch from the grille towards the windshield, and a thin chrome strip down the center of the hood extends the distinguished look of the front fascia all the way to the windshield. Dignified character lines flow backwards from the turning lights, eventually forming the powerful rear haunches. Despite the sleek lines, Rolls-Royce is keen to let its customers know this is not some sports car, but a luxurious two door cruiser. The upright windshield and boxy profile adds to the regal aura given off by this 17-foot behemoth. The rear fascia is a bit simple, with small vertical taillights and a black plastic and chrome bumper, but certainly not ugly.

Overall, the Corniche does exactly what it need to do: look extremely fancy. With a very upright stance and loads of chrome, the Corniche is the perfect luxury coupe.


Grade
Front: A
Rear: B+
Overall: A

Chevrolet Corvette: Through The Years - Part 1

      When the Corvette was first revealed in 1953 as a prototype, America fell in love and this iconic sports car was almost immediately put into production. Ever since then, the Corvette has been a legend and a constant reminder to the world that America is alive and breathing, even in it's darkest hours. Over the next few post, I will give a review of each generation, starting at the original C1 and finishing with the new, flashy C7.

Corvette C1: 1953-1962

1955 Corvette at the Henry Ford Museum

1955 Corvette

    The first 'Vette, being a Fifties car, is covered in shiny chrome, and is fitted with classic white walls tires. While at a glance, the curvacious body is gorgeous, but upon closer inspection I have a few criticisms. The headlights appear to be caged in, which along with the multitude of vertical bars in the grille and bumper, lend a prison-like appearance to the front fascia. The grille, which I've never particularly liked, always reminded me a big of an angry mouth, and doesn't fit in with the sensual bodywork. Despite these minor complaints, it is still a beautiful sports car. The chrome bumper pieces emerging from the underbelly along with the long thin strip running down the side give a '50's futuristic feel. Around back the small bullet-like taillights and trim pieces give a sporty, yet luxurious appearance.

     In 1956, the Corvette was heavily updated, fixing many of my complaints on the '53. The headlights became smaller and more circular, and made the front fin have less of a curved shape. The hideous mesh was gone, and the bumper "fangs" were significantly reduced. These changes create a more sophisticated face for the 'Vette. The chrome bar along the side disappeared, replaced by a sporty, indented oval, allowing the car to have a classic two-tone paint scheme. In the rear, the tail
lights are more slickly integrated into the swooping tail, giving a more elegant look to the Chevy.

1958 Corvette in Naples, Florida

1956 Corvette 

      1958 brought the double-headlamp, along with sporty air scoops beneath the headlights and behind the front wheels, smoothly fused into the side oval, giving the car an extremely bold face. There were also skinny chrome trim pieces extending back from the headlights over the hood and forward from the taillights across the trunk lid, an interesting and unique detail that adds a luxurious feel. While the '58 was a fair improvement over earlier versions, the 1961 'Vette changed the Corvette's image forever.
        '61 saw the introduction of the two-piece taillights, and this design element has been a staple of the Corvette ever since. The change to the taillights also created a more crisply tapered rear end, giving the Chevy a more muscular look. Up front, the grille lost the chrome "teeth," so the car had a more streamlined, sophisticated appearance.
      Over its ten years of production, constant updates meant the Corvette evolved into a mature yet aggressive sports car.

Grade
Front: '53 - B
'56 - B+
'58 - A-
'61 - A
Back: '53 - A-
'56 - A-
'58 - A
'61 - A
Overall: '53 - B+
'56 - A-
'58 - A
'61 - A

Chevrolet Cruze LT

Cruze in Naples, Florida

       On my recent vacation to Florida, my family rented a Chevrolet Cruze LT. This handsome sedan, introduced in 2008, is built on the Delta II platform, which it shares with the Buick Verano, and has an inline-4 under the hood, capable of going 0-60 in 9.2 seconds. Our Cruze was fitted with the RS package, which adds unique front and rear fascias, lower body moldings, and a rear lip spoiler.

          The Cruze's front fascia features angular headlights, which have an elongated look, as the upper left corner is stretched back over the front of the wheel arch, forming a crisp line that flows into the window lining. This make the sedan look aggressive, giving it a sports car feel. The Cruze also features the corporate Chevy two-piece grille. Although its not particularly revolting, I dislike the bar running through the middle of the grill, because it makes the grill feel smaller. The idea of a small grill reminds me of the ugly cars of the 90's and early 2000's, which had useless, miniscule grilles (i.e. Ford Contour). The lower front fascia has fog lamps, surrounded with chrome inserts, which give the car an upscale look. Moving back, a sharp crease runs just above the door handles, and about 6 inches below the window sills, giving the body more texture. The hubcaps, although a pretty basic 5-spoke design, reinforce the Cruze's sporty vibe. At the rear, we have one piece taillights, which have two circles, the outer one larger than the other, which is similar to the two piece taillights of the Camaro or Corvette, or the almost two-piecers of the Malibu and Traverse. A rectangular chrome bar connects the taillights, and the Chevy badge, and Cruze and LT are written above it. While this Chevy is conservatively styled, it is still a good-looking compact.                                                                          

Cruze in Naples, Florida

        Now for the interior. The center console featured silver plastics contrasted by a piano black surface. It is luxurious looking but can be annoying as it smudges and shows fingerprints easily. The infotainment screen was of a decent size, and worked fairly well, although we didn't use it that much. My only complaint was that sometimes it felt as if it was too backlit, that there was too much exposure. The majority of the buttons, dials, and switches were easy to use, and the hazard button and the AC dials were very easy to find.

The steering wheel has a somewhat clean design, with only a moderate amount of buttons and a basic layout. The instrument cluster is also very basic, although the center gauge could've been put to better use, for a larger speedometer possibly. The seats, while not the most comfortable, were nice enough for an inexpensive compact. The only place where I felt uncomfortable was the backseat. I'm fairly tall, and therefore I felt a lack of headroom (I hit my head into the roof on multiple occasions) and also the seatbelt dug into my shoulder. This made long drives pretty awkward for me, as I had to sit hunched over. Another minor quibble I had was that  the overhead light section in the front had too much empty space, which could've been use for bigger lights, or, as I have seen in cars like the Australian Toyota RAV4, a small, swing-down storage compartment.

        But despite the few minor complaints, the Cruze was overall a very good looking car, because of it's slight sporty feel, and a pretty comfortable car on the inside.

Grade
Front: B+
Back: B

Overall: B+

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Bel Air in Naples, Florida

    Seeing this 1957 Chevy Bel Air cruise down the street, evokes a desire to have lived then, when cars came in pastel colors, had massive fins, and were works of art. This Chevy is especially gorgeous, with bright turquoise paint and many chrome accents. The majority of the chrome is on the complex front bumper which incorporates the grille, and an older version of the Chevrolet logo. The car, like other 50's cars, has airplane inspired elements. On the grille, beneath the circular headlights, is a cone-like protrusion that looks similar to a jet engine. Also, on the front of the hood, the Bel Air features two "windsplits" which appear to be airplane-inspired as well. They have what look like vertical stabilizers (the rear fin on planes) sticking up next to the missle-like main section of the windsplit. The Chevy's modest headlights hide under the hood, and sandwich the script "Chevrolet." The car's basic taillights also hide under an overhang, but this one is the sharp tail fins. While definitely not the largest fins from the 50's, these still prove adequate in representing the trends from that decade. Along the side of the Bel Air is a shiny silver character line, which makes a downward curve at the rear of the car, outlining the gorgeous fin. A smaller crease splits off, creating the top of a section of white paint, which is shaped like a smaller version of the fin. Bel Air is elegantly written in cursive, and is placed next to a coat of arms with a Chevy logo in the center, on the back end of the fin.

Bel Air in Naples, Florida

The white wall tires also signify this auto as vintage, and the rear wheels peek out from under wheel covers.
     And while it would be inefficient and inconvenient to build such large cars now, I still wish that design this beautiful and intricate was used today.



Grade
Front: A
Back: A-
Overall: A

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Quattroporte in Naples, Florida

    As soon as I saw the Maserati logo on the grille, I brought my camera to my eye and snapped a photo. I was eager to take the photo because I associate Maserati with luxury but when I looked back over my photos, I realized that this Maser isn't a particularly interesting or good-looking car. In fact,  it's downright dull.
     The car's overall shape is very simple, just a normal 4-door sedan. That shouldn't be an issue but the QP lacks any strong character lines, making it's bodywork appear plain. The only creases are a minor hood bulge, and a weak line that stretches from the uninspiring headlights to taillights so boring they make those headlights look exciting.
      Those headlights, which feature two xenon headlamps and a strip of LEDs, are set about a half a foot farther back than the grille. This makes the Maserati signature grille stick out, but because the grille is vertically flat the nose of the car looks like a pig's snout. Another Maserati design cue, the three ports just behind the front fenders, doesn't seem to fit on the QP. The ports give off a sense of sportiness, leading me to think the designers just stuck them on because the ports are on every Maserati car.

Quattroporte in Naples, Florida

     The only things I actually like about this car are the lower fascias, which are aggressive and clean while also making it so there is no blank space on the bumpers. Another small detail that I liked was the Maserati trident on the C-pillar, just behind the rear window. While this may seem insignificant, it adds a touch of luxury and elegance to the car, and is pretty unique.
     Brand image can be fooling. While the name "Maserati" makes me think of luxury, when I examined this Quattroporte I found that it is not a particularly elegant car.



Grade
Front: C
Back: D
Overall: D 

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster

SLR McLaren in Naples, Florida

     Mercedes-Benz and McLaren  had grand ambitions when they collaborated on this grand tourer,  but while it sports a sleek look, those aspirations did not show through, as the SLR's design is too simple. While there is nothing terrible about the Merc, much of the design failed to make a lasting impression.
        The grille is often literally what sticks out most in a car. If this car wanted to grab our attention, it should not have had a boring, rectangular grille running on a slight downward angle into the hood bulge--a splash of chrome on the grille's bar could have livened up the front fascia. Below the grille, there's just nothing there and, again, some chrome would provided panache.
       The headlights, two joined vertical ovals featuring xenon headlamps, fit in with Mercedes' brand look from that era--this car was produced from 2003-2009--but while they fit in with the W203 C-Class, which was a more conservative car, it is a bit too basic for this luxury sports car.
        Walk around the back and it's more of the same. The lower rear fascia wears nothing more than a frowning look, with an arch curving over the reverse lights and down to the underside of the SLR. The brake light is mounted on the underside of the lip spoiler, and the designated license plate spot is simply an indent in the rear bodywork. Again, I was disappointed by the simplicity of the design of the rear fascia, expecting something more flashy, maybe a chrome bar connecting the taillights or more glamorous license plate spot.
    Don't get me wrong, there's plenty to like about the SLR McLaren. The car's long hood features a bulge that is a reminder of the might of the 617 horsepower V8 engine underneath. This bulge stretches from the windscreen down to the grille, where it comes to a point, a protrusion that holds a large Mercedes-Benz emblem and is flanked by sporty silver horizontal vents close to the windscreen. The vents are split into three pieces by silver dividers--the car's vents are my favorite touch and exactly what  this car could use more of. 

     Just behind the luxurious 10-spoke silver wheels is another sleek air vent, with a similar design to the ones on the hood, except the dividers are horizontal and the vents themselves are vertical. These vents have a retro feel, reminding me of the vents on the 300SL Gullwing. The bottom of the vent runs into a clean character line which forms the outline of the doors. Another strong character line, actually more like a small inversion, runs from in between the oval headlamps, along the body, and around the seats, making almost a full circumnavigation of the vehicle.

                               SLR McLaren in Naples, Florida

     The highlights of the rear are the complex and futuristic taillights, similarly shaped to those on the current C-Class, with the silver C-shaped housings within the taillights that contain the LEDs being my favorite detail. 

     When the SLR McLaren cruises by you may think it's a real looker, but when examined closely, we realize that the Mercedes-Benz didn't live up to its potential in design.

Grade
Front: B-
Back: B-
Overall: B-