Artistic Photo #5

Porsche 911T on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York (Taken on November 12, 2015)

Hood Ornaments Part 1

I have always been obsessed with hood ornaments, and always daydream about them making a comeback. However, intricate designs like the ones below will most likely stay a thing of the past due to pedestrian safety standards. Here's a small collection of intriguing designs:

1928 Pierce-Arrow Series 81 Runabout in Alaska

 This dynamic archer appears on the hood of a 1928 Pierce-Arrow Series 81 Runabout. The connection to Pierce-Arrow's name is obvious, but what really makes this ornament stand out is the kneeling stance taken by the bowman, which adds a sense of movement and power to the car. The pointy tip of the arrow, however, means a design like this could never pass pedestrian safety test nowadays.

1936 Packard Dual-Cowl Convertible Touring in Alaska

 This graceful swan rests atop a 1936 Packard Dual-Cowl Convertible Touring 1408-973. Swans often adorned the hoods of Packards, and with its flat, upswept wings and curved neck, this bird is absolutely majestic.

1932 Chrysler Custom Imperial Series CL in Alaska

 While this leaping gazelle wouldn't look out of place on a 1950's Chevy Impala, it actually hails from a 1932 Chrysler Custom Imperial Series CL Convertible Sedan. The antelope's stretched body creates a streamlined look, as do the swept back antlers. But what really sticks out about this hood decoration is the set of wings extending upwards from the top of the grille. This is almost like a double-hood ornament, making the luxurious Imperial even more unique and exclusive.

1936 Hudson 65 Custom 8 Convertible at NYIAS

This hood ornament, from a 1936 Hudson 65 Custom 8 Convertible, is one of my all time favorites. While the majority of hood ornaments are made entirely of chrome, the Hudson mixes it up with the bullet-shaped, red, glass pod. Wings were a common sight in early cars, often thought to symbolize speed, like in the Aston Martin and Bentley logos. Little wings sprout out of the top of the pod, and, along with the way the grille continues onto the hood, exemplifies the obsession with streamlined design, started with the 1934 Chrysler Airflow, that was rampant throughout the 1930's.

Austin A30 in Rome

The Austin A30 is the only non-luxury vehicle in this post (it was a response to the Morris Minor compact car), and therefore its hood ornament is significantly simpler. However, the forward-leaning "A" and extremely straight lines of the wing create a visually pleasing ornament nonetheless.

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II in Brooklyn

Rolls-Royce Ghost In Florida

1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in Florida

Perhaps the most famous car mascot, Rolls-Royce's "Spirit of Ecstasy" (pictured above on a 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II) is the epitome of elegance. This woman still rests atop Rolls-Royce grilles, although on the Phantom she can retract into the hood.

Cadillac CT6

The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado is the epitome of the American luxury flagship vehicle. With sharp tail fins that soared into the sky, bullet-shaped taillights, and its immense wheelbases, the Eldorado represents the peak of 1950s automotive extravagance. The next four generations of the Eldorado were stately, luxurious vehicles but none quite matched the lavish styling of the iconic third generation. Then, in 1979,  Cadillac's top-of-line models grew smaller and more ordinary looking. The Eldorado, no longer the stunning model of its heyday, went out of production in 2002. Since then, Cadillac's lineup has been devoid of a halo car to represent what the brand is capable of.

Cadillac has hinted numerous times with wild concepts at a replacement flagship. The 2003 Cadillac Sixteen, widely hailed as one of the best concept cars of all time, featured a massive chrome-laden grille and oversized wheels, and a ridiculous V16 engine. Eight years later Cadillac showed off the Ciel at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance. The convertible had rear suicide doors, pointy vertical headlights, and swooping rear taillights. Th Elmiraj Concept, unveiled in 2013, was a pillarless four door coupe, with an aggressive mesh grille, thin vertical lights, and a powerful stance. However, none of these concepts reached production, which brings us to the topic of this post: the new Cadillac CT6.

The new CT6 is not as extravagant as the Cadillac flagships of the past (it starts at just $53,000), but it allows for room above it in the lineup should Cadillac ever want to build a Mercedes-Benz S-Class competitor, or even something to take the fight to Rolls-Royce. However, the new sedan still is quite luxurious, with the front fascia dominated by a immense chrome grille with the new wreathless Cadillac logo. A gaping black lower front grille highlighted by chrome trim and small rectangular fog lamps adds to the imposing, upscale look. The most intriguing element of the front end, however, are the unorthodox headlights. The upper section of the unit is a pretty standard affair for Cadillac, a mix of LEDs and xenon lamps swooping back towards the cabin. The CT6's younger brother, the CTS, debuted an unusual but handsome headlight setup in 2014, where the separate running lights extended the line created by an LED strip in the main unit. The CT6 takes this design cue one step further, with a LED light dropping down from the main unit to become the running light. This made the Cadillac appear as if it is crying, and personally I think it causes the front end to be a bit of an eyesore.

A thin silver bar runs down the bottom of the doors, and while I usually thinks this makes cars look like they're trying to hard to look premium, I think that it works on the Cadillac. This is possibly because the extremely low placement makes it almost look like a running board. Chrome door handles and smooth stately character lines round out an attractive, upright profile. Three creases flow back from the logo across the hood, creating a powerful image. (It makes only 272 hp with the simple turbo I4, but up to 400 when fitted with a twin-turbo V6.)

While the front is a mixed bag and the side is a solid design, I find the rear of the CT6 a bit disappointing. The "Art and Science" design of the swooping vertical taillights certainly is beautiful, but it isn't very different from those on the CTS or new XT5. The top of the line model should be a bit more differentiated from the cheaper cars, or else it doesn't feel as special. The lower rear fascia is understated but very well done. A fine line of chrome elegantly reaches across the full width of the car, sandwiching reflectors with the white bodywork. An translucent reverse light intricately imitates the shape of the grille, and two sets of dual exhaust pipes give the Cadillac an athletic aura.

Overall, the CT6 is a generally attractive vehicle, but sadly doesn't live up to the hype of Cadillac's previous flagships, leaving a hole in the American manufacturer's lineup that if it were to be filled, would return Cadillac to the top of the luxury segment.

Grade
Front: B+
Rear: B
Overall: B

Artistic Photo #4

Land Rover Defender at the quarry in Carrara, Italy (Taken on August 19, 2015)

Nissan Elgrand

My two week Italian vacation had been building up to one day in Modena. Modena, Italy is home to the Museo Enzo Ferrari, two buildings worth of dazzling sheetmetal originally penned by the best designers at Pininfarina. About half an hour away is Ferrari's headquarters and another museum, this time full of triumphant Formula One race cars. Also nearby is the home base of Lamborghini, and a collection of sharp-edged supercars with big V10 engines. However, the first car I saw that day when I stepped foot outside the hotel was not a slinky Ferrari or a wedge-shaped Lambo, but this unusual hunk of metal: the Nissan Elgrand.

Triangular element protruding from
hood of Cadillac Eldorado

Like most Japanese market minivans, the front fascia is high, the hood is short, and there is an overall boxy shape to maximize interior space. The blocky headlights are split into two segments—a thin rectangle and a chunkier trapezoid. The two piece headlight look rarely creates a handsome vehicle (see the controversial Nissan Juke and Jeep Cherokee for examples), and in this case it gives the van an unusual extraterrestrial look. The split grille also looks weird, making the front fascia appear disjointed, and should have been replaced with a bold, solid square grille. However, the worst part of the Elgrand's front are the triangular turning lights protruding from the hood. While this design element was appropriate on the chrome-laden, elegant '50s Cadillacs, it looks out of place on this awkward eyesore.

The Elgrand gets even weirder once you take a look at the side of the boxy body. An unattractive, overly deep crease extends from the front fender back to the rear of the Nissan. Another character line starts just behind the headlights and flows into the side view mirrors. This deep line distinctly separates the top of the car leading into the mirror from the rest of the side, making the side view mirror look like a hand on the end of a metal arm. The rest of the Elgrand's profile view is dominated by large rectangular windows, and a rear sliding door operated by dull body-color handles.

Around back, the Nissan continues its unusual ways. Beneath the massive almost-wrap-around rear window is a thin, full-width taillight with a chrome "Elgrand" tacked on in the center. While the taillight itself is distinctive and attractive, the model branding appears out of place above the Nissan logo. The strong character line from the side continues onto the back creating an odd divide on the rear fascia. Beneath the canyon-like indentation are reverse lights, which are set back in the body work and pushed all the way to the edge of the vehicle. This creates a vast amount of blank space surrounding the license plate, making the rear fascia of the Elgrand look unfinished. With an alien-like face, an over-detailed front fender, and an empty rear end, the Nissan Elgrand is one of the most repulsive vehicles I have ever seen.

Grade
Front: F
Back: C+
Overall: F

Artistic Photo #3

Austin A30 in Rome, Italy (Taken on August 9, 2015)

European Vans: Part 2

In my last blog, I analyzed some of the vans that I saw on my recent trip to Italy. Here, in Part 2, are the rest:

Renault/Nissan/Opel/Mercedes-Benz

A Renault Master in Sorano

A Nissan NV400 in Verona

Call it the Renault Master, call it the Opel Movano or even Nissan NV400, but by any name, this van still is a bit gawky and awkward. All three are identical and simply rebadged under different names (with a fourth, the Vauxhall in the U.K.); their most prominent feature in the front are the vertically oriented headlights, which look as if they are being pulled upwards by a string attached to the top of the unit. From the side, the headlights are reminiscent of the oversized headlights on the Chevy Spark compact car. These large headlights make the van appear unusually tall, and sometimes a bit unstable, as if a strong gust of wind could blow the top-heavy vehicle over. The headlights on the Nissan are a bit shorter, but the effect remains. The main difference between the three is in the grilles. The Renault grille has three horizontal bars painted in gray, each with four evenly spaced, rectangular holes. The color and the design have a very industrial feel, and give the van a fittingly tough appearance. The Nissan features the corporate grille, which is not nearly as handsome as the Renault, although it is better than the Opel, which has a lackluster chrome bar atop a black mesh grille. 

A 2nd generation Vivaro in Massa Marittima

(I'm not going to discuss the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the other competitor in this segment, because it is also sold in the US.) 

A 3rd genereation Vivaro in Venice

Below the Master/Movano/NV400 is the Renault Trafic/Opel Vivaro. Most of the Trafics and Vivaros that I saw were the second generation model, which looks like an alien with its slanted front and large circular headlights that dwarfed the tiny grille. However, there is a much more attractive third generation model that I spotted a few times. While the headlights are still oddly shaped, they are aggressively angled, and connect to the large, bold grille. On the Renault, the grille is all black with horizontally oriented slats. The Opel is a bit more luxurious, with thin chrome horizontal bars. The lower front fascias are also quite different, with the more utilitarian Renault getting a large black plastic bumper, and the upscale Vivaro getting a wide lower intake and shiny black fog lamp housings. On both vans, a very strong character line extends down from the window and runs along the side panels. While not necessarily the most attractive vans, these two cargo-haulers feature a bold and interesting design. 

Vito in Grosseto

In the Mercedes lineup, the Vito slots beneath the Sprinter. The most expensive, and best-looking, passenger version is the V-Class, and it comes with LED lights and chrome-covered front and rear fascias. A cheaper passenger version, called the Vito Tourer is also offered, with basic head and taillights, and on the cheapest trims, an ugly black plastic front bumper. The cargo version, called simply the Vito, features the same plastic bumper as the Tourer, however, it looks a bit more appropriate on the Vito since it is a work vehicle. Whether or not it has the bumper, all of the Vito/V-Class vans look handsome. Every element is proportioned well, and the headlight shape, which is in line with the rest of the Mercedes family, is unique compared to other vans as well as being pleasing to the eye. Strong creases through the door handle and down the side complete the sturdy and striking appearance of the Vito.

Vito Tourer in Florence

For those who need a slightly smaller van, Renault and Mercedes teamed up for the Kangoo and Citan, respectively. Up front, the Renault has simple, round headlights and a black plastic fascia. Chrome inserts and a large silver logo finish off the basic front end. Only the lower front fascia on the Merc is coated in black plastic, lending the van a slightly more luxurious look. A substantially sized grille gives a bolder look to the Benz, but from there back it is nearly identical to its French counterpart. These two vans come in three sizes: compact, long, and extra long. While compact and long look normal, extra long ruins the proportions of the vehicle, distorting the cute appearance of this little van.

In this segment, Opel offers the Combo, which is a rebadged Fiat Dobló. For more on this vehicle, see my previous post on European vans. Nissan's offering in this segment is the NV200, which is sold in America, and is the new staple of New York's taxi fleet, replacing the Ford Crown Victoria.

Volkswagen

Crafter in Florence

At the top of VW's commercial vehicle range is the Crafter, which is based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. However, it has a completely unique front, with tall headlights and a wide grille with three horizontal bars. Like most VWs, the Crafter has many straight lines, and looks handsome, but the way the grille juts out and the way the vertical headlights flow into the hood create a unique front fascia. 

Multivan in Florence

Beneath the Crafter is the T Series, which consists of the Transporter, Multivan, Caravelle, and California. While the  6th generation just debuted, I'm going to focus on the 5th generation models, which is what I saw on the streets of Italy. The Transporter is the most utilitarian van in the range, and is offered in both passenger and cargo versions. The black plastic bumper differentiates it from the other models. The Multivan and Caravelle are more passenger-oriented vehicles, while the California is a full-fledged camper van. All four models feature the same simple rectangular headlights and thin rectangular grille. Despite how simple the VW's front fascia is, they are quite handsome vehicles, and look especially cool with the optional two-tone red and white paint job.

Caddy in Florence

The Caddy, VW's smallest van, also recently got an update, but since it was not yet for sale, I will focus on the pre-facelifted version. While the taillights look really out of date, the headlights and grille provide the classic VW look: as if it was designed using only a ruler. While not exciting, it is predictable and decent looking. 

Dacia

While I was unable to capture a photo of it, I did see a handful of Dacia Dokkers. The Dokker looks awfully similar to their minivan offering, the Lodgy, with it's pointy headlights and wide grille. It came as a passenger and cargo van, as well as a pickup truck. Like all Dacias, it was incredibly simple, and the front fascia was masked in black plastic. However, the triangular headlights added some character the van. 

Hyundai

I saw one Hyundai H350, and it was parked in front of a Hyundai dealership. While sales appear to be slow, it is not a bad looking vehicle. Bold headlights with straight edges and LEDs stand out, and look relatively aggressive. The extremely large grille is also a plus. Although I only one, this is one of the better looking vans that I spotted in Italy. 

And one final note: I did see one American van while in Italy. It was a grey post-facelift Chevy Express, and looked really out of place among the sleek European vans. You can spot it in the background of the photo of the Mercedes Vito.