Judging will be out soon.
No pressure but are you still working on it
?
Almost done! Life got in the way for a while but reviews should be out before the end of the week 
It’s a bright and early Wednesday morning in Chelsea, Michigan. Davalos Motor Cars’ lead exterior designer, Richard “Dick” Douglass Jr. is always the first to arrive during these hard crunch months when new products are being pushed fervently. Flicking on the lights in the design offices, he breathes in the mixed aroma of coffee and clay. Dick is energized by the headlines of the Stockbridge Brief-Sun that sits on his metal desk — Captain Robert White is the first man in the world to travel at speeds of Mach 4.
Also on his desk are numerous pamphlets, with postage both domestic and international. Today was the day that the team would get together and review each entry, what makes them tick, and which could have potential to make a difference on the future of Davalos.
ENTRY 1 — @l0jli
The first entry comes in from someone who seems to have scrambled all the letters in their name, l0jli. Finished in a pleasing robin’s egg blue, this “Hammerhead” design is an evolution of the Sycamore, although it’d be difficult to tell if you put them side-by-side. It immediately prompts reactions from the team. Dick scribbles notes down in his book…
“[ext. design. James Carey] thinks it looks bulky, quote like it ate all the pies, unquote. [des. intern Harold Chappel] disagrees, sees some speedboat-like elegance in the sides, especially with the white cut in the side of the car. I’m inclined to agree — however, there are places where it could be more elegant. The rear lighting is peculiar, unlike anything we’ve ever seen, as if they had been picked right off a Mondrian. Their rectilinearity unfortunately clashes with the rest of the design.
It’s also missing some of the length of something full-sized like a Sycamore should be — the height and presence of the car isn’t strong, and it would’ve looked better if the width was emphasized using a shorter body that was lower to the ground. [ext. des. Vicky B. Walker] noted the shark-like distinctive curvatures the front and rear decks both take on, as well as the water-like waves on the trunk. These all do give the effect of a speedboat driving down the street.”
Here are some of the suggestions Dick has made for this entrant.
OOC: I wasn’t in love with the design at first, but the longer I sit with it the more I can appreciate the decisions that it makes. The streamlined body design is nice, and the quad-headlights are a good carryover touch from the original Sycamore. I’m thinking the two-tone paint pattern is starting to go on its way out, but it’s reasonable that if it were being designed even up to 1962 that it could still have this visual motif, so I won’t dock it. Reflector lights also weren’t mandated until 1968. I think it pushes the envelope a little bit, as it has interesting body sculpting decisions, but overall there are a few issues I have with executive design decisions such as the vehicle’s size and proportions that prevent it from being my favorite entry.
ENTRY 2 — @Capri78
The team walks over to the next model, with a postage stamp listed from Great Britain. Badged as the “Clearwater,” the car’s metallic salmon pink paint sparkles underneath the fluorescent lamps. Perhaps more polarizing than the last design, the design team quickly gets to work on throwing their opinions into the circle. Dick’s journal picks up a few observations.
“[sr. ext. des. Roger Wagner] said [the] Clearwater was designed with a ruler and a dream… you can really see that in the hunched shell, super-straight lines that shoot from the front to the rear, and the detail work in the grilles both front and rear. The taillights are also far too square… not sure why there is a light cluster in the trunklid. [Walker] thinks there is too much “textural clash” between the metal bars in the grille, the front quarter, and the trunklid. I generally think the entire design is fussy — complicated front bumper design & weird sculpting on the sides. The fuel cap also spoils the view, for a personal luxury car it should be hidden. [Chappel] asks “did the rear suspension collapse?
Although we’ve spent a lot of time dissecting this car, the longer we sit with it, the more we actually come to appreciate it. It does perform elegance and regalia with a long body and decent proportions. The headlights lead a strong shoulder that effortlessly turns into a graceful fin at the rear, it’s just a shame that terminates into such a crass taillight. It might not be a speedboat, but it could function well as a yacht.”
Here are some of the suggestions Dick has made for this entrant.
OOC: Another entry I had to warm up to, there are still a few major sore points I have with this entry. Something about the low rear stance throws off the proportion of the car in a way that almost reads as caricature — think the “Hardnoze” Hotwheels from the early 00s. The car aims for a personal luxury car in a smaller package, so it aims for a premium look that I think it mostly succeeds on — some of the detailing decisions let it down, like the lumpy side molding in the doors (I mean, why?) or disjointed shapes from the rear to the front. And I really do think that the car’s appearance is far improved with a forward rake as opposed to a rearward one.
ENTRY 3 — @Ch_Flash
Behind the Clearwater lay what was dubbed by some of the design room as a “super-compact” — a family car whose size much resembled European family cars that were being imported to America.
“Very deeply European roots here. Looks like something made for that new English company [Erin? Can’t remember name]. Generally very well-designed and handsome, but [Wagner] asks if would it succeed as an American car from an American brand. [I] Personally think it’s far too European, with a very short and narrow body that lacks American presence. It has the appearance of a flashy British or German design as opposed to a restrained American one.
In just a few short minutes, [Chappel] sketched a version of this design on a larger body. It still looks like a clean design, but the fundamentals don’t move us. [Carey] says the competition would stomp all over this. We want to inspire car buyers, not send them to the gulag.”
Here are some of the suggestions Dick has made for this entrant.
At this point, it’s been a long few hours, so the staff go for a bit of a coffee break.
OOC: As an overall finished design, this is actually one of my personal standouts from all the entries — it’s very well-made, has a clear POV, and looks the business. However, unlike most of the other vehicles, it leans very hard into a European perspective, which on its own isn’t necessarily a bad thing — however, even though many cars in the US embraced a more minimal slab-sided approach to design, I still found this design to be both too compact and subtle. I tested the design on a larger body that proportionally was closer to cars like the Ford Falcon (which was 7 in/17.8 cm wider) and Chevrolet Corvair (which was 6 in/15.2 cm longer), but it continued to lack the presence of a truly American car. I attribute this to the protruding headlight and taillight elements that emphasize the car’s height as opposed to a more integrated style which would bring out the car’s width.
ENTRY 4 — @Rise_Comics
After a well-deserved coffee break, the design team walked back into the studio, greeted by 3 new prototypes. “Let’s just start with the first one,” Dick gestures, his right arm aiming at a black fridge that seems to have landed in the room with the label “Studio Bizzaro”. As Dick’s notes recall…
“Confused faces in the studio right now. [Walker] says the blue chrome is distracting. [Chappel] said he’s a fan and was promptly told to shut up. Nevertheless not a perfect design and struggles in numerous respects.
It doesn’t commit to one style — there’s an odd mix of rounded and square edges. Looks like it could be quite sleek, but the overhangs cut off too short especially in the rear. [Walker] also mentioned the rear grille clashing texturally with the rest of the design. B-pillar is facing forward, for some reason? The bumpers are a little clunky, too many protruding elements, and too many indicators/amber lights — could definitely be made simpler and refined. Entire car could be simplified + refined, actually.”
Here are some of the suggestions Dick has made for this entrant.
OOC: I’m still hung up on this blue chrome. I mean… why? To me, this has a similar effect as Capri78’s car of appearing more like a cartoon version of a 60s car rather than an actual 1960s car. Clearly there is inspiration taken here from the Lincoln Continental — however, while the Continental’s design succeeds with a low-slung shape and long, imposing body, the Studio Bizzaro fails to because it doesn’t commit as fiercely to these design principles. To be clear, I don’t want a copy of a real life car, and I don’t see this as a copy of the Continental. That being said, even stacked up against something like the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight or Chevrolet Impala, it lacks a serious punch in its design — I think this is due to a lack of shaping in the side, too-low bumpers and skirts, and a body that is too short, particularly in the rear.
ENTRY 5 — @Prium
After the visible confusion left the faces of the design room, the staff rolled in a baby-blue sports car. Confused faces transformed into those of excitement and wonder. The little car, named Mercure, has a taut body pulled onto a teeny-tiny 97 inch frame. Dick comments…
“Wow! Looks very much like an Italian take on a new American sports car. It’s very harmonious from front to back — [Carey] said the proportions are short and sweet, like other Italian sports 2-doors being made now, but with the bold character of American machines, blending the two together. Indeed, we all had to agree, this would be suitable for a Davalos concept vehicle, especially with its polarizing front grille. [Wagner] ruined the party a little, noting that the headlights aren’t regulation friendly, but to hell with it. We can always alter a design.
[Scott] had a few notes for the construction and other details he had his snaggles with — the front bumpers could be more carefully sculpted to match the curvature of the grille, and the rear plate holder seems to protrude too far out and gives the otherwise pretty rear end a significant underbite. I, too, don’t think that the design is perfect…”
Here are some of the suggestions Dick has made for this entrant.
OOC: I really, really love this design and concept, but it is a little smaller than anything Davalos has ever made. Barely the size of an original C1 Corvette, itself a small sportscar, pushing for a production version of the Mercure likely wouldn’t fly with executives who are already developing a larger personal luxury vehicle with its own distinctive look. However, the design of the Mercure really is a home run for me, using elements creatively to give a very homogenous appeal. I also really appreciate the efficiency of the design, as there aren’t many fixtures on the car, yet it still has a high-quality construction with smartly used item placement.
ENTRY 6 — @Dorifto_Dorito
On the other side of the room, the final scale model’s glycerine blue paint is buffed to a deep sapphire-blue finish. The only decidedly mid-size 4-door entry of all the cars, and has a sporting pretense that also hasn’t been seen on the other models. Here’s what Dick has to say…
“Another decidedly European-inspired model, and this one actually hails from Italy. Has a very low, sporty nose, but lacks presence. [Carey] once again finds this scale model oddly bulky — I believe it’s due to that low front end combined with a tall DLO & low rear bumper. The roof looks nearly as tall, if not taller, than the front end of the car. There’s a sharpness to the design that cuts through some of the other entrants, but [Walker] says the shoulderline is too disjointed and made of too many moving parts.
Chrome trim on the side that references aviation is +++ and very elegant. Actually, simplicity of the car is in general quite graceful, but unfortunately some of the choices aren’t. Grill slats at the front are quite interesting, as is the chrome trim at the rear - chrome band that goes across the rear is quite nice. Unfortunately, overall a bit odd looking.”
Here are some of the suggestions Dick has made for this entrant.
OOC: There are some good ideas here, and it’s one of most unique and forward-looking entries, but I think fundamentally there are issues with the proportions that I think could have been avoided. Additionally, light reflectors were not required until 1968. The 4-door pony car style would have been an inventive, new approach for the time, but perhaps it was a little too far in the future — also, there are other entries that did the Euro + American mix designs more effectively in this competition.
1st - @Prium
2nd - @Capri78
3rd - @l0jli
It was difficult to rank these cars — honestly it’s my fault as I struggle with 1960s designs a bit, I thought outsourcing would help but I sort of forgot about the entire “having to judge the designs” part of the competition. 1st was a clear winner to me because of the fusion of Americana and European that fit the prompt in a way that felt right — 2nd and 3rd took more traditional approaches, but weren’t as well executed. Had those been closer to my taste/been designed with better proportions, they would have fought a harder battle for pole position.
Thank you for participating I hope you all had fun xoxo
Very pleased with 2nd place, and about the lumps and bumps on the sides, the ones around the seams are merely down to my incompetence/laziness in terms of making sure there actually were door seams.
The rear ‘lump’ behind the driver’s door I only added because for some reason I thought just having a front one wasn’t enough, upon looking at the thing now, it’s quite clear I didn’t need that rear one.
I will defenetly take notes
, and after your review i am going to fix some flaws you pointed out
Oh wow nice! It’s been so long since I’ve won a challenge lol. I can’t remember now, but I thought I used the same wheelbase as the Plymouth Valiant to use it as inspiration. And yeas, I might have leaned a lot into the european styiling lol
Anyway, great challenge and judging! There were some very good entries overall.
I’ll be gladly coming up soon enough with a new CSC round!
EDIT: It is up! CSC76 - Pickup Paradise [DELIBERATION TIME] - Community Challenges & Competitions - Automation