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One of the great privileges of my job is the opportunity to personally meet the designers, engineers, and executives who create the cars we dream about. But last week, I had the chance to spend some time with a legendary artist who inspired generations of car designers, illustrators, and motion-picture artists. "Visual futurist" Syd Mead created the far-out designs for movies like Blade Runner and the original Tron; he also has designed countless spaceships, cars, and futuristic settings. If you feel—like I do—cheated by the disappearance of the Concorde SST, the SR-71, and a meaningful program for space travel; if you believe that a landscape actually is improved by a futuristic steel or concrete structure; then I highly recommend you indulge in Syd's work, if you haven't already. The College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit has just shown "Progressions," his exhibition with more than 50 original works. At an exclusive ceremony initiated by Cadillac designer Marc Florian, Syd received special recognition of his inspiring contributions to the design world by Ed Welburn, GM's global design vice-president. High-profile attendees included former CCS chairman Bryon Fitzpatrick, Cadillac interior-design director Eric Clough, CCS president Rick Rogers, and GM communications manager Kari Nattrass. For much of the two-hour reception, Syd was surrounded by scores of students and admirers of his art, lining up for an autograph or a personal handshake with the artist who had been such an inspiration to them. Cadillac sponsored the reception and also provided transportation for Syd and his partner, Roger Servick, in the most adequate form of a 556-hp Black Diamond Edition CTS-V, which led Syd to remark that, "surprisingly, there's still some rubber left on the tires." I am proud to have spent time with them. New Product in Europe Opel isn't providing GM with much joy these days, but the German subsidiary makes some of the coolest vehicles on the market. One of then is the compact Astra, sister model of the Buick Verano, with a 2.0-liter twin-turbo diesel. The engine makes a remarkable 192 hp and produces 295 lb-ft of torque—good enough for a top speed of 140 mph. With the Volkswagen Golf GTD rated at just 168 hp, Opel is ahead of the game on the hi-po diesel front. Kia will launch a new iteration of the three-door pro_cee'd at the Paris auto show; I like it a lot. The connection between the headlights and the grille is a nice element, not dissimilar to the BMW 3-series, and it saves the new grille from acute dullness. The Sorento receives a face lift in Europe, with an altered front end and futuristic taillights. Supplier Technologies U.K.-based Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) has launched an electric supercharger for commercial diesel engines. "Electric supercharging is a new and exciting and as yet unexploited technology that will help to reduce fuel consumption and emissions," promises CEO Nick Pascoe. It is being developed for passenger cars as well; the technology has been purchased by the French supplier Valeo. I have spoken with various carmakers, and electric supercharging is seen as a viable alternative to the costly variable-geometry turbochargers (VGT) currently used in many upscale diesels. And the electric supercharger kicks in even more quickly. I had seen prototypes about a decade ago, and I am surprised they haven't caught on sooner. If there is one application where you need to squeeze the utmost out of a propulsion system, it is in the electric car, where wasted energy translates into poor range and long, long recharging times. Curiously, most electrics are equipped with one-speed transmissions, even though this means that they are often running at inefficient speeds. Supplier Oerlikon Graziano now proposes a two-motor system with four speeds, promising efficiency gains of up to 15 percent. The system launched at the CTI transmissions conference in Shanghai earlier this month.
 Cool Cars Volkswagen is dressing up its Amarok pickup truck with a Canyon special edition. There is a light bar and a "styling bar" for a rugged, off-road look. It's only missing the proverbial toolbox and gun rack. One of the coolest transporters I've ever seen is this Tissier Citroën DS conversion, piloting an AC Cobra to the Goodwood Revival in the U.K. last weekend. Former race driver Jochen Mass was at the wheel of the Cobra for the Meilenwerk Historic Racing team. The Tissier DS is one of the most amazing racing transporters, rivaled only perhaps by the 1936 and the 1955 Mercedes-Benz Renntransporter. This particular example is a 1970 DS, converted in 1976 by Tissier and recently restored in Germany. It is one of three examples left, and in the course of the restoration, it lost the aerodynamic, covered headlights that were standard since 1967. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
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