Man, Was I Close! Comparing ATS Coupes

They're Watching Me, Again, lol! I don't usually post my car art to this blog these days. My car blog is going on 4 years now, but this is a "crossover" story inasmuch as it's about my design sense...

In November of 2012 or so, I created the Cadillac ATS coupe, above in black. Today, Cadillac just introduced their new production ATS coupe, below, in blue. I'd say I nailed it! I correctly predicted Caddy would move away from their highly styled and dramatic CTS coupe's fastback roofline and electronic "slash" door apertures. I used a very similar "notchback" roof that is very sleek but has a defined trunk touchdown. The only thing I couldn't have predicted was the marque's new logo. They've deleted the longstanding "wreathe" circling the Cadillac crest. They've restyled and enlarged that crest, and I'm not really sure I'm sold on this change. I think it looks a bit cheap. But maybe I'll change my mind over time. Good job on the car, Cadillac!

2013 Lincoln MKZ—Theirs/Mine. Close/No Cigar!

 

2013 MKZ concept vehicle just shown in Detroit—the first fastback Lincoln since the 1949 Cosmopolitan Town Sedan!

The glass roof, arched roofline, full width taillights and letterspaced L-I-N-C-O-L-N on the trunklid were previewed on my MKE below. What I don't "get" on this car, is the matte black panel below the rear window on the trunklid. I 'm guessing it's supposed to make the rear window look larger, but it's an odd fake touch to me. I would have worked out a different solution.

 

B R E A K I N G   N E W S — Just introduced at the North American International Automobile Show in Detroit, this Lincoln MKZ concept vehicle is a thinly disguised peek at their production version due in the Spring. I'm still digesting the details, and trying to decide just how much of the car is "show" and how much will be on the production version. Overall, I'm struck at the difference between Cadillac's design direction, which borders on macho and performance, and Lincoln's, which seems to be smoothly futuristic and efficient. Of course, both are full luxury automakers, and both will offer all the electronic bells and whistles necessary in today's market, but the way they're going about it is striking. In all of my 30+ chops of new Lincolns in the past 18 months, I didn't quite get "there" with the MKZ, but parts of mine have shown up on this concept. 

Even though I used a 4-window greenhouse instead of the new concept's 6-window, there is something about the overall geometric shape of the windows and arched roof of my MKE and the MKZ concept car that are very similar. I'm glad to see L-I-N-C-O-L-N letterspaced on the rear trunklid of the real car, too.

I was "designing" fastback Lincolns as long ago as 1988!

 Another fastback, glass-roofed MKZ, my Sportback from 2010.

My fastback MKZ coupe from early 2011.


 Another of my fastback MKZ renderings, this time a sedan from 2011. I emphasized the fastback with a horizontal triangular sixth window, and Lincoln has demphasized theirs with a slimmer, more vertical sixth window, but the idea of a sleeker, fastback Lincoln is very similar.

My Lincoln MKL from 2010 used a 6-window greenhouse very similar to the new MKZ concept.

Now I'm Just Bragging, lol. Acura NSX Concept

 

With the exception of a few details, the just-released Acura NSX concept looks exactly like the rendering I was commissioned to do for Automotive News last month! I checked out almost every car magazine I could find at the time, and now that I've seen the real car, above, I really have to say that my rendering was the closest of any of them. Working with Mark Rechtin, the AN editor that attended the press briefing, was a great experience and as you can see below, completely worthwhile!

 Front page rendering I created for Automotive News, December 12, 2011

• Original post, here. 

Front Page News

Front Page! My commissioned rendering of Acura's upcoming NSX sportscar was featured on the front page of Detroit's Automotive News last week. Due to be shown at the Detroit International Auto Show in a couple of weeks, I worked with an editor at the newspaper to render this V6, hybrid, mid-engined sportscar from his recollection of a press briefing. It was a great experience. I first wrote about it all, here. I'm especially amused by the rainbow-colored advertisement below my illustration!

Closeup of the illustration and my bold faced photo credit!

• My work is also featured this week in the Autoextremist's Year End Review, a great honor, as always! Along with my work for Automobile magazine earlier this year, it's been a fun year, and the first year in which my car renderings have been seen in print.