• Brings Out The Dragon In You

    The Ten Best Car Design Elements Of All Time

    Proving that decades of automotive history and design can be summarized and exemplified in a few small details, we, with the help of our readers, have isolated the ten best car design elements of all time. These are ten aesthetic features that represent eras, movements and philosophies in automotive design. Not only is each element iconic, but each invokes a pleasurable response from the viewer. Hit the jump for the list. More »
  • paris motor show

    Mazda Kiyora Concept Shows Off Fierce Nagare Design Language On The Paris Show Floor

    We saw the first official press shots of the Mazda Kiyora earier this morning, but we dug the flowing Nagare design language so much we had to hunt it down on the show floor and check it out in the flesh. As you can tell from these live shots, it certainly didn't disappoint and Mazda seriously needs to figure out a way to bring these designs to production. We're not demanding anything ridiculous like a Furai (though we wouldn't mind it), but even an otherwise boring hatch like this Kiyora looks fantastic with the Nagare styling. Press release below the jump.

    More »
  • Four-Door Ferrari

    Ferrari Sedan Designed By Fanboy; We'll Take A Pinin Instead

    With the likes of the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and Lamborghini Estoque super sedans coming to the Paris Motor Show, it made sense for young Russian designer Krasnov Igor to render up his idea of what a Ferrari four-door should look like. Thankfully, there likely won't be such a product, but if there will, we sure hope it doesn't look much like Igor's design. One could argue that the basic shape, if you squint, isn't all that bad, but the roof treatment and rear end completely ruin the rest of the package, and the wavy body panels make BMW's flame-surfacing look tame.


    More »
  • paris motor show

    Mazda Kiyora Concept To Debut At Paris Motor Show; More Nagare Styling, Anyone?

    Not content to debut just the freshly face-lifted 2009 Mazda MX-5 at the Paris Motor Show, Mazda will also be showing off it's latest iteration of the Nagare design language via the Mazda Kiyora Concept. The "urban compact concept car" features not just the swoopy design style, but also a four-cylinder direct-injection engine capable of stop-start operation and a new conceptual platform designed for optimized safety and driving dynamics. In addition to the MX-5 and the Kiyora, we'll get our first peek at the Euro-spec Mazda6 with a 2.2-liter turbodiesel, and the Mazda2 with a 1.6-liter turbodiesel, both of which we'll wantonly covet. Press release below.

    More »
  • lifestyle branding

    You've Got The Porsche Car, Now Get The Porsche Kitchen!

    Ah, lifestyle brands. You're a Porsche sort of person, right? You've got the 911, the Cayenne, the sunglasses, even the audio system. But then you step into your kitchen and it hits you: there's something painfully un-Porsche-like about this place! Not to worry- Poggenpohl can set you up with everything from appliances to faucets, all packed with Porsche Design style. We're waiting for the Daihatsu Design kitchen ourselves, but to each his own. Thanks to SOS10 for the tip! [Poggenpohl]


  • andrea pininfarina

    Andrea Pininfarina, Dead At Age 51 In Motorcycle Crash

    Andrea Pininfarina, CEO of Italian design and contract manufacturer Pininfarina, died Thursday morning in a road accident near Turin at the age of 51. Details are still sketchy, but the first local police reports say a car crashed into Pininfarina's motorbike in the city of Trofarello, Italy while he was riding to the company's design and R&D center in Cambiano.

    UPDATE: Apparently Andrea Pininfarina was driving a Vespa and not, according to first reports, a motorcycle. More »
  • question of the day

    Are Cars Getting Uglier?

    Today's reveal of the "polarizing" look of the new 2009 Acura TL and the minor facelift on the 2009 BMW 3-series got us thinking about design. Specifically, bad design. Does the TVR Sagaris 2 really stand up to the TVR designs of yore? After a sudden revolution in design a few years back we feel like maybe some designers are just adding more lines to cars they've already created rather than going bold. More »
  • novelties

    1963 Corvette-Inspired Speedboat Takes Retro To Sea

    Inspired by the split rear window and svelte shape of the 1963 Corvette, Bo Zolland created this speedboat as homage. The designer pictures it at SEMA, being towed by some monstrous GM SUV, but we'd rather use it to run up and down the river outside the RenCen to remind the General that they used to make cars that inspired people. Honestly, with all the retro rip-offs that have gone around, why hasn't someone re-made the '63 Vette? Bo pictures the boat being powered by anything from an LS-9 marine engine to a Volvo diesel putting out 550bhp, but we see a Viper engine peeking out in at least one of the pictures, never purists, we'd take ours with a V10.

  • concept cars

    LYNX Mobile Crane Concept Gives Driver A View

    By incorporating a cab capable of moving from low and forward for driving to high up for controlling the boom, designer Jiri Kubec hopes to eliminate the compromise necessary in mobile crane design. We like this concept mostly due to our child-like fascination with driving cranes, but also because the idea promises to pack more function into an existing design without sacrificing practicality. [via Yanko Design]


  • design

    Ford’s Message to Kids: Stay In School

    Thursday is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, but Ford designers have been told to keep their kids at home.