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bmoreDLJ
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
Is Morey related to Ian Callum? If so, will all future Fords have the EXACT. SAME. Aston Martinesque taillights?
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drewdrawshashtags
04/01/09

@bmoreDLJ: It's his brother, and yes, ASTON MARTIN TAIL LAMPS FOR ALL!!!!
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drewdrawshashtags
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
Roy, my Gold membership isn't working. My account's been debited the $99.95, but I still don't have an edit or preview button.

Hey, wait a min...
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drewdrawshashtags
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
I personally hate the direction that Mattin had taken Volvo, and although I'm not sure Horbury's the best an for the job, I think that he always had a better understanding of what made a Volvo a Volvo

And yes, for me, part of that is "boxy".
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d3c509b aka Steve
04/01/09

@DrewDrawsSmee: Come on, this doesn't get you going?

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drewdrawshashtags
04/01/09

@d3c509b aka Steve: That is a Horbury design, isn't it?

What I'm saying is this is a Volvo.

and this is a mess (or maybe a Hyundai)

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engineerd
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
Overheard on the Ford-Volvo hotline:

Stephen O'Dell: I'm putting Callum on the trading block.

Mulally: I'm interested, but why?

O: Our cars are too roundy and we aren't leading safety any more. He'd be a good fit at Ford, though.

M: Who do you want in return?

O: J. Mays, but what's his salary?

M: inaudible...and we'll need more than a straight up deal.

O: Holy meatballs! I can't fit that in under my salary cap. What else do you got?

M: Well, we have Horbury.

O: Interesting. What are you thinking?

M: Horbury for Callum straight up, but you pay the rest of Callum's signing bonus.

O: Deal.
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drewdrawshashtags
04/01/09

@engineerd is only a fool in April: Wasn't a trade man. Volvo's Chief Designer, Steve Mattin (also known by his other name "curvy Volvo dude"), left yesterday for an unspecified reasons, leaving a hole that Ford plugged with Volvo's former Chief, Peter "Hi, I'm Dave" Horbury.

Moray "don't call me Ian" Callum was already at Ford and was just moved up from the minors.
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wrx-tyrannosaurusWrx
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
Knock knock

(Who's there?)

All Volvos

(All Volvos who?)

All Volvos look the fucking same.
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Tossed Accord taco salad over Malibu face
04/01/09

@wrx-fuckingTyrannosaurusWrx:

Hmmmm
Maybe because anyone would be a fool to buy Volvo.

And its going to take at least 5yrs before THIS guy's design theory actually takes hold in the market.

As for Volvo looking the same.. THATS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. Just like all Audis look the same. Same Sausage, different length. Just like BMW, MB, Lex, Honda, Toyota, (Forget GM, they ALREADY LOOK AND ACT TOO MUCH ALIKE) etc etc etc. Ford has some similarities, not enough.

As for looking the same, its a commonality / design presense / unified corporate brand face etc etc.

Concept of having the cars be fimilar through each other. Doesnt matter if they produce a sedan, hatch shooting brake, wagon, SUV, Sedan, coupe, conv, wagon, Minivan, Truck.. the fascia / design elements / should look the same inside and out.
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wrx-tyrannosaurusWrx
04/01/09

@Accords went nuts became a 70 Purple Barracuda: There's a difference between having similiar design elements and not being able to tell the different between an S80 and an S60 from 100 yards. Or the S40 and that C30 piece of shit unless you get a look at that ugly ass glass panel on the back. I swear to God its like someone thought "Wow! Gary Busey's teeth look amazing! OMG LETS STICK A HUGE FUCKING GLASS PANEL ON THE BACK OF OUR NEW ALMOST DECENT CAR AND RUIN ALL THE POTENTIAL!!!!!"
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Graverobber
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
This is the guy that killed rear-seat headroom in Volvo sedans. I keep waiting for the Iron Symbol brand to return to the days of the efficient, boxy cars that made them popular. I guess I'll have to keep on waiting.
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wrx-tyrannosaurusWrx
04/01/09

@Graverobber: I liked old Volvos. I don't wanna say quirky, because that's how everybody describes the Swedish car makers, but shit, they were fucking quirky.

Lasted forever, safe as shit...fun if only...because...some cars are just fun.
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
When asked for his reaction to the news, Moray Callum replied, "I'm just eel about it."
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FЯeeMan
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
I thought Ford sold Callum to the Tatas with Jag-u-ar.
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aSoundofSleep-less nights
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
Fords that are going to look like Volvos???

After Pauljones and I raid the Johnny Walker distributing facility this will make more sense.

I have got to stop taking these goddamn crazy pills.
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pauljones
04/01/09

@aSoundofSleep has 24/7 access to Wes's Ass-Cam:

Nope. We're gonna have Volvos that look like Fords.

That way, when we do go and raid the distribution facilities in our amerigasmic Ford cars, we can blame it on the Swedes and their love of all things ABBA and Volvo.
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wrx-tyrannosaurusWrx
04/01/09

@pauljones-Fresh Out of April Sarcasm: Hey, there's nothing wrong with ABBA. Alright, you win. There is. There is something so wrong with ABBA. Mama Mia that shit's bad.*

*Spoken like Mario. Mario the Plumber.
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pauljones
04/01/09

In reply to Horbury Returning To Volvo, Callum Takes Over At Ford Design
A lot of people think that Horbury can sometimes be too boring in his designs, but I think that his restraint is one of his better characteristics. The key to making a timeless design is not how wild or extreme or contemporary the design is, but rather the overall synergy of the design elements.

Recent Volvos are a great example of this.

Recent failures of this concept include the Mitsuoka Orochi convertible thing.
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WilliamG.
04/01/09

@pauljones-Fresh Out of April Sarcasm: And is the '59 Cadillac the exception that proves the rule?
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pauljones
04/01/09

@WilliamG.: No. I actually hate those things.

But to address what you are getting at, it's not that the designs can't be wild or extreme, as long as the individual design elements synthesize to create a car that is more than just the sum of those design elements.
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Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
04/01/09

@WilliamG.: I reckon the '59 Caddy offers more support for the rule, as people like the car precisely because it's such a period piece.
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A strolling player
04/01/09

@pauljones-Fresh Out of April Sarcasm: Indeed. The S80 is understated--like Volvo understated--but manages to be dead sexy at the same time.
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mzs
04/01/09

@pauljones-Fresh Out of April Sarcasm: I don't care about timeless, I care about functional. The first gen C70 is the only Volvo that Horbury got right. The shoulder is only hinted at while the look is still very much like the 850 from all but the rear. Also everything functional honed over the years about the exterior remained.

The interior was not done by Horbury and thankfully (yet also sadly) the interior is the last of the volvos that was ergonomic. The two tone special edition interior in the first gen was also very nice looking as well.

Horbury is the fellow responsible for Volvo throwing away everything that made them better.
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pauljones
04/01/09

@mzs: I disagree with that.

How did he ruin anything about Volvo?

The classic Volvos are timeless, and I think that the current versions will be, too. And I have yet to sit a more ergonomically friendly car than the XC90. I'm the kind of guy that really does not give a crap about spec sheet numbers, so I would not but another car unless I sat in it, drove it, and it somehow just clicked with me. My aunt's XC90 did just that.

Also, I think that Volvos are as functional as they ever were, barring perhaps the unusual and yet completely lovable little C30.
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