Buick Estate

Taking its moniker from the aptly-named Buick Estate of the past, this modern-day Buick Estate is a compact station wagon based on the European Vauxhall/Opel Astra Sports Tourer.

The car takes inspiration from American motorcars of old, but keeps things modern by giving the 20th-century design cues a contemporary twist. One such retro detail is the wood-finish roof-line which references the wood panelling of old station wagons. The liberal use of chrome and the portholes on the front wing are also other nostalgic touches.

The latest Buick grill is well and present, and ensures there is a visual connection to the rest of the Buick family.

Dacia Diva: low-cost motoring for the masses

The Dacia Diva would be an A-segment car based on the Renault Twingo but placed at a much lower price-point, taking the Dacia Sandero's place as the cheapest car sold by the Renault-Nissan Alliance in Europe.

The Dacia grill replaces the Renault Twingo's grill and fog-lights at the front end of the car, and at the rear a more typical window and body-coloured panel replaces the large black glass hatchback of the Twingo. In the name of cost-savings, the bumpers, wing mirrors, and door handles are left unpainted. The wheels are steelies covered by plastic hubcaps.

The Dacia Diva would be sold across Europe and throughout the Arab world.

Some old creations: Scion xR and Ferrari 626 Piero

Just a couple of older ones I like but haven't had the chance to share yet.

This is my idea for the Scion xR, a hatchback brother to the Scion tC. Inspired by 80s hot hatches and most likely driven by a demographic too young to have experienced the decade first hand. I've probably had this one hanging around for about 5 years now, at a guess.

When I first saw the Ferrari FF, I didn't rate it at all. I thought it was ugly beyond words in both proportions and details, a complete departure from what a Ferrari grand tourer should look like. So the Ferrari 626 Piero you see here was kind of my reaction to the FF. It features more traditional GT proportions and the front fascia is a look back to Ferraris of the 50s and 60s.

I've since warmed up to the FF slightly, and looking back at my 626 Piero, it's probably too traditional for a company that doesn't really do 'retro' - or at least only in subtle ways on their production cars. Somewhere in the middle would be nice.

Chevy metal

Just some old cars I haven't shown yet on this blog.

This first Chevy is a simple estate conversion of the Chevrolet Impala in an attempt to bring back the all-American full-size 'station wagon'. It would come in both 5-seat and 7-seat flavours.

The second car I'm showing is a the Chevy Blazer, a 2-door off-roader. I based this on a big Chevy SUV of some sort. I shortened the wheelbase and the rear overhang and removed two of the doors. I completely redid the front fascia to give it a sportier look. The grill mesh is actually made up of lots of little Chevy 'bow tie' emblems and a small 'Blazer' badge appears within the grill frame - there's no mistaking this cars identity!

Audi S3 Coupé

Here's my proposal for a coupé version of Audi's S3. But I haven't just lopped off two of the doors and called it a day - my S3 Coupé has taken design cues from Audis past and present to give it a completely new look to the regular four-door car.

The fastback roof is a modern take on that of the 1960s Audi 100 Coupé. The upswept rear quarter windows are also a nod to that car. An Audi A1-style roof contrast line (shown here in brushed aluminium) traces the sporty roofline.

The pictured car showcases many optional extras including: the Audi logo decals on the doors (a reference to the urQuattro), the black pinstripe connecting the front of the car to the rear, and the piano black finish between the rear lights.

The new Lincoln MKB

Lincoln is currently in a bad place. It has a very reduced line-up compared to its German rivals, and many of the models it does sell are getting on a bit now. Sales are slow, and in 5 years they will be non-existent as their entire customer base will have died off. What they need is a fresh new car that can bring in new buyers that otherwise would never have considered a Lincoln. And that's what I've tried to do here with the Lincoln MKB. 

Size-wise, it's comparable to the Ford Focus but the coupé/hatchback body makes it a rival to the Hyundai Veloster and VW Scirocco. The smallish size and sporty style could attract a younger demographic to the brand and potentially spearhead an entry into the European marketplace.

In addition to the coupé style, a stylish 2-seat convertible would be offered.

These were done a while ago so they have the old Lincoln face. If I get time, I'll make a post giving them a 'facelift' with the new Lincoln look.

Toyota GT-Four

Here is one I did a couple of years ago that I haven't posted here yet. It got fairly mixed opinions when I last posted it online.

Taking its name from an AWD version of the Celica in the 80s and 90s, this is the Toyota GT-Four - an AWD sportscar with a raised ride-height. Buyers can enjoy driving on and off the road in this nifty little racer.

The styling is dominated by the big plastic wheel arches, bumpers, and side skirts, designed to protect the paintwork from loose stones and gravel. I think it's a shame that manufacturers have stopped adding cheesy decals and stripes to their performance cars, so I've brought them back on this car. One other thing I have changed is the headlights which in my opinion were slightly oddly shaped on the standard GT86, falling somewhere between aggressive and boggle-eyed. For the GT-Four, I altered the shape to take some of the googliness away.

Scion and Subaru versions would also be available.

Jaguar XF-C

Version 1:

Version 2:

Just a simple coupé version of the latest Jaguar XF.

The one at the top has a crease over the rear wheel arches giving it a more sporting look reminiscent of 60s 'Coke bottle' styling. The one below has the more horizontal character line of the four-door Jaguar XF.

I wasn't sure whether I preferred the muscular Version 1 or the luxurious look of Version 2, so I decided I'd post both and let you decide!

Badge Snobbery

I like Ford's current 'design language' (hate that phrase), but I think that the badge would look better if it were placed in the middle of the grill instead of hovering about awkwardly above it. It's a small thing, but it really bothers me so I decided I would put it right.

I wanted my versions to give the impression of staring down the road, instead of gaping gormlessly at the sky. Another unintended benefit is that they look less like Aston Martins now, which may not sound like such a bad thing but it was one of the criticisms levelled at Ford when they first introduced their new corporate grill.

And here's a giant image that lets you compare my versions to the original cars. Click it to enlarge.

EDIT: What about having the RS badge placed centrally in the Focus RS's grill - either on the plastic section or the actual grill insert.

Merc hard, play hard

The current Mercedes CLS is a bit awkward looking to my eyes, which is a shame as I really liked the original. For this reason, I thought for the next one I'd give it much simpler lines and take away some of the extravagances that plagued the 2nd generation CLS.

Gone are the big bulges over the rear wheels, gone are the B-pillars, and gone are the massive mis-shapen taillamps - replaced by a single full-width unit, emphasising the width of the car. The swoopy roofline is kept, but the roof itself is now one giant glass panel.

As usual, there would be a large selection of engines ranging from economical diesels to the bonkers AMG version.