was to design a 60ft diameter ceiling dome for a concert hall.
Impressive but demanding work; as you are aware, your opinions don't matter much. The customer is always right (just like retail )....but at least now, however, you get to play with cars instead of 60ft diameter ceiling domes. You're very lucky! Most people rarely have opportunities such as this and/or are too afraid to rock the boat.
In 1966, the Ranger II concept car under the Ford label entered the show stage, a previously pick-up version. From today’s point of view, the sensation about the design at that time is no longer relatable, but at that time in the USA a pick-up was nothing more than a simple utility vehicle intended for the quick transport of any goods, without comfort and without any refinement. The Ranger II, however, was designed completely differently – namely as a comfortable pick-up, equipped with all the technically feasible gimmicks, very futuristically designed, and, above all, a downright noble pick-up!
The fact that the open loading area – so distinctive for this type of vehicle – was laid out with fine walnut wood instead of the usual wooden or steel planks should have caused a lot of astonishment among those who examined the concept car at the exhibition.
What Ford ultimately wanted to achieve with the concept car is not known, and there were hardly any borrowings from it in later series production. The only one who created a nimbus for himself with the Ranger II was the then only 33-year-old designer Syd Mead, who actually did not specialize in cars at all, but appeared as an optical designer for industrial products and worked in the film industry. As a somewhat daring thesis, it can be said that Syd Mead was several decades ahead of its time in 1966, because in the current era, pick-ups have firmly established themselves in the luxury sector.
1936 BMW 326 Stromlinie Wendler
In the 1920s, company boss Adolf Wendler earned a first-class reputation for his company ‘Karosseriebau Wendler’ through high-quality work. Nearly 60 chassis with an extra sheet metal cladding left the Reutlingen factory during this decade, and in the year from 1930 onwards the number even rose to 270 units. Innovations and first-class craftsmanship led to numerous well-heeled personalities turning to the company and ordering a special car body. The 100 employees took care of almost every substructure and so newly clad cars were created, for example on the basis of a BMW Type 326, which led to a very successful car.
In 1937, the company not only provided for a one-off production with a new body, but also carried the car as a permanent offer in its range because they even printed a sales brochure for it. In it, the Reutlingen plant advertised its BMW 326 with the pithy words “50 hp … Streamline 3-4 seated …” and apparently relied above all on the fact that the body transmitted its effect to the viewer through photos. It was striking that the new, very streamlined metal cladding no longer showed association with the original Munich series car. It is not known how many of these racy BMW streamliners left the factory.
And from their Avenue43 line... Anybody know the year?
1960s Chevrolet Corvair Coupe Pininfarina
For some inexplicable reason I'm seeing an early Tesla cyber truck in that Ranger ll concept. What the heck was in that cigar I just puffed on...
