(no subject)

[growler_south]

Is it just me, or does the new jaguar XF look a lot like an Aston-Martin that's had a couple of extra doors added?



I'm beginning to suspect that Ian Callum is a one-trick pony.

Comments

[gregorbehr.livejournal.com]

Ummm.... rather obvious I would say.

[growler-south.livejournal.com]

Yup, they could all be the same car.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... looks like another graduate from the Chris Bangle school of automotive design.

[growler-south.livejournal.com]

Bangle is the 'flame surfacing' guy, the one that made all the BMWs look like bags of spanners.





note the similarity in surface treatments.

;-)

[chrisglass.livejournal.com]

I like his trick though!

[growler-south.livejournal.com]

I'd love to have been there when he unveiled the XKR concept.

Ford exec.: "Shit. It looks just like an Aston, but you know it'll cost half the price. We cant have that."

Callum: "Welll... what if I just fuck up the detailing a bit. See? I'll put these unjustifiably pointy corners on the lights, add some big ugly doorhandles, we'll use the mirrors off a Miata. And as long as you're insisting on that ridiculous fender vent, let's put it up by the A-pillar so it's obvious that it does nothing. With chrome... no, brushed aluminium trim. Huge brushed aluminium trim. How's that?"


Exec: "Brilliant. Mostly nice, but not as desireable as an Aston. Well done. Now, could you draw a couple more doors on it? I have an idea...."

[musclebearnz.livejournal.com]

The front is definitely a clone of the fabulous new Ford Mondeo...

[growler-south.livejournal.com]

What do you think of the rather pretty new FG Falcon? Nice to see they're actually using a new bodyshell, I was rather afraid they were going to tart up that tired old AU/BA/BF bodyshell again.

[musclebearnz.livejournal.com]

well the "tired old" BA/BF was 6 years old afterall; plus the "tired old" BA/BF still managed a 1-2-3 at the last Bathurst.. The FG still has a strong resemblance to the BA/BF..

[growler-south.livejournal.com]

10 years old, love... the AU debuted in 1998 and the BA/BF uses the same bodyshell. An AU door will bolt right on to your car.

I think its a good move. An all-new shell and engines that dont explode (like another manufacturer's I could mention) should make for another 10 years of happy Falcon motoring.

[musclebearnz.livejournal.com]

mmmm yeah, its near impossible to tell the difference between the AU and the BF in a line up isnt it (theyre worlds apart)...

[growler-south.livejournal.com]

Take off the bonnet, guards, lights and interior and you'll see they're all the same.

My point is that the AU/BA/BF *chassis* is state of the art 10 years ago. It was designed with 10 year old engineering software, is made with 10 year old assembly techniques, and has stiffness and crashworthiness attributes that were acceptable 10 years ago (no matter what shape bonnet, wings, headlamps, interior and boot you hang off it)

Ford have done a great job of building faster, better, and more modern falcons out of AU chassis' by improving suspension setups, engines, and transmissions, but in the end the weak link is always going to be that old chassis. Hopefully this new chassis, built with up to date methods and presumably designed to be lighter, stronger, and more crashworthy than the old one, will be a good platform for the next 10 years worth of falcons.

[musclebearnz.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I see that the dated BF Falcon with the "10 year old engineering software" had a very successful weekend at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide this weekend... Strange, that these "attributes that were accepatble 10 years ago", are still winning today...