I do not know if you notice how many auto design is becoming more and more violent. I am not against a strange and violent design in principle. But it seems to me, in recent years, designers and clearly do not know what to do. As a result, cars with a very strange and extraordinary design appear on the market every year. Maybe it's time to stop, and will return to easier solutions, and not experiment with a futuristic auto design?
If you look at all cars that were released since 2000, then you will immediately get into the eyes, how sharply every year the design changed in the entire automotive industry.
First, all cars have increased significantly in their sizes. Secondly, since the 2000s and ending with today's day, the design of cars has become unrestrained.
Yes, somewhere in the mid-2000s, many automotive companies tried to produce cars with a pure rational geometric design. By the way, this simple style of cars was especially noticeable in the works of Jey Mace designer, who developed a lot of Volkswagen cars produced from 1998 to 2005. But then the modern design of cars began to progress towards the futuristic future.
Since then, the car has become more sculptural, and the car body began to grow constantly in size. Also, since those years, a constant increase in the sizes of front optics and ventilation holes in the exterior (real or imitation) are observed.
Including, recently again in fashion became a chrome, which becomes more and more in modern cars.
But most importantly, quite recently, the designers took fashion to come up with strange textures of the body design, with a combination of torn lines.
Look at these cars, which are divided 15 years. Before you, cars 2000s and 2015 (2000 and 2015 BMW 4-series, as well as two generations of Nissan Teana).
Pay attention to the design of cars of the 2000s. It is fresh, clean and concise, which you can't tell about the appearance of new cars, the design of which was full of wavy surfaces (I often think on the road that many new cars have damage on the body, but with attentive consideration of body parts, I understand that from - The uneven surfaces of the elements of the exterior blossoms the light, which leads to the deception of sight).
Also note how the headlights of modern cars have grown. Including immediately in the eye rushes, as modern cars rose in size. And so happened with the models of any automaker. All cars, starting in the 2000s, grew and stretched in size. But of course, many modern cars received large radiator lattices, many air intakes and many other things.
You can also see the progression of Avtodizain since the 2000s on the example of the Lexus car. Please note how designers of the Japanese brand experimented with their products since 2000. You will see how every new car has received more and more angles and various lines and bends.
By the way, perhaps someone will think that I, trying to condemn the modern design. No, in fact, I just point out what is happening in the modern era of auto design. It is worth noting that so far not all companies are mastering modern trends in Avtodizain. In fact, each automaker is experimenting in its own way.
For example, the Toyota company in recent years experimenting is very bold, creating new models with an extraordinary futuristic appearance. Do you know why it turns out such a design in modern Toyota cars?
The thing is that the designers of this company began to mix the Baroque style with lines and textures that are found in the wild. As a result, we received not quite ordinary cars. Although it is worth recognizing that each company in one way or another at the moment goes precisely in this direction.
Look at the Toyta Prius of the last generation and you will become clear what designers thought when we created the appearance of this controversial car.
Especially strange seems to the front of the hybrid car. For example, the new Prius has 8 main front lighting headlights (4 + 4). Plus, in addition, the car received another 18 LED lamps on the bumper (9 on each side). And that is not all. Designers also decided that fog lights were not a relic of the past.
Okay, if all this optics were placed on ordinary bumpers and body. But the new Toyota Prius model received very complex front bumper configurations and the radiator grille. As a result, as I personally seems to be too heavy design of the exterior, the elements of which are in principle overload the appearance of the machine. Therefore, to understand the idea of \u200b\u200bautodizainers Toyota is not easy. Especially if you try to solve the mystery of the designers who decided to equip the front of the Prius design elements with different texture surfaces with various color solutions.
It seems to me (and many other brands) in recent years have been rearranged. Although of course they do not argue about tastes. But, nevertheless, it is not only my opinion. For example, that modern Avtodesign became somehow incomprehensible, many say. Including well-known and authoritative autoexperts, famous for the whole world.
By the way, there are similar bold experiments that are currently all automakers are found in the history of the automotive industry not for the first time. For example, something similar has already been observed with auto design of American cars in the 1950s.
Look at two cars below. Yes, both cars, of course, are performed perfectly in different styles and era are separated.
But in these machines actually there is a common. You know what?
Their auto design is very loud, causing a little crazy. By the way, if you do not notice this by the car of the 1950s, it is quite natural. After all, you did not live in that epoch. But it is worth noting that for the 1950s, the design of American cars was really very violent and causing. And what's the result? As you know, cars of those years with a buoy design went into the past.
The thing is that buyers of cars of those years, just tired of the causing design. And this, by the way, happened when autodizainers of American cars did not come up with how to improve.
Approximately the same trend we now observe both the car market. It is possible that quite soon in the automotive industry will end the fashion for a permanent global external change in new cars, as well as autodizainers and aircraft designers will understand that too violent design cannot be constantly improved.
Most likely, in the next 20-30 years we will see that the design will become much modest. True for this will have to wait before the designers of cars are calmed down, which are still happily experimenting, creating a new era in autodizain.
Yes, of course, modern design is based on High-tec and it is not where to leave. Every year we will see all fresh and non-original ideas in the exterior of new cars. But, nevertheless, I think that road companies sooner or later will have to influence the creative dreams of designers and designers.
The site continues to acquaint you with the history of the automotive industry. A new series of historical articles is devoted to the development of the form of the body of a passenger car. In these publications, we will look at the main stages of the development of the automotive industry. It will be not only about the style of machines of different periods, but also about their social, cultural, engineering and technological features that directly influenced the body design.
To the great happiness in history, the first steps of the automotive industry are captured. Many since childhood heard and know the names of people, forever changed the world. The first one is Karl Benz, and the second is Gottlieb Daimler. They worked in Germany at the same time in neighboring cities. Both designed, built, tested and patented workable machines with an internal combustion engine. With the difference that Benz really was the designer of his three-wheeled carriage with a motor, and the daimler - the manager, under the guidance of which a talented engineer August Wilhelm Maybach (August Wilhelm Maybach) at first created the "Daimler Motorcycle", and later the first four-wheeled car. They are officially recognized by the "fathers" of the car.
The dates for the appearance of the first vehicles are also known. Patent No. 37 435, issued on January 29, 1886 by Karl Benz, and Patent No. 34,926 on a "single-mole" crew issued by Gottlib Daimler on April 3, 1885, and in 1886 - on a four-wheeled one. It is worth noting that the Benz car drove a little earlier, in the same 1886, against the 1888 Daimler.
Three-wheeled stroller with a Benz motor
What were the first cars? Their appearance was strongly influenced by the design of a bicycle and horse crew. Enough, reliable and well-worked, they are also associated with people with advanced technical achievements of those years. From crews, cars inherited the majority of body types.
Motorcycle and four-wheel car Daimler
Oddly enough, Benz and Daimler cars did not find popularity in their homeland. Residents of surrounding houses and villages scared loud cotton engines, and in general, they treated the new miracle of technology. We had to inventors to sell their patents to France, where the audience showed much more interest in the new "attraction". It is worth noting that no one really thought about the transport functions of the car in those years, belonging to him exclusively as to entertainment.
It is in France that the car begins to acquire the status of an individual means of movement, so it is not surprising that the French regime masters belong to many discoveries and innovations in Body-Building. For example, the first car with a closed body, which has become Renault Type B Coupe, or the technology of manufacturing body panels from aluminum alloys, which have been facing a wooden frame.
But back to the description of the appearance of cars of the end of the XIX century. The tall and unstable body of "voiureti" (in French "wagon") was an elegant steel tubular frame and a small wooden platform installed on it, located opposite each other. A low-power engine was often placed behind or under the seats. The wheels of the front and rear axle, due to the imperfection of the design of the mechanism of rotation, were different diameters, there was absolutely no means of protecting passengers from dirt, dust and bad weather.
Later, when cars began to be used not only as pleasure transport, but also for trips to quite long distances, appeared bent down the radius wings from thin wood, folding awnings and lighting lights. In terms, it turned out that the common type of landing "Visavi" is unsuitable for long-distance trips, and the front seats began to make 180 degrees rotating 180 degrees. With increasing speed of machines, the size, mass and power of the engine increased. It became more difficult to place it under the seats, besides, he demanded good cooling.
And here the real revolution was performed by the French company Panar-Levassor (Panhard et Levassor). In 1893, her chief designer Emile Levasor (Emile Levassor) offered a new type of car layout, which was destined to become "classic": the engine and cooling radiator are located in front, the torque was transmitted through the clutch mechanisms and gearboxes to the intermediate transverse shaft, and from it chains on the rear wheels. Looking a little forward, let's say that this design in 1898 was finalized by the young French engineer Louis Reno, replacing the chain drive with a cardan shaft, thereby bringing the layout of those years to what we have today.
Emile Levassor
The new design was to have a serious check. In July 1894, Levassor's car, equipped with a Daimler engine, went to the start of a 127-kilometer race Paris - Rouen. Emile Levassor, who personally managed the car, came to the finish line, dividing the first place with the car widely known now the brand of Peugeot, also equipped with a diverger engine. Racing at this time become not only the spectacular extreme entertainment, but also the source of useful information for engineers who tirelessly continued to improve the design of the car.
In the next competitions, on the route Paris - Bordeaux - Paris, held in 1895, Levassor won a well-deserved victory, passing a 1200-kilometer distance at an average speed of 24.5 km / h. When he stopped the car and stepped on Earth, he said: "It was real madness! I did up to thirty kilometers per hour! ". At the spot of the finish, in the Boulogsky forest, a monument was installed in honor of Levassor, on the medallion of which the image of the car was carved, the racer himself, a wetrated crowd, and his words entered into history.
Unfortunately, Paris race - Marseille - Paris 1896 became the fatal for Emil. Having hit an accident, he received severe injuries and dropped out of the struggle, and a few weeks later died.
In these races, cars with steam engines took part, as well as pneumatic tires. The result of their participation was the understanding that gasoline engines significantly exceed steam, but pneumatic tires, Dazhn despite the then-imperfection of the design, significantly reduced the mass of the car, increased the level of comfort, speed and durability of machines. In addition, they provided a reliable clutch of the wheels with an expensive.
Cars with classical layout were quite heavy, the management was noticeably more complicated and the owners had to give way to the wheel of professional chambers, and rear sofa rear sofa themselves. But the short wheelbase did landing and disembarking the rear row passengers is very uncomfortable, so I had to turn to the body of the type "tonny" (in French "barrel"), in which the passengers came across either through the door in the back board, or turning next to the driver's drive To free the passage to the rear branch of the body. Running forward Let's say that "tonno" became one of the last attempts to adapt the design of an old horse crew to a new type of vehicle. He came out of use at the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, when cars became longer and obtained the wheels of the same diameter, which made it possible to get rid of many shortcomings of early layout schemes.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, almost all body studio "went out" from workshops on the manufacture of horse crews. Until 1903, automobile bodies, like carriers, were whole wooden, the metal was not used at all. At the same time, the share of consumers ordered by closed body, by this time increased significantly. They needed a doctor and business people who were forced to go on the road to any weather. Therefore, it is quite logical that, having a tremendous crew experience, the masters began to transfer traditional technologies and ways to lay a carriage closed body to car chassis, along the way, copying and shared style architecture. A bright example of this can serve as the body "Brogham" ("Brougham"), which was invented in the first half of the XIX century by the English Lord Bogam, who was widespread in the United States.
Equipment traditions were strong: passengers did not sit down next to the driver, in the dark, the body was highlighted with carriage lanterns, and the front rack of the roof continued down and visually separated the engine volume from the passenger compartment. These were the classic rules of the crew architecture, which no one wanted to break.
However, original, purely automotive layouts were started to appear. So, in about 1905, some manufacturers began to install engines not on canonical crews, but on peculiar trolleys, consisting of two longitudinal spars interconnected by several crossies. The engine, transmission and suspension were attached to the resulting frame. In other words, the car has become distinguishable two main parts: mechanical - "chassis", and the body that was installed as a separate, independent unit and was usually manufactured by a third-party manufacturer. And the side doors have not yet been and the front seats remained open from the sides.
On the basis of a single chassis to create a wide variety of modifications of passenger and even trucks. Handicraft production at this time quite peacefully got along with tastes of well-secured motorists, according to the old fashioned, to perceive the trip by car as a leisurely horseback ride, and a huge body height, partly caused by fashion for cylinders, did not confuse anyone for a long time. But constantly growing speeds gradually forced cars to become longer and lower. And in 1906, the next revolution took place in the global automotive bodywork - in England, welding technology of steel body panels was applied.
While in Europe there was a new type of car layout and new bodywork technologies were developed, in the USA from the beginning of the twentieth century, the main direction in the technique was to create a mass, cheap, individual vehicle. The OLDSMobile Curved Dash appeared in 1901 in this area, the demand for which has exceeded all expectations. The light open body of Oldmsmobil was fixed on a pair of long longitudinal springs connecting the front and rear wheels. The machine design was subordinate to the fashionable at that time the "Art Nouveau" style ("Modern") who attracted potential buyers. For the first two years, 3,000 cars were released and the release continued to grow.
Cars have long become the usual phenomenon of our life. Having a car, at least in Russia, is a sign of involvement in the "middle class". And the better, the more expensive the car, and, accordingly, above the "class" of its owner.
And what attracts most of all in modern machines? Design! Who did not look for long thoughtful glances to any red Ferrari? Or who did not see the gaze passing by the BMW X6?
Design - Car Beauty, is one of the main "hooks" of car manufacturers, which is good "pecks" the buyer. Have you heard about the most popular car in Russia Hyundai Solaris? Many determined the reason for its success as the balance of reliability, modernity, good price ... No! He is just beautiful. Well, of course, relatively inexpensive. That is why they buy this car in large quantities, mainly in large cities. For design. Neither specifications nor notorious relative reliability here do not play roles. Here the Koreans of Russian motorists sat on such a "hook".
Let's try briefly trace the development of car design in the entire history of the active release of cars.
As you know, the first cars were not very beautiful. We are talking about the very first steam models on huge wheels and a small place for the driver's passenger. At first, no one thought. It was only necessary to prove that mechanical vehicles are capable of independent movement. They proved 50 years old - about the second half of the 19th century until the first decade of century 20. Really mass cars began to appear precisely 1910, who is early - by 1903-1905, who later - by the 20-30s. But it is this time that should be considered as the beginning of a modern car. And automotive design too.
Conditionally, you can divide the periods of the history of automotive design into three stages. I will try to come up with the names "from the ceiling."
First stage - " Classical" It can be determined by the next time interval: from 1910 to 1950. About. That is, at this time in fashion was predominantly one type of design. Yes, and many technical solutions were similar.
Second phase - " Progressive" He began from 1950 and ended around 1985-90.
Third stage - " Modern" As sometimes they say: "A good modern car." So, modern design takes its beginning around 1985, and continues to this day.
Perhaps a couple of years will come the fourth stage in a car design, which can be called as "promising" or "the design of the future".
Consider in more detail the representatives from each of the above-described car modes.
The "classic" stage of the automotive design well demonstrates tastes, and the values \u200b\u200bof the people of the beginning of the 20th century. Cars were large, with a large wheelbase (the distance between the wheels on one side of the body) had rounded shapes, smooth lines. The main feature of most cars of that time is round headlights and a massive vertical radiator grille.
From an interesting one should also mention that many cars were then without a roof, or with a soft folding riding. This type of body in our days is called "convertible" and similar cars, as a rule, fairly road and rare. But earlier, the convertibles were hardly more popular than cars with hard riding. It is possible to explain this fact by the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century the car was, primarily a means of luxury, and not movement. And they went to good weather in warm countries. So, it is known that cars took with him in the Crimea and there they actively traveled. Machines were placed in a special train car. Actually, the train as a means of movement by that time were much more popular, although by and large the railway and the prototype of the car appeared at about the same time.
Supplied ridiculous in modern standards by engines with a capacity of 20-40 horsepower. This is despite that the weight of the machines reached a completely decent 2-2.5 tons. But, oddly enough, even such weak motors could dispersed the car of those times to 60 km / h! And this is almost twice as much as the speed on which a horse is capable of a saddle.
By the way, in response to high demand in aristocratic circles, car engines were quickly improved. And already before. First World War appeared instances of cars with engines. Power of about 60 horsepower. Such power allowed the machines to accelerate already up to 100 km / h, which for the 1910s is very decent!
If you return to the design, then I repeat, the forms were rounded. Even so, something average between square and round. These machines did not need aerodynamics, so it was flat and high. Smooth wings, hood. High, long and narrow cars.
The second stage of design development began after. Second World War. "Progressive" called him because, compared with the preceding types of cars in the new type there was a number of changes.
The most striking example of cars of the second designer stage are Cadillac companies of the 50s of the 20th century. Such huge space ships on wheels with wings rear. A distinctive feature of cars of this stage was a huge hood with a large sink in front and the same huge trunk also with a huge sweat of the back. Compared to the "classic" machines, "progressive cars" were much wider, below, but at least they did not inferior to the previous class.
Smooth structures as if intensified. There were peculiar "wings" from behind - Fashion 50s. In general, the machines of this stage became more solid. If the first was brightly pronounced hood, the wings were pronounced on the sides, that is, the car clearly consisted of separate parts, the "Cadillaci" of the 50s began to resemble a one-piece box, where the wings merge with the hood in the whole. And in general, the forms have become more rectangular. And the further, the less "round" remained and the more became "square".
At this time, the engines were added in power (from 40 to 100 hp), which allowed the machines to keep 80 km / h as normal speed and accelerate up to 150 km / h. Another feature of these time is a very soft suspension. So "Cadillaci" literally floated over the road and therefore they were compared with yachts.
Also, the vivid representatives of this designer class are Soviet cars: the Vazovskaya "Classic", "Volga" and representative zila.
The third "modern" stage began somewhere in the mid-80s. From this point on, cars become predominantly driven by the front axle
Due to the fact that the car by the end of the 20th century became a thing of universal consumption and ceased to be the subject of luxury, the cars decrease sharply in size. Class classes began to be accurately traced: from subcompact, (class A) to a representative class (e class of Mercedes).
Compared to the "progressive" design, the design of cars has become more concise. All parts of the body smoothly flowed one to another. Some sharp lines remained in the past. The hood of cars of the most popular classes (medium and business class) remained large enough, but the trunk decreased sharply in size. Massive bumpers have also appeared, which, again, merged with the general appearance of the machine into one.
Motors at this stage have achieved unprecedented values \u200b\u200bfor previous times: 70-90 horsepower has become the norm, but the engine has appeared, developing 200 and more "horses". Accordingly, dynamic machines are dramatically improved. They began to sharply accelerate and the speed of 120 km / h from the maximum turned into cruising. "MAILDER" on other models increased up to 200 km / h. For this reason, modern cars began to pay attention to aerodynamics. The body began to have a smooth form without a pronounced "flat" front. Of course, there were classes where the flat front persons remained in the ranks - for example, but the general trend is obvious.
What can be said about the design of future cars? It is worth noting such a tendency, the appearance of the most prestigious machines appears in more accessible classes over time. So huge rounded limousines of the 30s turned into over the popular Volkswagen Beetle and others like it. Mass machines, such as Fiat 124 (VAZ 2101) and others, gradually become huge "Cadillaci". Etc.
Which cars today are most prestigious? Sports! The very "Ferrari" and "Lamborghini". It is very likely that it is such a look that will be in the car of the future. A similar look: ideal aerodynamics, almost imperceptible hood, a powerful back, big wheels ... Probably, the engines in 300 horsepower will also become the norm.
Highlighting three classes of automotive design, do not be considered them fixed. These are just common features. Inside each class, change occurred over time. So in the first grade gradually cars were collected, decreased, modern outlines appeared. So comparing the car of 1910 with the 1940s machines, you will understand the difference. But this is generally one stage. Rounded and large. Next, "Space" Era. Machines are wide and largely round gradually become more and more square (compare VAZ 2101 and VAZ 2107). Well, and a modern stage: from laconic bodies with a minimum of bends, with simple lines we switched to sophisticated lines in various parts of the machine (VAZ 21099 and Lada Vesta). The general principles remained the same: a relatively long hood, a relatively short trunk (for sedans) and front-wheel drive.
At one of the appeals of promising samples on AZLK, the then Minister of Avtoprom Vladimir Polyakov, according to eyewitness memories, I said: "Where did you see such a car? There are no such cars! "
Designers have deciphered the thought of the Minister: you need to make cars on foreign samples, and not to look for the faded ways. In the USSR, as a rule, this is exactly what they came. But not always.
To make a fairy tale
It is no secret that all our cars created to the Great Patriotic War have been copied to one degree or more from Western. Rather, almost everything. In 1938, a young artist Zisa (the term "designer" appeared in thirty years) Valentin Rostkov painted a very unusual and even avant-garde two-door roadster, which is called ZIS-Sport. The appearance of the car - in particular, the line of massive wings - followed the then American fashion, but in solving the face with the built-in headlights and the aerodynamic grille of the radiator, the sprouts did not simply copy anything, but even ahead of global trends.
It is easy to make sure that it is enough to compare with the thoroughbred sports models of those years. That's just the creation of Rostkop was not intended for mass production, and not the fact that then our industry would have mastered such a body.
This is a very important bar to a portrait of Soviet design. After all, artistic design, as once, this craft, implies and technological elaboration - bringing the product from the sketch to the commodity sample. Without a flight of fantasy, of course, it is impossible, but it's still about commercial cars, and not about exhibition concepts.
As for the fantasy, one of the first on its flight in our country dared - artist, engineer and famous car popularizer. In the 1930s, he, like many foreign engineers and stylists, was carried away by the rear-engine arrangement, inspired by the avant-garde Czech tattro. It was the authority of Dolmatovsky affected the fact that for two decades the creation of cars of all classes with the engine from the back became one of the main directions for our designers.
Futuristic sketches broke out in the avant-garde, but already running, really very advanced for 1951. (Something similar - Minivan Fiat Multipla - Italians launched into production only in 1956, but he did not discourage large commercial success.)
It's one thing - to admire unusual machines and completely different - buy them and operate. And to put something similar to the conveyor in the USSR to the conveyor in the USSR - 013 and was unthinkable at all. It is difficult to imagine a person who would move from victory or winter in such an unusual, and also constructively dubious, the car.
Artists, of course, were eager to create, they are artists. But the industry leadership, as a rule, an installation came: Copy Western samples. And a certain reason was in this, since foreign designers had much more experience not only in creating new models, but also in bringing them to the series.
However, we must pay tribute to our: they didn't just copy, and deftly recycled foreign stylistics, adapting it to our conditions, including production capabilities, and creating not the most advanced, but quite appropriate machine time. The most vivid examples - and. And here is the products of the 1950s ZIS - frank copying of American samples.
But artists are not to blame! It was on such machines that they wanted to ride those. It is difficult to imagine that the leaders of the USSR would prefer the avant-garde minivan, drawn, say, a talented artist Eduard Molchanov: a somewhat strange combination of body-car and huge glasses with whimpical bends characteristic of American stylistics of the 1950s and 1960s. But something similar appeared in the metal.
Travel in life
The heyday of the Soviet design fell on the era of Khrushchev, the Council of Industrial enterprises and the relative independent enterprises. With the Moscow City Council, a special artistic design bureau (SHCB) was created, which worked on the orders of MZS, ZIL, Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant. The romantic lift was on the plants themselves, as well as in us.
Two characteristic work of the early 1960s, brought to a small, but series, - Moscow and Ukrainian start. They are very interested to compare, because cars, at first glance, a lot in common, but there are very significant, and in fact - indigenous differences.
Both cars had a wagon layout. Both did not avoid the influence of American stylistics (many European companies were also susceptible to him: extensive lattices of radiators, visors over four headlights.
But there are differences. ZIL-118 Youth, who worked on which a group under the guidance of one of the best Soviet designers Eric Sabo, in the process of finishing to a prototype became much more calmer in the lines and decoration than in the first sketches. But the start produced a strange impression. Original? Yes! Remembered? Sure! But it hurts the eclectic turned out by artists, this minibus endowed with the devils of American "cruisers". After all, the design implies a combination of beauty and rationality, and the start - a speaker, like a passenger car, a trunk with "keel". Okay, the engine was behind the back, like Nou-013, but it was located traditionally for such machines - between the front seats. The familiar is rational, more good, harmonious start.
In general, Moscow Youth is a professional and original work, and the start is the work of romantic lovers. There is no special originality in it, but there is a sharp eclectic - a bizarre combination of several styles, creating, repeating, memorable, but a disharmonic image.
Another important sign of the professionalism of the creators of youth is the possibility of upgrading the machine without a radical alteration of the platform, which has done in 1970. But it is difficult to imagine how it was possible to modernize youth in just a couple of years after her birthday, when American "aerospace" fesomas came out of fashion.
Modernized Youth ZIL-119 19
