What's going on with modern car design. Automotive design: features, history and interesting facts How car design has changed
Cars have long been a common feature of our life. Owning a car, at least in Russia, is a sign of belonging to the "middle class." And the better, the more expensive the car, and, accordingly, the higher the "class" of its owner.
What attracts you the most about modern cars? Design! Who hasn't looked at a red Ferrari with long, wistful glances? Or who hasn't watched the passing BMW X6?
Design - automotive beauty, is one of the main "hooks" of car manufacturers, which the buyer "bites" well. Have you heard about the most popular car in Russia, Hyundai Solaris? Many identified the reason for its success as a balance of reliability, modernity, good price ... No! He's just handsome. And, of course, relatively inexpensive. That is why this car is bought in large quantities, mainly in large cities. For the design. Neither specifications, nor the notorious relative reliability play a role here. This is the kind of hook that Koreans have hooked Russian motorists on.
Let's try to briefly trace the development of car design throughout the history of active car production.
As you know, the first cars were not very beautiful. We are talking about the very first steam models with huge wheels and a small seat for the driver. Nobody thought at first. It was only required to prove that power-driven vehicles are capable of independent movement. Proved about 50 years - from about the second half of the 19th century to the first decade of the 20th century. Really mass cars began to appear precisely by 1910, some earlier - by 1903-1905, some later - by the 20-30s. But it is precisely this time that should be considered as the beginning of the modern automobile. And automotive design too.
The periods of the history of automotive design can be conditionally divided into three stages. I'll try to come up with names from the ceiling.
First stage - " Classical". It can be defined by the following time interval: from 1910 to 1950. About. That is, at this time, there was mainly one type of design in fashion. And many technical solutions were similar.
Second phase - " Progressive". It began in 1950 and ended around 1985-90.
The third stage is “ Modern". As they sometimes say: “a good modern car”. So, modern design dates back to around 1985, and continues to this day.
Perhaps in a couple of years, the fourth stage in automotive design will come, which can be conditionally called "Perspective" or "design of the future."
Let's take a closer look at representatives from each of the above-described times of automotive fashion.
The "classic" phase of automotive design well demonstrates the tastes and values \u200b\u200bof early 20th century people. The 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 features of most cars of the time were round headlights and a massive vertical radiator grille.
Of the interesting things, it should also be mentioned that many cars were then without a roof, or with a soft convertible top. This type of body is called a "convertible" these days and such cars are usually quite expensive and rare. But before, convertibles were almost more popular than hard-top cars. This fact can be explained by the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century, the car was, first of all, a means of luxury, not transportation. And they drove it in good weather, often in warm countries. So, it is known that he took cars with him to the Crimea and drove them actively there. The cars were placed in a special train carriage. Actually, trains as a means of transportation were much more popular by that time, although, by and large, the railway and the prototype of the car appeared at about the same time.
They were supplied with 20-40 horsepower engines, ridiculous by modern standards. This is despite the fact that the weight of the machines reached a pretty decent 2-2.5 tons. But, oddly enough, even such weak motors could accelerate the car of those times to 60 km / h! And this is almost double the speed that a horse with a rider is capable of.
By the way, in response to high demand in aristocratic circles, car engines were rapidly improving. And already before. During the First World War, examples of cars with engines with a capacity of about 60 horsepower appeared. This power allowed the cars to accelerate to 100 km / h, which is very decent for the 1910s!
If we return to the design, then, again, the shapes were rounded. Even so, a cross between square and round. These cars didn't need aerodynamics, so the front was flat and tall. Smooth contours of the fenders, hood. Tall, long and narrow cars.
The second stage of design development began after. Second World War. He called it "progressive" because in comparison with the previous types of cars in the new type there were a number of changes.
The most striking example of cars of the second design stage are the cars of the Cadillac company of the 50s of the 20th century. Such huge spaceships on wheels with wings at the back. A distinctive feature of the cars of this stage was a huge hood with a large overhang at the front and an equally huge trunk with a huge overhang at the rear. Compared to "classic" cars, "progressive cars" were much wider, lower, but at least not inferior to the previous class.
Smooth contours seem to have intensified. A kind of "wings" appeared at the back - the fashion of the 50s. In general, the machines of this stage have become more integral, as it were. If the first had a pronounced hood, pronounced fenders on the sides, that is, the car clearly consisted of separate parts, then the Cadillacs of the 50s began to resemble a one-piece box, where the fenders merge with the hood into a whole. Anyway, the shapes have become more rectangular. And the further, the less "round" remained and the more "square" became.
At this time, the engines increased in power (from 40 to 100 hp), which allowed the cars to keep 80 km / h as normal speed and accelerate up to 150 km / h. Another feature of cars of this time is a very soft suspension. So "Cadillacs" literally floated above the road and therefore they were compared to yachts.
Also prominent representatives of this design class are Soviet cars: VAZ "classics", "Volga" and representative "Zila".
The third "modern" stage began somewhere in the mid-1980s. From this point on, cars become predominantly front-wheel drive
Due to the fact that the car by the end of the 20th century became a thing of general consumption and ceased to be a luxury item, cars are sharply reduced in size. The classes of the car began to be clearly traced: from subcompact (class A) to the executive class (E class from Mercedes).
Compared to the "progressive" design, the design of modern cars has become more laconic. All parts of the body smoothly flowed into one another. Some sharp lines are a thing of the past. The hood of the cars of the most popular classes (middle and business class) remained rather large, but the trunk has sharply decreased in size. Massive bumpers also appeared, which, again, merged with the overall appearance of the car into one whole.
Motors at this stage have reached unprecedented values \u200b\u200bfor previous times: 70-90 horsepower has become the norm, but at the same time, engines developing 200 or more "horses" have appeared. Accordingly, the dynamic performance of machines has improved dramatically. They began to accelerate sharply and the speed of 120 km / h turned from maximum to cruising. "Maximum speed" on other models has grown up to 200 km / h. For this reason, modern cars began to pay attention to aerodynamics. The body began to have a smooth shape without a pronounced "flat" front end. Of course, there were classes where the flat front end remained in the ranks - for example, but the general trend is evident.
What about the design of future cars? It is worth noting this tendency, the appearance of the most prestigious cars appears over time in more affordable classes. So the huge rounded limousines of the 30s turned into the over-popular Volkswagen Beetle and others like it. Massive cars such as Fiat 124 (VAZ 2101) and others gradually began to look like huge Cadillacs. And so on.
What cars are the most prestigious these days? Sports! Those same Ferrari and Lamborghini. It is very likely that this is exactly what the cars of the future will have. A similar look: perfect aerodynamics, an almost imperceptible hood, a powerful rear end, large wheels ... Perhaps 300 horsepower engines will also become the norm.
Singling out three classes of development of automotive design, one should not consider them fixed. These are just general features. Changes have occurred within each class over time. So in the first class gradually the cars were rounded, reduced, modern outlines appeared. So if you compare cars from 1910 to cars from 1940s, you can see the difference. But this is generally one stage. Round and large. Further, the "space" era. Cars are wide and in many ways round gradually become more and more square (compare Vaz 2101 and Vaz 2107). Well, the modern stage: from laconic bodies with a minimum of bends, with simple lines, we moved on to sophisticated lines in various parts of the car (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.
It is customary to call auto design a preliminary, sketchy stage of creating a car model of its unique and individual art form. Automotive design is based on the given conditions of rationalism and manufacturability when creating cars. That without which the car cannot drive, as well as meet the requirements of buyers and regulatory authorities, should be provided in one form or another in a sketch, drawings and in metal. Space is required for the engine, wheels and other equipment, objects and devices that ensure the comfort and safety of the driver and passengers.
The flight of imagination of designers, their vision of beauty and adherence to fashion follows and "flows around" everything necessary, functional and rational. But this is a two-way process. The emergence of new shapes, proportions, individual parts gives an impetus to the search for new technical solutions and materials, as well as to "rearrange" existing ones.
It is most profitable for any manufacturer to create and sell large items. This is also beneficial for designers - nothing limits the flight of imagination. But if there is a demand in society for miniaturization, and large cars are sold in small batches, then the company will change the vector of production.
History
Despite the fact that cars began to be produced on a significant scale from the end of the 19th century, and, therefore, there was some kind of their design (at least as an imitation of a carriage or carriage), it is believed that automobile and transport design is an artistic design with theoretical justification and how real business appeared in the North American states in the late 1920s.
Ahead of all was the General Motors concern, which formed the corresponding division in 1926. A year later, the Cadillac La Salle, which amazed everyone, was already released. Immediately after the end of World War II, automotive design began its triumphant march across European countries and Japan. Forty years later, design groups and departments were at all car manufacturers, including the USSR. And in GM more than one thousand four hundred specialists worked on this subject (in the Ford concern - 875).
Western auto design
In the first decades of the 20th century, the appearance of the car takes on the features we are accustomed to and is no longer a copy of an equestrian carriage. There is a fierce struggle not only for the type of engine used (steam, electric or gasoline), but also for the type of body - "salon" or open.
The workaholic Budd defined the automotive design of the 1920s and 1930s as Streamline. In the 40s, the Art Deco style (decorative art) also had a strong influence. This is a jumble of neoclassicism, cubism, constructivism. Severity of forms, unusual geometric solutions and luxury of finishing (rare types of bone, wood, as well as aluminum, silver and so on) are embodied in the design of cars.
With the advent of the 62nd Cadillac in the USA, a new aerostyle began (at that time, military aviation was at the peak of progress). She also dictated fashion. England has its own style - "razor blade". A little later, the “fin style” appeared in the USA, which spread all over the world and existed even longer than in the “homeland”. It is named so because of the presence of stylized fins of various fish or keel. Fins of different positions and shapes created a catchy appearance, but were extremely impractical.
Fifteen years later, the "pseudo-sport" style came into vogue, spawning a numerous class of pony cars. In parallel, in the 70s, there was a struggle between "muscular" (insidious killers) and "moths". Muscle-cars are mid-range 2-door models with engines from the older class. At this time, more attention was paid to the safety of the driver and passengers. The "muscular" defeated the "moths", but they, constantly appearing and being an alternative to the "insidious killers", have made significant improvements in the field of security.
The laws of aerodynamics began to dictate fashion in the next decade. The sleek, sleek shapes of cars reduce resistance to oncoming airflow and provide significant fuel savings that are becoming more and more relevant. In the last decade of the last century, the aerodynamic "era" continued, but the style of "biodesign" was added to it. This is an imitation of natural streamlined forms, for example, the shape of rounded pebbles.
In the zero years of the current century, rational "computer" forms of cars have become familiar - all 3 volumes clearly stand out. In parallel, there was a wave of "nostalgic" design - automotive design with a bias in the 30-50s of the last century.
Currently, there has been a gradual departure from the styles of the previous decade in the direction of complicating the outline of the body and increasing passive safety.
Russian car design
Automotive design in the USSR appeared much later than in the West. Until the 70s of the last century, a few automakers, both officially and unofficially, worked under "Western licenses". At the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, under the "wing" of NAMI, several interesting original domestic projects were created (NAMI-013, "promising taxi", "Maxi"), but they were not implemented in production. Also, the PAZ bus - "Tourist" did not manage to get into the operating models, although twice this concept bus received prizes of international exhibitions for innovation and originality. A slightly different situation developed at the Gorky Automobile Plant, where in 1961 the design bureau was headed by B.B. Lebedev. His projects trucks, including on a caterpillar track, was implemented.
Russian automotive design has always failed production, its sluggishness and technical backwardness. The picture has not changed in the current century, in the age of the global division of labor and cooperation, in almost all areas of production.
Future car exterior design
It is rather difficult to predict the design, since it is impossible to predict all the input factors and, most importantly, scientific discoveries. What's important for body design now? It:
- durability;
- ergonomics;
- safety;
- minimization of production costs.
Everything can change dramatically with the introduction of such a factor as the invention of a new type of fuel and / or propulsion device. And most of the vehicles, for example, "soar" up and float in the air, as is often shown in science fiction films. Or something else "abruptly" happens. The design of the air car will immediately change, as will most of its principles.
If there are no dramatic changes, then, most likely, by the end of the century, the electric motor will finally win, and there will be a final division into vehicles for super-cities (cities of enormous size) and for everything else.
Salon design
The interior design can be carried out by the manufacturer of the car, as well as after its purchase at any time, although most often this occurs at the stage of preparation for operation in parallel with its tuning. Leaving aside crazy ideas and radical rework, the task of post-design is to further emphasize the style of the car (its any feature) and / or the lifestyle of its owner. As a rule, there is enough refinement of individual parts, but with bringing them to almost perfection in the Hi-End class. The inimitable texture and elegance change the feelings and, to some extent, the attitude of the driver and his passengers. And this is achieved, for example, with just inserts of reptile skin and ivory. Although not everything is so simple, and to create an appropriate atmosphere, a complex effect of many factors is needed.
Discs
The design of car rims is an integral part of car design. It is not uncommon for wheels to stand like this car, but in a used condition. For example, US products Nutek cost per four wheels - just under 25 thousand dollars. For sports cars, Savini wheels are very good. They look modest but elegant, forged and incredibly light. For SUVs, the large, one-piece aluminum Dub wheels are consistently award-winning at trade shows. Vossen's special low-die-casting technologies look sophisticated (chrome finish on a black base) and innovative, and cost half the price of Nutek.
Armchairs
The design challenge for car seats is not only to give them the appropriate shape and function for greater ergonomics and safety, but also to create an appropriate interior, including using seat covers. The material for their manufacture and decoration can be used in a variety of ways. As they say, for every taste, color and size of a wallet (upholstery fabric, leatherette, genuine leather). Cozy and piquant seat covers made of natural fur. Eco-leather is breathable, but prevents water penetration.
The design of sewing car covers also consists in decorating the fabric from which they are sewn. Apply as modern technologies, for example, machine computer embroidery, and the ancients. Even in ancient China, the technology of decorating fabrics by imposing pile on them (flocking) was used. Volumetric patterns and play of colors are achieved by using the flock on flock method.
Boats and automotive design
Since many automobile firms produce small river and sea vessels and / or equipment for them, they are also engaged in their design. The affordable and futuristic-looking boat Toyota Ponam-31 is shown in the photo.
A very original model is put into production by Lexus, but it is much more expensive, and not only because of the finish (carbon, leather, wood). The luxury yacht Arrow460-Granturismo, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, is admirable for its appearance. Aston Martin or Bugatti yachts are real works of art. And those who are "obsessed" with speed, headwind and splashes in the face are intended for the products of Cigarette Racing (up to 160 km / h) and Marine Technology Inc (up to 300 km / h).
Conclusion
So, we've looked at the history of automotive design. Now it is at the intersection of high art and technical solutions, therefore, to implement the ideas of the "geniuses", design engineers are needed who can transfer the ideas of the groups and departments of the "brainstorming" into a completely technical language. Painstaking and detailed study is the completion of the project.
Recently, there has been a tendency for women's thought, logic and vision of problems to enter auto design (by the way, it fits into the general trend of society development). As they say, let's see and feel what they create. Or maybe it's for the best, as some experts talk about the "sunset" and others talk about the end of automotive design.
Indeed, is design work the appearance of cars similar to twins, differing only in the type and layout of headlights, as well as other minor details? Cars are beautiful in themselves, but very similar, and therefore featureless. This is good for mass production. But I want something else, new and untested.
I don't know if you notice how much auto design is getting more and more exuberant. I am not against weird and exuberant design in general. But it seems to me that in recent years, designers 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 go back to simpler solutions instead of experimenting with futuristic auto design?
If you look at all the cars that have been produced since 2000, then you will immediately notice how dramatically the design has changed every year throughout the auto industry.
First, all cars have grown significantly in size. Second, from the 2000s to the present day, car design has become unrestrained.
Yes, sometime in the mid-2000s, many car companies tried to produce cars with clean, rational geometric designs. By the way, this simple style of cars was especially noticeable in the works of designer Jay Mace, who developed many Volkswagen cars produced from 1998 to 2005. But then modern car design began to progress towards a futuristic future.
Since then, the auto design of most cars has become more sculpted, and the car body has grown steadily in size. Also, since those years, there has been a constant increase in the size of the front optics and vents in the exterior (real or imitation).
In particular, chrome has recently become in vogue again, which is becoming more and more in modern cars.
But most importantly, quite recently, designers have taken the fashion to come up with strange textures of body design, with a combination of ragged lines.
Look at these cars 15 years apart. Here are cars from the 2000s and 2015 (2000 and 2015 BMW 4-series, as well as two generations of Nissan Teana).
Pay attention to the design of cars from the 2000s. It is fresh, clean and concise, which cannot be said about the appearance of new cars, the design of which has become full of wavy surfaces (it often seems to me on the road that many new cars have damage on the body, but upon closer examination of the body parts, I understand that from - behind the uneven surfaces of the exterior elements, light glares, which leads to optical illusion).
Also notice how the headlights of modern cars have grown. Including immediately striking how modern cars have grown in size. And so it happened with the models of any automaker. All cars since the 2000s have grown and grown in size. But of course, many modern cars have received large radiator grilles, many air intakes and much more.
You can also see the progression of auto design since the 2000s with the Lexus. Notice how the designers of the Japanese brand have experimented with their products since 2000. You will see how each new car gets more angles and different lines and curves.
By the way, maybe someone will think that I am trying to condemn modern design. No, I'm actually just pointing out what's going on in the modern era of auto design. It should be noted that not all companies are yet mastering modern trends in auto design. In fact, every automaker is experimenting differently.
For example, Toyota has been experimenting very boldly in recent years, creating new models with an extraordinary futuristic appearance. Do you know why this design is obtained 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 got not quite ordinary cars. Although, it should be admitted that each company, to one degree or another, is currently moving in this direction.
Take a look at the latest generation Toyta Prius and you can see exactly what the designers were thinking when they created the appearance of this controversial car.
Particularly odd is the front end of a hybrid car. For example, the new Prius has 8 main road headlights (4 + 4). Plus, in addition, the car received another 18 LED bumper lamps (9 on each side). And that's not all. The designers also decided that fog lights weren't a thing of the past.
Okay, if all these optics were placed on conventional bumpers and bodywork. But the new model Toyota Prius received very complex front bumpers and a radiator grill. As a result, as it seems to me personally, the exterior design is too heavy, the elements of which, in principle, overload the appearance of the car. Therefore, it is not easy to understand the idea of \u200b\u200bToyota car designers. Especially if you try to unravel the mystery of the designers who decided to equip the front end of the Prius with design elements with different textures and different colors.
It seems to me (and many other brands) overdone in recent years. Although, of course, tastes differ. But, nevertheless, this is not only my opinion. For example, many people say that modern auto design has become somehow incomprehensible. Including well-known and authoritative auto experts, known all over the world.
By the way, it is not the first time in the history of the auto industry that such bold experiments, which are currently being carried out by all automakers, are encountered. For example, something similar was already observed with the auto design of American cars in the 1950s.
Take a look at the two vehicles below. Yes, both cars, of course, are made in completely different styles and are separated by eras.
But these machines actually have something in common. You know what?
Their auto design is very loud, provocative and a bit crazy. By the way, if you don't notice this on a 1950s car, then it's only natural. After all, you did not live in that era. But it is worth noting that for the 1950s, the design of American cars was indeed very exuberant and defiant. And what is the result? As you know, exuberantly styled cars of those years are a thing of the past.
The thing is that car buyers of those years were simply tired of the defiant design. And this, by the way, happened when the auto designers of American cars did not figure out how to further improve.
We are now seeing about the same trend in the car market. It is quite possible that very soon the fashion for constant global external change of new cars will end in the auto industry, and also auto designers and aircraft designers will understand that too exuberant design cannot be constantly improved.
Most likely, in the next 20-30 years we will see that the design will become much more modest. True, this will have to wait until the car designers calm down, who are still happy to experiment, creating a new era in auto design.
Yes, of course, modern design is based on hi-tech and there is nowhere to go from this. Every year we will see all fresh and unoriginal ideas on the exterior of new cars. But, nevertheless, I believe that sooner or later car companies will have to moderate the creative dreams of designers and constructors.
the site continues to acquaint you with the history of the automotive industry. New series of historical articles focuses on the development of body shape passenger car... In these publications, we will look at the main stages of the formation of the automotive industry. It will be not only about the style of cars from different periods, but also about their social, cultural, engineering and technological features that directly influenced the design of the body.
Fortunately, history captures the first steps in the automotive industry. Since childhood, many have heard and know the names of people who have changed the world forever. The first is Karl Benz, and the second is Gottlieb Daimler. They worked in Germany at the same time in neighboring cities. Both have designed, built, tested and patented workable motorized machines internal combustion... The only difference is that Benz really was the designer of his three-wheeled sidecar with a motor, and Daimler was the "manager", under whose leadership the talented engineer August Wilhelm Maybach first created the "Daimler motorcycle", and later the first four-wheeled car. It is they who are officially recognized as the "fathers" of the car.
The dates of the appearance of the first vehicles are also known. They are evidenced by patent No. 37 435, issued on January 29, 1886 to Karl Benz, and patent No. 34 926 for a "single-track" carriage, issued to Gottlieb Daimler on April 3, 1885, and in 1886 - for a four-wheeled one. It is worth noting that Benz's car drove a little earlier, in the same 1886, against Daimler's 1888.
Three-wheel stroller with Benz motor
What were the first cars like? Their appearance was strongly influenced by the designs of the bicycle and horse carriage. Light enough, reliable and well-developed, they were also associated with people with the advanced technological achievements of those years. Most of the names of body types are also inherited from the carriages.
Daimler's motorcycle and four-wheeled vehicle
Oddly enough, the cars of Benz and Daimler did not find popularity in their homeland. Residents of neighboring houses and villages were frightened by the loud claps of a running engine, and in general they were wary of the new miracle of technology. The inventors had to sell their patents to France, where the public 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, treating it exclusively as entertainment.
It is in France that the car begins to acquire the status of an individual means of transportation, so it is not surprising that the French coach-makers own many discoveries and innovations in bodywork. For example, the first car with a closed body, which was the Renault Type B Coupe, or the technology of manufacturing body panels from aluminum alloys, which were lined with a wooden frame.
But let's return to the description of the appearance of cars of the late 19th century. The tall and unstable body of the "voaturette" (French for "carriage") consisted of an elegant tubular steel frame and a small wooden platform mounted on it with a pair of sofas positioned opposite each other. The low-power engine was often located in the back or under the seats. The wheels of the front and rear axles, due to the imperfect design of the steering mechanism, were of different diameters, there were absolutely no means of protecting passengers from dirt, dust and bad weather.
Later, when cars began to be used not only as a recreational vehicle, but also for traveling long enough distances, radially bent wings made of thin wood, folding awnings and lighting lanterns appeared. Along the way, it turned out that the common type of landing "vis-a-vis" is unsuitable for long trips, and the front seats began to rotate 180 degrees. As the speed of the machines increased, the dimensions, weight and power of the engine increased. It was getting more and more difficult to place it under the seats, and it also required good cooling.
And here the real revolution was made by the French company Panhard et Levassor. In 1893, its chief designer, Emile Levassor, proposed a new type of car layout, which was destined to become "classic": the engine and the cooling radiator were located in the front, the torque was transmitted through the clutch mechanisms and gearbox to the intermediate transverse shaft, and from it chains to the rear wheels. Running a little ahead, let's say that this design was finalized in 1898 by a young French engineer Louis Renault, who replaced the chain drive with a cardan shaft, thereby bringing the layout of those years as close as possible to what we have today.
Emile Levassor
The new design was about to be tested. In July 1894, Levassor's car, powered by a Daimler engine, entered the 127-kilometer Paris-Rouen race. Emil Levassor, who personally drove the car, came to the finish line, sharing the first place with a car of the now widely known brand Peugeot, also equipped with a Daimler engine. Racing at this time becomes not only a spectacular extreme entertainment, but also a source of useful information for engineers who tirelessly continued to improve the design of the car.
In the next competition, on the Paris - Bordeaux - Paris route, held in 1895, Levassor won a well-deserved victory, covering a 1200-kilometer distance at an average speed of 24.5 km / h. When he stopped the car and stepped on the ground, he said, “It was really crazy! I was doing up to thirty kilometers per hour! ". At the finish site, in the Bois de Boulogne, a monument is erected in honor of Levassor, on the medallion of which is carved an image of a car, the racer himself, greeted by the crowd, and his words that have gone down in history.
Unfortunately, the Paris - Marseille - Paris race in 1896 was fatal for Emile. Having got into an accident, he was seriously injured and dropped out of the fight, and a few weeks later he died suddenly.
In these races, cars with steam enginesas well as with pneumatic tires. The result of their participation was the understanding that gasoline engines are significantly superior to steam ones, but pneumatic tires, even despite the imperfection of the design at that time, significantly reduced the weight of the car, increased the level of comfort, speed and durability of cars. In addition, they ensured reliable traction of the wheels.
Cars with a classic layout turned out to be quite heavy, the control became noticeably more complicated and the owners had to give up their place behind the wheel to professional chauffeurs, and themselves again take the back sofa. But the short wheelbase made getting in and out of the rear row passengers very inconvenient, so we had to turn to the body of the "tonneau" type (French for "barrel"), into which passengers fell either through the door in the rear side, or by turning the seat next to the driver. to clear passage to the rear compartment of the body. Looking ahead, we will say that the "tonno" was one of the last attempts to adapt the design of the old horse-drawn carriage to a new type vehicle... It fell out of use at the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, when cars became longer and got wheels of the same diameter, which made it possible to get rid of many of the shortcomings of the earlier layout schemes.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, almost all body shops "left" the workshops for the manufacture of horse carriages. Until 1903, car bodies, like carriages, were entirely wooden, metal was not used at all. At the same time, the share of consumers ordering closed bodies had significantly increased by this time. They were needed by doctors and business people who were forced to hit the road in any weather. Therefore, it is quite logical that, having vast experience in carriage production, the craftsmen began to transfer traditional technologies and methods of arranging a closed coach body to car chassis, simultaneously copying the general style architecture. A striking example of this is the body type "Brogam" ("Brige"), which was invented in the first half of the 19th century by the English Lord Brogam, which became widespread in the United States.
The traditions of the crew were also strong: passengers did not sit next to the driver, in the dark, the body was illuminated with coach lights, and the front roof pillar continued downward and visually separated the engine volume from the passenger compartment. These were the classic rules of carriage architecture, which no one wanted to break.
However, original, purely automotive layout techniques began to appear. So, around 1905, some manufacturers began to install engines not on canonical carriages, but on a kind of bogie, consisting of two longitudinal spars connected by several cross members. The resulting frame was attached to the engine, transmission and suspension. In other words, two main parts of the car became distinguishable: the mechanical part - the "chassis", and the body, which was installed as a separate, independent unit and was usually manufactured by a third-party manufacturer. Moreover, there were no side doors yet and the front seats remained open from the sides.
On the basis of a single chassis, create a wide variety of modifications of passenger and even trucks. Handicraft production at this time quite peacefully coexisted with the tastes of well-to-do motorists, who, in the old-fashioned way, continued to perceive a car ride as a leisurely horse ride, and the huge body height, partly caused by the fashion for cylinders, did not bother anyone for a long time. But the ever-increasing speeds gradually forced the cars to get longer and lower. And in 1906 another revolution took place in the world automobile bodybuilding - in England the technology of welding of steel body panels was applied.
While in Europe a new type of car layout was taking shape and new bodywork technologies were being developed, in the United States, from the beginning of the twentieth century, the main direction in technology was the creation of a mass, cheap, individual vehicle. The first success in this area can be considered the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, which appeared in 1901, the demand for which exceeded all expectations. The lightweight open body of the Oldsmobile was secured by a pair of long longitudinal springs connecting the front and rear wheels. The design of the typewriter was subordinated to the then fashionable "Art Nouveau" ("modern") style, which attracted potential buyers. In the first two years, 3,000 cars were produced and production continued to grow.
Automotive design began in the late 1920s in the United States. At the time, what was required of the first designers? They needed to lower the height of the car. From this it can be understood that initially the design of cars was aimed only at increasing universality bodywork, but in our time this industry has taken a completely different beginning. In those years, people did not pay much attention to the shape and style of the car, as they were more interested in the technical component.
Cars at that time needed to drive off-road quite often, so they were attached huge wheels and low body. Car design today includes two leading features: "streamline" and "brutalism". Streamlines are streamlined cars. Brutalism is sharper forms, simplified geometry. In modern times, people expect from cars not only movement, but also individuality, character.
For people, the car has become a means of self-expression, a touch of status and style. Most owners begin to remake their iron favorites, making them real masterpieces. In this case, they turn to design services. In our market you can find a huge number of cars that have a unique design.
For example, Daewoo cars have their own unique design. The company was founded back in 1967. During this time, the line of Daewoo cars has undergone considerable changes and continues to be modified.
Today, the interior, the design of the car from the inside, is very popular. Interior car styling, interior, has undergone new fashions such as futurism. Its principles are the use of bright colors (very bright, striking) and the effect of pop art (in this style, an optical illusion is used). If designers combine light and color well, then the design of the car gives a great opportunity to create conditions not only outside, but also inside it, and well-crafted details complete the overall look.
The modern design of our days is the ecological design of cars, because our cars are a source of atmospheric pollution. The personality of the salon in such a car is the "green pavilion". It uses a range of colors: gray, white, green. Modest lines and rigidity are the trends in modern automotive design. More and more business liners are present at car shops than colored cars and buses. Newfangled trends are high-tech and minimalism, brought to us by the 21st century. And we all know perfectly well that the design of cars is in step with the times.