Menu
Feb
19
This is another one of those 15 minute challenges. I found a (very small and bad quality) picture of a Renault R18 Turbo wagon and thought this might look good converted into a shooting break. The actual shooting break conversion was done in six minutes, but it took forever to modify the rear wheel arch and to get the stance just right. The original ride height is more suited to a 4×4 trail than to a regular road and naturally I changed it. I kept the original wheel design, but increased the diameter an inch to 15″. This was fun, but it’s a shame the quality of the picture is horrible.
Prefer stock ride height and body? Check out the original picture.
PS: I might re-create this with a better picture at some point in the future.
Feb
14
A quick sketch on a napkin during lunch break last week inspired me to transform a full-size Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser into a station wagon surfers would have loved back in the late Sixties. Thanks to deleting the rear doors, the trunk space now reaches all the way forward to the B-pillar, which gives you plenty of room for the gear and a large sleeping area. The side glass has been replaced with metal, allowing for insulation and storage compartments on the inside walls. To ensure the period-correct look and feel I added fake wood to the sides, which is sourrounded by chrome trim. This also helps to stretch the lines of the vehicle. Imagine to lie in there with your favorite beach babe after a long day of surfing, pulling the curtains shut and gazing at the stars through the vista roof.
Check out the original image for comparison.
Feb
11
GM thought it was a brilliant idea to add some Swedish flavor to their rather sad and uninteresting line of mid-size SUVs by introducing the SAAB 9-7X. The 9-7X was a classical GM badge-engineering job with a couple of different trim pieces here and there. It’s not hard at all to guess that the Swedish designers and engineers didn’t have a lot of influence in the development.
Let’s imagine GM would have given free reign to the Swedish colleagues, with the only mandatory requirement that they must build it on an existing platform. They might have come up with what I imagined in the pictures below: a SAAB 9-5 based SuperWagon. It would have featured more interior space, more windows for the kids to see out of during road-trips, better handling and fuel mileage than the horrendous 9-7X. The already spacious trunk space of the 9-5 Wagon would have been enlarged in height and width to fit all the necessary gear a family of four might need for a holiday.
Creating a 2-door delivery van for those needing less seat and more room for cargo would have been rather easy. To keep the distinct SAAB profile, the safety conscious Swedes would have added a window just aft of the B-pillar to improve visibility. Now only one question remains: do you think the SuperWagon variants would have sold better than the GMT360 platform based 9-7X?
Take a look at the original picture for reference.
Feb
05
After the recent modification of a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham I went looking for more GM B-platform cars that could be modified. I found a picture of a Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon and immediately started to modify it. What I came up with is essentially similar to a Chevrolet Nomad: a two-door wagon. Because it looked rather odd with windows, I decided to take the conversion even further by modifying it into a panel van, lowering the car and giving it a wider track. Thanks to the body-on-frame design this shouldn’t be too hard to create in reality.
You don’t like it? Please feel free to enjoy the original picture.
Dec
17
While recently discussing shooting breaks and the design of the Volvo 480 Turbo with a friend of mine, we agreed that the proportions of the vehicle are rather odd. In my opinion, the proportions are off because the front overhang is way too long. Or is the rear overhang just too short? Whatever the case may be – the latter is a lot easier to fix. I wanted to stick to my motto that it must be possible to create something not only in photoshop but in reality as well. This is what we came up with: the Volvo 480 Turbo Wagon. I purposely kept it looking stock, apart from a set of BBS LM wheels, lowering and a front airdam. Looking at the picture I wonder why Volvo didn’t think of that and built it? They are the wagon company after all, aren’t they?
Now only one question remains: who dares to build this beautiful and elegant two-door wagon?
Mar
01
This might not be a surprise for regular VirtualModels visitors, but… I just love cars with straight lines. The design of 1980’s cars doesn’t need much tweaking at all to look awesome. A set of adjustable coilovers, a set of period correct wheels and low profile tires usually is enough. These ingredients easily give the vehicles a totally different appearance and character. In this case I used Toyota Supra wheels of the same vintage and a front air dam from the same car, modified to suit the proportions of the Toyota Camry Wagon (V20). I would so love to drive this lowered hauler as a daily!
Apr
01
Today, I was rummaging through some boxes full of old car magazines and dealer brochures. While thinking about all the nice cars that are about to become classics, I found something interesting: a Nissan information brochure from 1985. In this brochure, the CUE-X Wagon concept car is presented with all the features and details, including engine specs. Considering the brochure is now 30 years old… this vehicle looks very modern even by today’s standards. I’d definitely consider buying one, if they’d offer it with the RB26DETT engine!
Jan
21
Let’s start the new year with modifying a design icon, shall we? As far as I know, nobody ever built a two-door wagon version of the Citroën DS. This is very unfortunate, because a shooting break of La Déesse would be more than awesome. Ever since seeing these fantastic automobiles in France as a young boy, I thought the roof line of the DS Break doesn’t really flow with the overall shape and lines of the car. Please, somebody with the funds and skills on hand, build this! Rest assured – it would certainly win a few prizes at a concours d’elegance in the future or fetch a high price at an auction.
Sep
14
Visiting the world famous Gatebil event at the Rudskogen Motorsenter and seeing all the crazy builds the Scandinavians crank out every year really messes with your mind and lets the creativity go bonkers. Thinking outside the box is the norm rather than the exception. Hell, some don’t even bother with boxes at all! And therefore I’m proud to present you something the guys at Volvo Cars could have build back then, but for some reason or another didn’t: The Volvo 460 Wagon. Not a stock version of course… because this is VirtualModels after all. 😉
Jun
20
Who said compact family wagons are boring? Every boy sitting in the backseat of such a vehicle must have thought at one point that it would be really cool if Daddy modified the family hauler to add to the appearance. The Ford Escort LX Wagon pictured here was simply lowered, larger wheels have been fitted along with an airdam up front and a modified hood. Little things do make a difference.
Apr
09
Many crossover models came to the market in the last couple of years. Most of them just adding some plastic cladding to a regular wagon for that “offroad feeling” – but missing the underpinnings to actually go offroad without getting stuck. Just imagine what a cool old-school wagon on a rugged base with solid axles could have looked like back then, when cars where still properly designed by engineers. It could have looked like that: grafting a Nissan Bluebird Wagon body to a Datsun 4WD pick-up chassis. OK, it wouldn’t really be that easy in reality, due to the FWD architecture of the U11 Bluebird. But hey… what if? 😉
Nov
14
The Nissan Sunny California is one of those typical Japanese cars from the late 70’s / early 80’s. Wood paneling as a styling cue from the 70’s? Check! A crude mix of chrome and black plastic parts? Check! Rear-view mirrors on the front fenders? Check! I took this yellow Sunny California and transformed it into a two-door Shooting Break. Why? Just because I like ’em better this way. The B310 wagon body has been modified extensively, lowered and fitted with a roof rack. A set of period correct wheels with white wall tires have also been added.