Toyota GT-Four

Here is one I did a couple of years ago that I haven't posted here yet. It got fairly mixed opinions when I last posted it online.

Taking its name from an AWD version of the Celica in the 80s and 90s, this is the Toyota GT-Four - an AWD sportscar with a raised ride-height. Buyers can enjoy driving on and off the road in this nifty little racer.

The styling is dominated by the big plastic wheel arches, bumpers, and side skirts, designed to protect the paintwork from loose stones and gravel. I think it's a shame that manufacturers have stopped adding cheesy decals and stripes to their performance cars, so I've brought them back on this car. One other thing I have changed is the headlights which in my opinion were slightly oddly shaped on the standard GT86, falling somewhere between aggressive and boggle-eyed. For the GT-Four, I altered the shape to take some of the googliness away.

Scion and Subaru versions would also be available.

Jaguar XF-C

Version 1:

Version 2:

Just a simple coupé version of the latest Jaguar XF.

The one at the top has a crease over the rear wheel arches giving it a more sporting look reminiscent of 60s 'Coke bottle' styling. The one below has the more horizontal character line of the four-door Jaguar XF.

I wasn't sure whether I preferred the muscular Version 1 or the luxurious look of Version 2, so I decided I'd post both and let you decide!

Badge Snobbery

I like Ford's current 'design language' (hate that phrase), but I think that the badge would look better if it were placed in the middle of the grill instead of hovering about awkwardly above it. It's a small thing, but it really bothers me so I decided I would put it right.

I wanted my versions to give the impression of staring down the road, instead of gaping gormlessly at the sky. Another unintended benefit is that they look less like Aston Martins now, which may not sound like such a bad thing but it was one of the criticisms levelled at Ford when they first introduced their new corporate grill.

And here's a giant image that lets you compare my versions to the original cars. Click it to enlarge.

EDIT: What about having the RS badge placed centrally in the Focus RS's grill - either on the plastic section or the actual grill insert.

Merc hard, play hard

The current Mercedes CLS is a bit awkward looking to my eyes, which is a shame as I really liked the original. For this reason, I thought for the next one I'd give it much simpler lines and take away some of the extravagances that plagued the 2nd generation CLS.

Gone are the big bulges over the rear wheels, gone are the B-pillars, and gone are the massive mis-shapen taillamps - replaced by a single full-width unit, emphasising the width of the car. The swoopy roofline is kept, but the roof itself is now one giant glass panel.

As usual, there would be a large selection of engines ranging from economical diesels to the bonkers AMG version.

A Couple of Bentleys

Two menacing-looking Bentleys, parked at the side of the road on a deserted moor on Halloween. 

I started with a picture of a Mulsanne and a Continental GT parked next to each other, and effectively all I did was swap the roofs of the two cars to give each car an extra bodystyle to add to the range.

The Mulsanne GT is my idea for a 4-door coupé version of the standard Mulsanne, for buyers who like the Mulsanne's space and comfort but also like the sportier style of a 2-door GT. In my world, it would be the big brother to the Barnato GT in Bentley's growing line-up. 

Up until around the 1990s, it wasn't uncommon for manufacturers to offer - in addition to the standard coupé and convertible variants - a 2-door hardtop option, which often were not marketed as coupés. And that's what I tried to bring back in this picture. I think the shorter squarer roofline simplifies the rear of the car, bringing the theoretical "visual centre of mass" closer to the middle of the car. I haven't decided on a name for this one yet. Possibly Continental HT for Hard Top? Or maybe it could be known as simply the Continental, with the existing bodystyle continuing as the Continental GT.

VW Blitz HyMotion

This is an old one of mine made probably around half a decade ago. After 5 years of careful consideration, I've concluded that 'Blitz' probably wasn't the best name to pick for a German car.

The VW Blitz HyMotion was my idea for a hybrid hatchback to rival the Toyota Prius and, at the time, the Honda Insight. The fastback roofline, plastic 'dummy' grills and disc-like rims all contribute to an incredibly low drag coefficient. The car would run on a combination of diesel and electricity to give maximum fuel efficiency, and emissions so low they wouldn't even have to fake it!

Bentley Barnato GT

Named after Woolf Barnato, the most famous of the "Bentley Boys" - a group of wealthy racing drivers in the 1920s - the Barnato GT is an imaginary four-door coupé for Bentley based on the Continental GT platform. 

It would cost a few grand more than the Flying Spur due to its sportier design and driving dynamics, making it a truer rival to Aston Martin's Rapide. The Flying Spur is the laid-back lazy cruiser of the range, while the Barnato GT is the fastback racy bruiser. And although the new, lower roofline does cut into some rear-seat headroom, practicality has been given some consideration in the form of a hatchback rear opening - suitable for carrying anything from your Waitrose shopping bags to your Manchester United away kit.

A leaner Beamer

Here is my vision of what I would like from the next 5-Series. Gone are the bloated proportions of the modern BMW - replaced by more the more classic BMW proportions of the 80s and 90s: a long, low bonnet and a short, high tail. A single gently-rising crease connects the two ends of the car - a sharp contrast with the overly-fussy lines of recent BMWs.

The front end of the car is heavily influenced by that of the BMW i8. The shark-like appearance harks back to golden-era Beamers, while bringing it up to date with contemporary LED headlamps and BMWs current kidney grill design. The sharp edge of the headlight is reflected in the leading edge of the side vents, giving a sense of continuity from the front of the car to the back.

Der neue Scirocco.

The current Scirocco is fairly old now, so a new one should be just around the corner. Here's my attempt at designing the 4th-gen Volkswagen Scirocco.

I kept the hatchback body-style of the outgoing model, but replaced the curves with sharp edges - bringing the car more in line with VW's most recent design philosophy, whilst also harking back to the original Giugiaro design of the 1970s.The car would share its platform and engines with the most recent Golf, along with other VW Group models.