2014 Regal Century coupe

It's time there was a coupe in the Buick showrooms. Or five! I'd like to see two door versions of the Verano, Regal and LaCrosse and a new dedicated sports coupe. Buick showrooms should also offer a choice of front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive platforms. Above, is my Regal Century coupe. I've slightly reproportioned the entire body. Notably I've reduced the front overhang and extended the wheelbase in front of the windshield, hinting at its newfound rear-wheel drive setup, and massaged the roofline and greenhouse. The famed Buick "sweepspear" is now an angular indentation shadowing the window space above it.

Other possible new Buick coupes from artandcolour:

Skyhawk, RWD 2-seat GT hatchback

LaCrosse Centurion, AWD luxury 5-seat coupe

Regal GS, FWD 4-seat coupe

Verano Apollo GS, AWD turbo hatchback coupe

1962 Imperial Lebaron Southampton: Facelifted

This chop of a 1962 Imperial LeBaron 4-door hardtop, or Southampton, is a facelift that might seem pretty minor unless you were to see them side-by-side. After Exner's classic 1957s came out with their sculpted-in-form lengthy rear fins, which put the emphasis on the rear of the car, he began thinking about his "next" look. This next look, as previewed by the 1960 Valiant, would have gone back to classic proportions with a long hood and short rear deck. There was an emphasis on fender forms, as evidenced by the Valiant and the '62 Fury and Polara. "Ex" suffered a major heart attack before these cars could be finalized, the so-called "S-cars," and his successor, Elwood Engel, took things in a different direction.

"My" Imperial, above, takes the '57'-63 chassis and body, but changes it in some ways to more closely replicate this new emphasis on the front. I lengthened the hood and wheelbase around six inches in front of the windshield, giving a more classic steering wheel:axle proportion. I shortened the rear deck by about the same amount, giving a forward rather than rearward "motion" to the car. I also gave this imposing sedan rear fender skirts. I'm not really positive Exner would have, he was very much moving into a classic look with full wheel cutouts, but I like skirted rear wheels. I like to think I might have been able to talk him into it, at least for one year, lol. I left the amazing separate chrome front- and rear lights, but I lowered the roof about three inches for a bit more of a custom look. I also "finished" the chrome rocker panel trim behind the now-skirted rear wheels, the entire bottom of the car now edged with chrome.

Bentley's 2-Seater V12 TD/h Super Coupe

How about a longitudinally mounted V12 Turbo Diesel hybrid-assisted 2-seat Bentley supercar? 

C H O P S — My Blue Train Coupe would take on the AMG SLS, certain Aston Martins, Maseratis, and Ferraris. Its combination of diesel and electric power could provide typical Bentley massive low-down torque. This new luxury supercar would be able to traverse continents with speed and grace.

They Took My Advice: 2013 Enclave

The 2013 Buick Enclave, top of the illustration, has finally resolved its greenhouse treatment in exactly the way I suggested they should in September, 2010, bottom of the illustration.

D E S I G N   A N A L Y S I S   U P D A T  E – In September, 2010, I wrote a post named, "My Cranky Old Man Andy Rooney Moment." I gave a short design analysis of the 2008 series Buick Enclave's greenhouse, or window treatment. Briefly, I didn't like the side windows rimmed in chrome for a unified look, while the enclosed B- and C-pillars were treated differently. The B-pillar was matte black and the C-pillar was always body -olored. They should both have been matte black or both body-colored. It just didn't work as a design detail, to me. For the original post, click here.

I guess I can count Buick as one of my readers, lol. The brand new face-lifted 2013 Enclave has taken my advice and treated its B- and C-pillars equally, both in matte black. Since the area is rimmed with chrome, it just looks so much better to have the darkened windows and pillars acting as one shape.

The bright Buick crest on the C-pillar is a really nice new touch. I'd love for them to bring their "Tri Color" logo back with its red, white, and blue, shields. A bit of color used on today's updated all-chrome logo would look great. 2014, perhaps?

My version of the current Buick logo. I like the updated facets and clean style Buick has created, but without color, it seems too flat to me. I've added color back into it, above.

Blasts from the Past: Early Chops

Chopped in the "early days" when I was posting my work at Autoweek's Combustion Chamber forum, 2005, this large hybrid Buick would have revived their classic "Electra" nameplate. And, really, wouldn't that be an awesome name for a plug-in electric car? Electronic "aero-spats," or fender skirts, could tilt open a few inches in the front to assist in brake cooling, tilt open in the back for braking assistance creating more drag, or remain closed for maximum aerodynamics. They would also be powered "out and up" for tire changing.

My Caducatillac, a high-end Cadillac "pickup truck" with a bespoke custom Ducati motorcycle "holder" in the back. Pushing a button would open the rear tailgate and set in motion a conveyor belt of sorts to "park" or "retrieve" the motorcycle and lock it in place. This is based on the early 2000's Caddy concept car, the Imaj, and was chopped in 2006 or so.

Another Buick, this time a large, rear wheel drive Lucerne 225 luxury sedan. Evoking the vaunted Electra 225 nameplate, this would be a petrol- and diesel-powered formal sedan. A modern take on GM's formal roofed late '70s and early '80s sedans, this sedan would have all the bells and whistles in a more subtle styling package than contemporary Cadillacs.

 

Mercedes is about to introduce a compact-sized 4-door "coupe" to its lineup, based on the corporation's newest A Class. In 2006-07, I created this tiny sport sedan from a C Class. I bet they end up looking fairly similar. I shortened the C Class sedan's hood and wheel-to-dash proportions to simulate a front-wheel drive platform.

 

Chopped back in 2008, with this Scion xB Cabriolet, I just wanted to see if I could inject some fun, and better proportions to the second generation box. Could be a Mini Cab competitor at a lower price point.

Something Different: Lincoln MK/GT V12

This is a quick chop representing a two-seater Lincoln V12 sports coupe, the MK/GT. It would be the marque's "halo car" and be priced in the high $60Ks. All contemporary electronics would be present, the V12 would use Eco-Boost technology, and perhaps even a hybrid-assisted, stop/start drivetrain. Click image to enlarge to a full 1100 pixels.

1958 Lincoln Premiere Coupe Pickup

Just the thing for the "Gentleman Farmer" of 1958—the Lincoln Coupe Pickup.

C  H O P S — While "chatting" on FB today, in a post about the original '57 Ranchero and '59 El Camino, I mentioned that I liked both of thm, but that I'd like an uplevel interior in them. The Fairlane 500 and Impala trim would have been nice to be able to choose, but then again, in that time period, both of those car-based trucks were considered pretty "fancy" anyway, even with their bargain basement interiors. I began to wonder what a similar period Lincoln or Cadillac car-based pickup would look like. At the time, I thought the Lincoln Mark's reversed C pillar would look great on a pickup. I had a few minutes tonight to relax, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I soon realized that I preferred the "regular" Lincoln Premiere's wraparound rear window. It would give a bit more space behind the front seats, perhaps to enable them to recline, and it also gives a nice symmetry with the front windshield. And it's not as if the car needed an extra foot of cargo space, lol, this first series of unit-bodied Lincolns was almost 19-feet long to begin with! I "painted" the car in a period salmon-beige with a white roof and Photoshopped a new background in that complimented those new colors. I also added some of my flowers, lol. I think this worked out a million times better than expected. At least! : )