2014 E-Series TurboDiesel Hatchback: The Professor?

Sensible and SENSATIONAL! This is my idea of a Mercedes I'd love to see Stuttgart build: An E400TDI-h. For this "professor's" Benz, I've brought back the idea of a longitudinally mounted inline 6-cylinder turbodiesel powerplant, this time with a hybrid-assisted drivetrain. There is a practical hatchback in the rear and with careful aero-tuning I'd predict a nice round 50mpg of fuel-sipping diesel in combined city/highway driving. As much as I loved the first generation CLS 4-door coupe, the new one falls short for me and I'd rather have seen a fastback/hatchback E-Series instead!

The background is a detail from a watercolor painting I found hidden behind the cardboard of an antique frame. There was a second painting, too. Story at my artandcolour blog: here.

Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing Longroof

Click photos to enlarge, as always, here at casey/artandcolour.

Looking through my earlier work, I realized I haven't yet posted this mid 1950s Mercedes Benz 300 Gullwing Tourer on this blog. I chopped this up in 2007 or so. All the cool people that collect station wagons these days refer to them as "Longroofs" and that's certainly true of my version. I don't believe this change would have added too much weight to the original coupe and with that rear hatch and additional loading space, might have made this incredible sports car just a bit more useful for Grand Touring.

The New Gullwing 

My primary reason for modifying the current SLS, the newest Gullwing, was to change the window graphic. The new one has a solid B/C pillar instead of having rear quarter windows as the original. I just don't think the car looks right without them. I'm sure the blank quarters add torsional rigidity, but I'm also certain that Mercedes/AMG engineers are brilliant enough to overcome any loss with added windows. Above, my "South Beach" edition is metallic gold with additional strakes and silver trim. You just can't be "bling" enough for South Beach! Below, additional work was done to shorten the very long hood. I wanted this Gullwing to be a hybrid, and to be as lightweight as possible to I changed the proportions accordingly. I still think it's a beautiful car and could be the Hybrid to end all Hybrids if produced. 

Note:

My friend Woody Thompson's car site has a new URL now: woodyscarsite.blogspot.com. The old links won't work for it. Please adjust your bookmarks and head over there today!

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.

Altima Coupe, Town Car, CLS Cote d'Azur & ES350C

Continuing the Parade of Early Chops

 

Revised Nissan Altima Hybrid Coupe would be lower, wider, pillarless, and lower in weight than the current version. Standard AWD and a V6 hybrid drivetrain, this elegant and rapid coupe would be priced evenly with the flagship Maxima.

 

Photoshopped several years ago, this Town Car Classic would have been the ultimate facelift of the Panther bodied Lincoln sedan. A return to "suicide" rear doors and a formal rear backlight are clues to this extended wheelbase luxury car's role at the top of the Lincoln lineup.

Color-shifting paint is just one aspect of the Mercedes Benz CLS Cote d'Azur. a true flagship 2-door coupe. Wraparound glass and an exclusive V8 hybrid AWD drivetrain would ensure exclusivity and elegance, even in the most rarified of Europe's playgrounds for their 1%.

Lexus's FWD mid sized range would be extended with this 2-door ES 350C. The sedan's flowing roofline works just as well with fewer doors and larger wheels and uprated suspension would guarantee that the twists and turns on the way to the jewelry store in town would be as fun as possible.

Hybrid Compact Performance Sedan; MB CLSK/h

Mercedes Benz CLSK/h—Daimler Benz's smallest 4-door coupe, the CLSK, in performance Hybrid form. I used the just-released C63 AMG Black Series coupe as a base image. I deleted the unnecessary fender vents, reduced the quad exhaust to a more manageable dual exhaust and deeper rear bumper. Speakers  for the new "audible" Hybrid laws coming online shortly would be hidden in these chromed exhaust outlets. I changed the pillared coupe bodystyle to a 5-door hatchback for this premium compact hybrid performance/luxury/economy sedan.