zoom44

Show Cars and Prototypes- The Secrets Revealed


If your car obsession is anything like mine you probably like going to the Car Shows to check out all the new prototypes. You probably pick up the magazines and hit up the various websites showing all the neat cars from SEMA and the Big Shows you cant get to each year. Recently i came upon a "secret" about these cars that I hadnt noticed before even though the information was right in front of me. Lets Start with some pictures and a question. You've probably seen most of these talked about on this forum, if not in person. What do these vehicles all have in common?

Acura RDX



Ford Explorer




Ford GR-1



Ford Interceptor



Ford Reflex( Ford's Version of the Mazda Kabura concept)



Honda FCX



Honda SUT




Hurst Challenger




Hurst Viper



Kia Soul



Lincoln C Concept




Mazda CX-7 SEMA "Adrenaline Concept



Mazda Nagare



Mitsu Eclips Ralliart Concept



Mistu SUT



Volvo 3cc




All of them- and I edited some out ,there are many more- were either designed, modeled, produced or in most cases ALL three by Irvine California design firm The Aria Group.


For instance in the case of the Panoz Esperante



Aria-Group was responsible for the design, the prototype creation, the clay bucks for interior and for creation of the tooling for production.


For Rod Millens Pikes Peak truck



They first created a digital 3d model, analyzed it with Computational Fluid Dynamics software and then cut a a quarter scale foam model of it. Once the final shape was decided the full size panel molds were cut directly from the digital data.


Some of you might remember this car






Well....... care to guess where that body was made? If you said MNAO you were wrong

Here it is going thru the clay at Aria





What about that other concept Rotary Beast that made such a buzz not so long ago? Maybe you'll recognize it in clay?





That's right- the full sized clay was produced by Aria and panels were made from it.





Formed in 1995 by Engineer Clive Hawkins and Auto Designer Charles Taylor, Aria-Group has grown into the goto firm for Automakers when they need a design done right and done fast. The companies 50,000 sq ft facility in Irvine California house everything they need to go from paper design to finished product including paint booths 2 full clay booths, CNC machines to make any components they need and more.

They're website http://www.aria-group.com/home includes more detail about the various projects they have done. You'll see things Mercedes , Fisker and more. They don't just do cars. They have done work with planes snowmobiles and sleds too


So the secret is out - keep an eye on these guys. I suspect we'll see much more from them in the future

Rotr8

iTrader: (2)

no see picsss

alfy28

same.


and rotr8 need to work for one of these type of firms. his designs are top notch

Aipex8

iTrader: (1)

+1^ Apparently someone wants it kept a secret!

CyberPitz

If you want to see the pictures, u can edit his post and open them manually. If you do that, the pictures will show up in the thread.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

This page is interesting.

http://www.aria-group.com/history/2003/116
Designed a Mazdaspeed RX8 in 2003 (no pic). Maybe that was the one in all the mags in 2005?

zoom44

fixed pics

alfy28

^^ sweet. yah this is a good read zoom. i would never known that they outsource for designs etc. as for the rx8, did they ever make hood? i remember when that was posted, some company posted that they will make a hood like that one.

zoom44

you can get the scoop from hookup shop

alfy28

^^ i see, yah i always liked that hood. not to overly done. jsut very simple.

as for the eclipse, i never liked that car. but what they done to the looks of hte car is a +. never thought some one can make a ugly car look some what good.

dynamho

good scoop. thanks zoom.

Rotr8

iTrader: (2)

Alright Zoom wheres tat signed petition for the underground 8 kit we need to send to the design house...

j_tso

geez, Ford even needs to have their concept cars based from Mazda's?