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Aug
12
Opel Rekord C Delivery Van
It is not often that I use an old black and white picture as a base for a photoshop chop. But sometimes I stumble upon a picture and immediately know what to do with it. Subtle, clean and simple, but with great impact was the idea this time around. The Opel Rekord C delivery van (Lieferwagen) has been lowered, the rear fenders have been widened and the grille has been modified. This gives it a muscle-car-like look and certainly more presence, doesn’t it? Just the right amount of lowering to give it a proper stance adds to the presence. Larger diameter and wider steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps go well with the classic overall look and keep the retro vibes.
Jan
19
Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Interim
The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Interim is a super rare car and nobody in his right mind would modify this Pininfarina styled beauty. Mind you – I wouldn’t do this to a real vehicle either, but pixels never complain.
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Dec
15
Most articles ever written about the NSU Ro 80 focused on the technical side, mainly the futuristic rotary engine designed by Felix Wankel. The design pinned by Claus Luthe was also praised for being ahead of the game, too – back in the time when the car was new. When I was a young boy, frequently riding shotgun in our neighbors’ lime green metallic Ro 80 in the 1980’s, it was just an old and somewhat anachronistic car. Always maintained by the (ex-) NSU dealership, the car was in great shape and absolutely spotless, but in my eyes it lacked something I could never really pinpoint back then. Now, three decades later, I know what it was: presence – or rather the lack thereof. The upright greenhouse with the slim pillars and chrome trim, the narrow track and the huge ground clearance made the still modern looking shape of the body feel aged.
In this photoshop chop, I adressed the above points and as a result the car has a lot more presence. Most obviously the ride height has been altered and the track widened. Apart from that I fixed the greenhouse by performing a top chop and modifying the rake of all pillars. To tie in the design of the pre-facelift taillights with the widened track, they have been modified as well instead of opting for the ugly facelift parts.
Jun
24
This is another one of those “I’ll just take a few minutes to see what the idea will look like” photoshop chops. The AMC Gremlin X undoubtedly has odd proportions, so why shouldn’t somebody want to add an extra front axle, similar to the Tyrell Formula 1 car? Totally understandable, isn’t it?
Jan
01
Happy New Year! The first photoshop chop in 2018 is an old project from years ago that I finally got around to finish now. I found the original picture of the SAAB 96 and immediately thought this vehicle #needsmorelow. Lowering it and enlarging the wheels made it look better, but the little something that makes it special was still missing. In order to keep it period-correct, I used the natural lines and added some graphics. These days you would probably utilize vinyl stickers, but back then it would have been painted. All in all a fun little project to prove that every vehicle has potential to look better.
Nov
22
Imagine living in the 1970’s. It was a decade with plenty of grassroots motorsport events, e.g. hill climbs. Tuning shops popped up in sheds and small garages everywhere and catered to the individual needs. If you drove an Opel Kadett C, a Ford Escort Mk1 or even a VW Beetle you had plenty of choice when it came to car modification. But where would owners of the innovative, rotary-powered NSU R0 80 go to ask for tuning parts? Apart from the factory-option Fuchs wheels, there was a very limited selection. Maybe a few chrome-plated dress-up parts or a set of mudflaps. Fast forward 40 years and the magic of Adobe Photoshop easily makes it possible to modify the mighty NSU Ro 80 during a 45 minute lunch break.
I always thought the lines of the classic NSU have at least a little bit of potential and to prove the point that the design of every vehicle can be improved, I dug into it. As usual I started with a set of larger diameter wheels and lowered the car. To get the stance right and to avoid a rather stupid looking rake, I relocated and reshaped the rear fender. Surprisingly it makes the lines of the body look more elegant. To accentuate this, I also shaved the rear door handle and changed the side skirt from black to body color. All these modifications would have been possible when the car was in production, but the low profile tires are a more contemporary touch. Let’s call it artistic freedom, shall we?
Nov
21
An instant classic. The SAAB 900 Turbo has always had it friends and foes. I always liked them because they are a bit weird – but very well engineered. This shape doesn’t need a lot of tweaking, so I reworked the body carefully. The fenders have been flared a little, the door handles shaved and some of the trim removed. A healthy drop over enlarged wheels, a front spoiler and that’s about it. Not much drama for a rather subtle effect. Like it or don’t 😉
Mar
27
Yeah… nobody would dare to perform these modifications on a real Mercedes-Benz W186. But just moving some pixels in a picture doesn’t hurt 😉
This car has been treated to a top-chop with a completely reshaped B-pillar. It has also be sectioned and lowered substantially. I wanted to create a less upright and more sleek and aerodynamic look. Once finished, I thought “what the heck” and created a second version just for fun, this time using components from the more modern Mercedes-Benz SLR.
