Second acts are generally a tricky call. You're always wondering if you should push things further or try new paths, if more of the same is the right thing to do or if a fresh new start is required. It usually leads to not so great movie sequels, but it's a bit of a different story with cars. That's probably because the relationship with customers is a bit stronger, developed over years of possession of a car from the customer, or over years of chit chat with the proud owner of an exotic on the side of the automaker.
But what if you don't have customers at all? On one hand that should allow you to do basically whatever you want whenever you want, without following any market requirement, or satisfaction surveys. Pure personal inspiration. Things can go wrong nonetheless as you are back at square one with the kind of questions we mentioned above. While it's true that with no customers there would be no one really entitles to any sort of critic, but then again, the car risks to be completely pointless too.
It's definitely not pointless if there is a customer, and it's yourself. When Moreno Filandi from Fontanelice (Bologna, Italy) decided it was time to move on and start a new project, it was probably his own passion to drive him. Given this is once again a design not meant to please the crowds, it shouldn't surprise at all seeing how radical the design is shaping up.
While the first time I saw the Uragano, back in 2007 probably, I thought it was a bit sketchy and far from finished (which indeed it was) but with some potential, my first reaction to the new Filandi Ever.S was something along the lines of this:
Doge never gets old.
Seriously though, this car is indeed very large, very raw, rude probably, and so aggressive, it's hard to wrap your head around it at first. Speaking of heads, this was my second thought about the Ever.S:
So if this is Megatron leading the Decepticons, I guess the Pagani Huayra P1 from a few posts ago must be the Autobots chosen fighter for this chapter. The two cars were parked side by side at the recent 2014 Modena Antiquaria, Unica and EYFFT fair, but the Ever.S really looks like Megatron and its whole design is so edgy you'd consider it "modern", but it's definitely massive as the cars from the 20s and 30s, while using a barchetta bodywork typical of the 50s and 60s. It really is a mashup of ideas and lines, and even if the geometrical composition seems to have an arrangement, it doesn't seem to be so simple, even if a bit too blunt and derivative according to some, yet functional as with the Uragano from a few years ago.
In 2013 the car was far from completed, especially the interior which was still partially stock. This car isn't completely built from scratch as the Uragano, as it's based on a Mercedes-Benz SL 500 R129, a classic with tis 5 liters V8 developing 306 bhp. The chassis has been obviously modified removing the windshield frame, but most of the rest is stock, engine, transmission, suspensions, etc.
The bodywork is of course handshaped in aluminum, without the aid of any sort of computer or computerized mechanism. Once again, this one-ff isn't a repeatable one, no project, no blueprints, every part is shaped and sculpted on the go.
When I've seen the car the first time in February 2013 it didn't have the two small windshields and the rear view mirrors, but other than that, in this year of work the car has been mainly finished. The bodywork needed a lot of care, filler needed to be added were the welding weakened the aluminum foils and other details were still to be fixed. Mr Filandi was running a survey though, asking visitors if the car should have been finished in brushed aluminum or painted. I suppose the answer would be obvious for any given car, but it doesn't hurt to say that people were leaning towards to clear coated aluminum finish.
Indeed a year later the bodywork is in much better shape, and the raw material has not been covered with paint. Wise choice.
Something I would recommend though is a set of larger wheels. I'm not a fan of huge wheels in general, but the massive look of the car and the large wheel arches really need to be filled somehow.
Bonus shot, you can really tell Mr Filandi isn't exactly your average PR guy.
So be it I say, because like it or not I think the automotive world is a better place with an awkward looking pointless massive handbuilt machine versus just another derivative and way too rational mobility device, something wrongly referred to as a "car".
Apologies for the third reference to a Michael Bay movie in a few posts, won't happen again.
All Pictures and Words Copyright: Damiano Garro for The Italian Junkyard
This article can be linked to from other websites but its content and the pictures can't be reproduced on any other website without my written permission
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment