Hard to Believe I Haven't Posted These Before...

2010 Taurus-based Thunderbird coupes. I just saw a Taurus-based T-bird coupe on another website, and wanted to link to these two similar chops of mine, and couldn't find them on my blog. I might not have "labeled" them correctly, or maybe I just never posted them on the blog. In either case, these are my ideas for a modern AWD Taurus-based T-bird coupe. The top one is my ideal Thunderbird, ie, pillarless coupe with classic Sixties T-bird cues. The bottom one is more of a modern version of the last 5-seat Thunderbird, the '89-96 or whenever they stopped building it, lol, a 2 door pillared sport coupe. These two examples show just how much diversity can be achieved in Photoshop, as both began as a new 4-door Taurus sedan.

Dodge White Hat Special, 2012 Style*

Charger R/T coupe—With thanks to PaulNYC for suggesting a proper 2012 2 door Charger! I've thought about doing a chop like this before, but until Paul mentioned it earlier today, it really didn't hit home how perfect it might be. I started with the new-for-2012 Charger R/T 4-door sedan, and added styling cues from the now-classic '68-'70 version. Flying buttressed C pillars and the oversized chrome gas cap are the obvious changes, well, besides the deletion of the rear doors and B pillar. I also made the scallops on the doors more akin to those on those '60s Chargers; double, instead of the single indents on the current car, which gave me a perfect location for the red, black and chrome '68 R/T logo. The black glass roof and tweaked and enlarged wheels round out the changes to this large, muscular Dodge coupe. I'm not sure that there is room in Dodge's lineup these days for a pillarless coupe like this Charger; the Challenger already utilizes a 116" wheelbase. But in my mind, and Paul's I hope, it's a shoe-in!

*Dodge White Hat Special refers to a marketing scheme Dodge employed quite often in the late '60s and early '70s. Various cars in the Dodge lineup were given multiple options at a lower price than if bought separately, in hopes of moving more vehicles. Frequently for these advertisements, very Swingin' Sixties models were photographed, dressed in white cowboy hats standing next to fairly mundane Polara hardtops and Coronet sedans, lol. 

Blast from the Past

Cayman Targa—Yeah, I know the Cayman is basically the hardtop version of the convertible Boxster, so the idea of an open-top Cayman might seem a bit superfluous... The original Porsche Targa was much more than just a convertible though. The brushed aluminum rollover hoop added rigidity and great looks, and the wraparound rear window, removable by the way, added a bit of glamor to the pretty Porsche 911/912 coupe. The removable top gave three ways to drive the car,—fully closed, fully open, or with just the roof open like a great big sunroof. 

I started with a special edition Cayman, in a beautiful shade of frog-green with black stripes. I changed it to gold even though the original Targa isn't quite fifty years old. I believe it was introduced forty-five years ago, but that's close enough for today! Besides the change in roof design, I shortened the front overhang by several inches for a more proportioned look, even though I suppose bumper standards wouldn't be met this way, and enlarged and darkened the wheels, keeping the bright yellow brake calipers. I also added my now almost-trademark cobblestones and a nice cloudy sky and distant island.

Mustang 4-door Sedan for 2012 [Updated]

Mustang Sedan, Take Two—I modified the rear bumper/apron assembly from my original chop below, with more sculpting matching up with the side contours. I think this lessens the bumper's thickness. I also made the roofline "faster" and added a dark-tinted roof panel, emphasizing the slope more. I think this makes it a bit more muscular. I also added a "5.0" badge to the front fenders.

Mustang Sport Sedan—Yes, the purists always hate these, and that's why Photoshop is so much fun. I started with an image of a Saleen-modified Mustang, hence the ribbed rear panel, quad exhausts, wheels and side skirting (although I modified the skirting, making it more "adult" and less boy-racer). I added the Mustang logo to the rear cove. I figured as long as I was committing blasphemy by adding the second set of doors, I might as well leave off the well-known Mustang medallion in this area  (the gas cap on the original series) and use the prancing horse instead. I lengthened the wheelbase by about eight inches to make enough room for the rear door to be functional. 

Would Ford ever build a Mustang sedan? I don't think so, but I don't see why they haven't utilized the rear-wheel drive platform for a sedan with a different name. It would make a nice Lincoln sport sedan.

The Maestro Knows Best

Kia Optima coupe—When I started this chop, I had every intention of changing the side window profile, to differentiate it from the sedan. I tried a full side window extending almost to the trunk. I tried adding a severely rising beltline and a pointed rear window, much like a 1971-72 Dodge Charger. I tried making the rear side window much narrower and more formal. Nothing worked as well as the original window profile Peter Schreyer used on his sedan. He is truly the master of design these days—you can't mess with the maestro! 

In the end, in addition to deleting the rear doors and making the front doors longer, I changed mostly the details. I moved the Kia logo from the hood into the grille; the way Schreyer's new Kia grilles narrow in the middle, almost the same as 1960s Dodge "barbells," makes a natural position for the oval logo. It emphasizes it and cleans up the hood. I also slightly changed the taillight lenses, adding neutral glass for most of the space. I tweaked the wheels, but seeing as I've often taken these wheels for other chops, I left them in position for this one. I adjusted the colors of the jpeg, added the pattern to the surface the car is sitting on and added some shadowing. Oh yeah, I deleted the silly front fender vents, I'm sure they're not functional. That's about it!