Niels van Roij teaches you the language of the car designer
With this series about the jargon of the car designer, Niels van Roij teaches you to better understand car design. It also ensures that you learn professional terms, so that you can say something meaningful about the cars you see. After many episodes, Niels deals with the last letters of this designer ABC. In this episode a lot of attention is paid to the concept of wheelarches (think of the thick Lancia Delta Integrale, or the Audi RS6), but also the importance of the wheel arch and the wedge shape are discussed.
Wheelarch
The wheel arch is another important area for expressing character in a car design. Through the wheel arches, designers have many options to express the power and muscularity of the car. Factually anatomically correct, for example, it is often shown, through the design of the wheel arch, where the drive is located.
The Volvo XC90 uses a very subtle inflated wheel arch design, about the same amount all around to visualize the four-wheel drive.
The ‘blister’ (blister) or ‘box-flare’ (square flare) wheel arches were fashionable in the 1980s after they were introduced on the Audi Quattro and Delta HF Integrale. Now we rarely see them, except on some Audi RS models and on American pick-ups they sometimes come back.
Making the wheel arch physically wider clearly indicates more power compared to a standard version, whether it is a production car or concept car!
The difference between the regular and V12 Vantage Roadster is significant.
But widening the wheelarch is also a somewhat easy way to visualize this power. It is much more difficult to imagine how a beautiful wheel arch design can be made for a vehicle with significant width restrictions, such as a Japanese Kei car or a van. If a designer succeeds in radiating the suggestion of some strength, shape or even width in this type of car, where every millimeter really counts, through the design of wheel arches, then that designer is undoubtedly very talented and skilled.
This old Ford Transit looks many times flatter than its successor, in particular due to the surfacing of the wheel arches.
Wheelbase
The space between the front wheel and the rear wheel is called wheelbase. It varies greatly and depends on the type of car being designed. Car designers use the wheel as a baseline measurement for the length, width and height ratios of the design, the proportions. Only once the wheels have been placed in the wheelbase can designers define and draw the rest of the car. Large wheels within the wheelbase give any car a better look as it improves stance. However, wheels that are too big make the design look like a toy car. In mass production, visually too large wheels are rarely used, much more often too small – out of cost savings. We often see wheels that are too large in American tuning, where gigantic wheels even lift a car. Both wheelbase and wheel size are very important for the visual dynamics of the car.
Wheel arch lip:
The wheel arch lip is an important part of the wheel arch. A seemingly simple, flat section from the outside, but looks can be deceiving. To emphasize the wheel arch opening and give visual force to both the element itself and the bodywork around it, the wheel arch lip is of great importance. Furthermore, the element adds real strength to the panel after pressing, because sharp hard folds are applied. Think of a sheet of A4 paper, which is many times stiffer without changing thickness after placing a fold.
The section of bodywork leading to the lip can be varied greatly to emphasize the car’s personality or enhance its design. A slightly convex part suggests confidence, a slightly convex surface suggests underlying strength, a concave part is more classic and can suggest elegance. There are also options to turn the lip into a true design element. Think of the way Range Rover jumps up in the lip with the Evoque, which is emphasized by black plastic and thus becomes part of the car’s graphics, the graphics. With the Velar, the Land Rover designers kept a somewhat more luxurious, cleaner line.
Wedge shape
The horizontal angle at which a car stands when viewed from the side is called wedge shape. Many vans have little or no wedge shape. Think of the Crafter from Volkswagen.
With the exception of the aforementioned Ford Transit. Lamborghinis have an extremely positive wedge shape.
In the past, passenger cars sometimes had a negative wedge-shaped body. Consider, for example, the Citroën DS. Today only Rolls-Royce has models with a negative wedge shape. This solution looks much less dynamic, but is very elegant and formal. That’s just right for a Rolls-Royce.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl