This note is simply intended to convey some criteria applied in product design, which may well be overturned for the design of accessories and modifications for car tuning. While personalization is subject to the taste of each person (which cannot be criticized), some guidelines will help to channel that taste correctly and achieve a design as personal as “harmonious”.
One of the most frequent examples is the adoption of a trait or design element that we like for our own car. Adaptations are possible, but maintaining the independence of each party by making them gracefully twinning seems impossible... and it is not.
A fundamental factor to consider is how to adapt something alien to our car. A good alternative solution consists of studying the features of our car and those of the model that inspires us. Searching for common points often helps.
What can a Corvette have in common with a Volkswagen? At first glance absolutely nothing, but with the critical eye we can see between the lines... For example, if we like gill-like vents of a sports car, we can start by studying the characteristics of the surface on which they are located, the position in the car, the ratio of aspect and proportion between those “gills” and other details, etc.
This meticulous process allows you to import aesthetic details, achieving correct adaptations, and not appalling sumations of elements disconnected from each other. A good example is given in small cars with fiberglass bonnet imitating the shapes of the Ferrari F50air vents. If the adaptation of these air channels is adapted to the size of the car to be modified and its curved radii, then a striking and correct result can be obtained.
It's funny how you usually don't take advantage of the best details of the car to be modified. It is common to see spoilers anchored on inconvenient surfaces and air intakes in inappropriate places, demanding deeper reforms, increased spending of money, and worse results.
More to keep in mind: the height of the car relative to the ground. The lower the car the better it looks, but the greater your chances of breaking those huge fiberglass skirts into steep gutter or even on uneven entrances. A good solution is to consider shortening the bottom of the overhangs as much as possible. A car without scratches or cracks will always look better...
Another good idea is to hire a cartoonist to make some sketches of the redesign alternatives. So we will have a little more tangible idea of the project to be executed, which will always be better than an idea we never saw.
A healthy advice is ALWAYS to try to avoid modifying or replacing parts that perform a structural function in the car. For example, doors with reinforcements at the level of the driver, curved panels that absorb energy in impacts or prevent stiffness of the passenger compartment.
There are many details of car construction that ordinary people ignore, and its modification without consciousness can have negative consequences.
Finally, advise on the legislation for vehicles in your country, as there will be regulatory details to take into account such as location of position lights, minimum distances between headlights and end of bumpers, etc.
© Adrián Blanco 2007 - No full or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —