Archive for the ‘World Automotive’ Category
The design field in the auto industry recently has been given a hand by Autodesk, a leading software and service company for the manufacturing, infrastructure, building, media and entertainment, and wireless data services fields. The said company has organized the World Automotive Design Competition (WADC) in an effort to give the automotive industry a source of new automotive design talent.
It is the fifth time that the company has sponsored a competition geared towards the promotion of automotive design among students. The competition serves the automotive industry just like what a BBK cold air intake performs so that it improves the performance of a vehicle. In the same sense, the competition increases the potential of the automotive industry.
The said competition is aimed to instill in the minds of students that the automotive design field is an accessible career choice. The challenge is to make the field more desirable for students all over the world. The competition was made for students to showcase their skills in the designing of cars. The design challenge for this year is for student competitors to conceive and design a car that will be appealing not only for the younger generation drivers but also for the aging generation as well. The car that they would design must also address the current environmental problems that the global community is facing. In the design process, the students should keep in mind that they are aiming for their cars to be released for the 2014 model year. Eighteen schools from eleven countries were represented at the said competition.
After much deliberation on the part of the judges, the winners were chosen and then were announced just recently in connection with the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS). Taking the first place is Paul Kim from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco. His Ford Legion caught the attention and interest of the judges with its bold and distinctive exterior. Moray Callum, the design director for Ford North America, is one of the judges and he has all praises for Paul Kim’s work. “Paul has done a great job of thinking of how the vehicle will actually be used and has introduced a lot of creative solutions for the customer,” Callum said. Paul Kim will take home $10,000 which will be the prize for the first place winner.
Another student from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco won at the fifth WADC. Bagging the second place is Ryan Campbell with his VW Connextion. His entry to the competition is a two seater roadster which he describes will pull the generations of enthusiasts together. Dan Sims, the general manager of the MRDA Design Studio for Mitsubishi Motors North America, Incorporated, is also a member of the panel of judges and also commended the work of Campbell in his statement: “Ryan’s VW Connextion is a cleverly designed two seat roadster, with well designed details that make this concept fresh and attractive.” Sims further added that “it is a car that I would have wanted in high school and now.” Campbell pocketed $7,500 for placing second.
The third place was won by Matthew Finbow from Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning of Toronto. His entry is the Concourse. Judge Ken Gross of Edmunds.com stated that “Finbow’s Concourse is exceptionally flexible. Concourse is defined as a meeting of friends, a place where people feel welcome, and this design would appeal, in his words, ‘to the young and the young at heart’. The Concourse has a futuristic look and its six seats and interior can be configured many different ways and safety has not been neglected. This imaginative but feasible presentation by Matthew is certainly one of the interest.” Finbow takes home $5,000 as the third placer.
If one word had to describe art, that word should surely be passion. Passion teases your heart and speaks to your spirit. It bypasses your intellect and carves out a niche in your soul. So automotive enthusiasts seek out art that reflects that passion. And automotive artists seek out scenes that inspire them to express that passion.
And if any part of the automotive industry incites passion it is racing.
Automotive racing is about speed and power and its history evokes romance. Today races are run over well-constructed tracks protected from the viewers. The drivers climb into their cars with the confidence that they were meticulously tuned by top mechanics who have worked to the point of exhaustion to insure that the machines at the starting post are as perfect as human expertise can achieve. However, in its infancy, racing was a different story. Races were run on blocked off sections of roads. Drivers drove with the hope that their vehicles could make it to the finish line and perhaps even be the first across. This was the era before television when only artists could convey the passionate hope that accompanied each entrant.
One such artist was Rene Vincent. Vincent was a French artist, born in 1879. Very little is known about his life. He began his art career as a fashion illustrator and gained recognition in that genre. But his obsession with automobiles soon drove him to racing and automotive art. Vincent was fond of illustrating race cars but he also did advertising posters. Vincent was featured in a number of top magazines of his day including La Vie Parisienne and the Saturday Evening Post. And he crafted posters for the Au Bon Marche Department Store. As a result of his various commissions he became known as the automobile poster artist of his era.
Nevertheless, the influence of fashion can be seen in his automotive works. In creating advertising illustrations for the cars of his times it is obvious he appreciated the selling power of a beautiful lady along side the automobile. His “Irat Automobiles Georges” depicts a young man seated behind the wheel giving a good night kiss to his high fashion lady friend standing along side the car. “Salmson,” considered one of his best works, shows a lady outfitted in a heavily fur trimmed jacket over a long, flowing skirt standing next to the automobile.
Vincent died in 1936 but he would be succeeded by Geo Ham, another noted vintage poster artist. Ham whose birth name was Georges Hamel was born in 1900 in Lavelle, France. Like many small boys of that age and this one, George fell in love with cars, especially the early racecars. For a while, he was a part-time racecar driver and his experiences on the track lent a certain realism to his work.
Ham attended the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs in Paris where he studied art. He did numerous illustrations for automotive catalogs and magazines. However, his most famous works are his posters depicting the Grand Pix of Monaco and the 24 Hours of LeMans. Ham died in 1972.
Of all the information out there and of all the products being sold to the public to preserve and protect your vehicle’s finish, little or nothing is said about a simple product used in the Automotive Detailing and Paint Repair industry.
Some detailers don’t really understand the benefits of using this product in the way I am going to talk about, and how it is beneficial to their customers and why it should be done on a somewhat regular basis!
Well what is this product?
It is called a Clay Bar.
This is not a new product or a secret product. However, it is not a well know product. Its use even by manufacturers is not well explained or understood.
We have some insight that is unique and not well understood by detailers or body shops because of the range of automotive appearance restoration we specialize in. Since many of the vehicles we work on have already been detailed we have to leave the vehicles “front line ready” when we are finished.
Unlike a body shop whose job does not include any kind of ‘detailing” we have to leave the vehicles we work on “front line ready”. Also, unlike a detail shop we have paint restoration experience.
Why does this matter to you, and how can our experience and knowledge benefit you?
First of all let me explain a basic rule to paint preparation when preparing for refinishing. The surface being worked on has to be completely “sterile” and properly scuffed in order for new paint to adhere well to the area being refinished.
Let me illustrate it this way. If I paint something that has a decal on it and I paint over that decal what happens if that decal’s glue looses its adhesive quality? That area will certainly peel off sooner or later. You would not paint over a pin stripe or decal but on a larger scale if you have removed all surface contaminates you will have great adhesion and a long lasting paint job!
One of the biggest things that makes a paint job a quality paint job is how well the surface has been “prepped’! I cannot stress this point enough!
Have you ever priced a paint job? Have you wondered why some body shops can do a paint job for $400 and others will tell you $3000?!
Did you know the factory paint job on your vehicle can be valued somewhere between $3000 to $6000 depending of the make and model? Any paint work that is not done to the factory standard can devalue your vehicle the amount of your factory paint job.
The prep work done for a paint job when done properly can be the difference between a factory quality paint job and disaster!
So you have this $3000-$6000 paint job on your car, how do you protect it?
First of all do not neglect it by not removing damaging surface contaminates such as tar, sap, bugs, industrial fallout etc. Sap can actually boil in the sun and burn off the finish under the sap, ruining the panel where the sap is.
Second, make sure your waxes or sealants used to protect your paint job are of good quality and prepare the finish for proper adhesion of your wax or sealant.
Should you “prep” the finish for wax or sealants? Absolutely! However, most people think they are prepping for wax but they are not. So how do you “prep” the finish for wax?
The best way to “prep” your vehicles finish for wax or paint sealants is the use of a clay bar! Before you wax and after you have washed your vehicle use a clay bar at least once a year or every six months for the best protection of that expensive paint job.
A clay bar will remove any surface contaminates that washing did not. It can even remove hard water stains on the paint if they are not too bad. This is also the only way to remove paint over spray. A Clay Bar can also be used on the glass and on the headlights which should be part of your wax or sealer routine espeacially if you have restored your headlight lenses.
How do you use a clay bar?
A clay bar has to be used with a lubricant. It is a simple process really. In fact you can even use water as a lubricant. However, it is better to use a spray way that will both lubricate the panels you are clay barring and can be used to clean up clay residue as you go.
Simply spray the area you are clay barring…a 12″ X 12″ area is best and rub the surface with the clay bar back and forth in a side to side motion. You will hear the clay bar picking up light contaminates and as the surface is cleaned you will stop hearing the movement of the clay bar.
You can also feel the surface. If it feels rough like tiny pieces of sand after you have washed it, it needs to be clay barred. Use the same method above and listen and feel the area you are working on after you dry it off.
So work your small area wipe it dry when you think it is finished and check the surface with the inside of your hand rubbing lightly feeling and listening for rough areas. Once you have completed a section you can move on the next.
A word of caution, it has been said, although I gave never experienced this, that a clay bar can rub the paint off eventually if not kept lubricated while using. Use common sense and you should be fine.
Well there it is, this is the best way to prep for waxing your vehicle and a great way to be sure you are getting the best results from your wax.
Enjoy and I hope this article helps!
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