Automotive

Watch aficionados frequently wax poetic about the finish of their movements - the anglage of plates and cocks; the perlage; the perfectly executed interior angles that come to a fine point; the perfect proportions or matched geneva stripes even across separate plates.  Dufour; Voutilainen; Pratt - just the thought of the works by any of these contemporary masters is enough to make the hard core enthusiast swoon.

Of course, there is a sub-species of watch enthusiasts, the hard core gear heads, that have to catch their breath or feel their heart skip a beat when they see a perfectly turned screw - perfect, precise and black polished screw heads and slots; threads that are orgasm inducing in their smoothness and delicate exactitude ...

When we think of automotive art, most think of the luscious, sensuous, sometimes futuristically angular and geometric bodies draping the engine and chassis, penned by such revered masters as Pininfarina; Bertone; Giugiaro; Fioravanti; Robinson; even our own Luc.  And of course, my personal favorite, Marcello Gandini, who created the stuff of my childhood dreams and inspired me to a life of hard work and aspirations.

Of course, the hard core automotive gearheads can get just as excited by artisanal welds; mandrel bent exhausts and forged headers or even beautifully shaped cast manifolds; even machining that border on art.

Rare is the car that has this sense of both design and finish permeate the entire vehicle, often only reserved for the top of the line models in the top of the line model range; even more rare still is a car company that infuses this sensitivity into each and every vehicle in their range, into each and every part...More than watchmaking, automaking is a business, and a big business at that. As such, more than in watchmaking, cost controls and bottom line profitability are powerful considerations which the ownership and management ignore or override at their own peril.

Which makes those models and marques that break these rules all the more impressive and moving...

This marque and the visionary behind it are truly inspiring; whether or not one likes the designs of their finished vehicles, there is no denying the artistic eye, the artisanal hands, that made these wondrous creations, with soundtracks to stir the soul and performance specifications that top the charts, frequently setting new records...

Can you guess the marque?

Carbon Fiber the right way!

Pure petrolhead sex!

jewel like, you say? Artisanal craftsman at work...

Field of dreams...

Musical instruments for the enthusiast...

ah, the details...

gearhead stuff to make even the non-gearhead ooh and aah...

automotive "waves"...look at that grain!

a splash of color...and of course, from the world's leading high end OEM's...only the best will do!

Surgical tools? Machinists' art? Steampunk fantasy?

more to come...!!!

This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2013-02-25 16:32:45

Looks like Pagani to me

(edited to move subject line to message body, to avoid spoiler for others in case anyone else wants to try a guess)

This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2013-02-25 15:24:53

Pagani Huayra! [nt]

(edited to move subject to post body, to avoid spoiler in subject line)

This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2013-02-25 18:35:19

That was my first thought as well. The break pedal (?) looks just like a Pagani key.

more to come...

Huayra.

 

 

Vte

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I am thinking Pagani Huayra.  It's not a Fiat 126p, I am sure.

. This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2013-02-27 13:53:25

Thank you, ThomasM.  I do wonder if turning their passion to such an expressive tool as a playback system has produced such radical experiences as their cars can!  Signs point to no, but I would certainly fancy a listen.  I was so hopeful to see if their highest-frequency channel was actually adjustable for time-alignment, but alas!

Hi Thomas,

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nt

Hi, dje,

Pagani yes, Huayra, no (though I'm not surprised if there are some overlaps)

Zonda R!

Can't you just see the happiness written all over my face

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And he forgives you for bailing out on him early...

Nice pic!  From Quail 2012?  

Hi TM, thanks for the shots...must be so nice to get up close and personal with such masterpiece...AMG v12, bespoke.

Wonder how Veyron compares in terms of fine finishing? No where close ? Or different?

 

A late Happy Chinese New Year to you. Cheers.

 

 

Regards

Jacky

Hi, Jacky,

Though I haven't spent nearly as much time up close and personal with the Veyron (I only got some rushed seat time behind the wheel when I was, ahem, more concerned with other priorities...and about 15 minutes static) my initial impressions are that both are very finely finished but the Pagani is much more "artisanal" - this also comes through in the driving "feel"

Funny, there are many, many parallels to the high horology world...even the best examples of the big brands are, well, somehow "corporate" relative to the "feel" of similar pieces from the independents (think AP/PP/VC basic three hand models vs the Simplicity or Observatoire, for example)

It's hard to pinpoint, and I'm sure there are cynics who say, "Bah, it's all in your head." But for me, it's very real and fairly consistently identifiable.

 

Cheers, my best to the KL gang, and hope to catch up with all of you soon!

TM

At the end of the day, its meant for people who appreciate the very fine things in life...otherwise it's just another car similarly have 4 wheels..lol....

Hi Thomas,

i loved that series Ed. seeing the ferrari factory and how they built the engine on the 599 made me realise that modern ferraris should be.
theres also a series called 'how its made' and the way the machines do things is brilliant, but the person that invented the machine to do the brilliant thing is a genius. who are tnese people?

i ll try to watch that series

the car is a work of art and so are these pieces so put 1 and 1 together and you come up with 2.
G.

LOL!

This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2013-02-27 13:44:00

I was seriously wondering if Richard Mille or some watch company was making a car.  

I staggered around Goodwood for the rest of the day, not believing what I had seen.

Not to mention the carbon fiber

The only comparable manufacturer (in taking detail to excess; not the functional ability of the car) was Spyker. Not always in the best of taste, but always outrageous

Another marque that comes to mind is Spyker (not quite Pagani) , although to some it has a look that only a mother could love

Apologies for going off tangent, but the Dutch maker comes to mind when I saw the title.

Wonder pictures !