Watchdevil Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 (edited) Wow Watchdevil! That Iosis T-Bird looks fantastic. I just set it as my new desktop background! It would be perfect as a folding hardtop as well. BTW, I checked out the Porsche 911 and it has tiny backseats, so it is a 2+2. Do you think an Iosis T-Bird with 2+2 seating, sized a little smaller than a Mustang, would work? I think 2+2 911 style would still 'feel' like a personal luxury automobile. And look great. All I did was get rid of the chrome hood molding, the grille bars and "flipped" a bird in the middle... The magic of just seeing the T-bird emblem on something has a strong power of suggestion. Thank Ford of Europe for the design of the concept which has all the sweet elements they deleted from the Mondeo. The only thing that carried over in the translation from Iosis to Mondeo is the basic front end design. The Bird emblem in the grille was a quicky... It might be too big, too straight edged... But I do like the idea of blue-white lights legal to light up at night... Guess I need to work on a back end now... 2+2 style? Think of this Thunderbird scaled up to a size that would accommodate comfortable rear seating... Also take a good look at the Lincoln MKR concept... It's very similar in a lot of ways... Anyway the Iosis concept is probably the truest progression to pick up where the old four seat Birds left off... And like the 83 Aerobird that debuted Euro Ford inspired design langage that changed the face of Ford in the 80's, this one could do the same again plus make way for family DNA to show up in future Fiesta, Focus and Fusion/Mondeo models... Kienetic design as they say. Perhaps it is in the best interest for the Tbird to progress forward instead of being saddled with retro styling... One more thing... The Thunderbird was also famous for delivering a luxury car that looked thousands of dollars more than it was... Tbird did it in 1977-79 and set sales records for the marque... The 1989 Tbird benchmaked a BMW coupe of that time. Look at all the luxury import coupes on the market from Mercedes, BMW, Infiniti as well as the new Honda Accord and Nissan Altima coupes. I believe the Thunderbird still has a flying chance provided it is cutting edge and has the right content people expect in a car this class. I believe the Thunderbird will fly again... Edited August 9, 2007 by Watchdevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 I was playing with surface detail on the Lincoln/T-Bird. I still think the Messenger would make a better Cougar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Mustang based Tbird with short wheelbase... Sharing some major external parts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Mustang based Tbird with short wheelbase... Sharing some major external parts... not bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 not bad I lost resolution while saving this rendering... I am not completely happy with the front end as I think it looks too tall and blunt... It still looks like a converted Mustang. My ideal for a two seater is something more like the Messenger concept with the roof chopped off as a convertible. I like the proportions, wheel flares and surfacing more on the Messenger concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I lost resolution while saving this rendering... I am not completely happy with the front end as I think it looks too tall and blunt... It still looks like a converted Mustang. My ideal for a two seater is something more like the Messenger concept with the roof chopped off as a convertible. I like the proportions, wheel flares and surfacing more on the Messenger concept. Yeah it still looks too much like a Mustang. The last T-Bird shared the Lincoln LS chassis. But the only way you'd know it is by the shared dashboard. They didn't share any sheetmetal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Yeah it still looks too much like a Mustang. The last T-Bird shared the Lincoln LS chassis. But the only way you'd know it is by the shared dashboard. They didn't share any sheetmetal. It's definitely worth it to come up with completely new exterior surfaces even it a Thunderbird shares a platform with the Mustang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted September 2, 2007 Author Share Posted September 2, 2007 It's definitely worth it to come up with completely new exterior surfaces even it a Thunderbird shares a platform with the Mustang. Will THIS do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Gorgeous car. Not a Thunderbird though. The styling is specifically 1949 which is unrelated to a Thunderbird. Technically even the Tbird engine reference is historically incorrect as the Thunderbird was not even out until 1955. The Forty-Nine would be better as a model of it's own but blatant retro is out. I have a scale model of this car and it's beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 (edited) I did a convertible chop... And the rear end... Edited September 9, 2007 by Watchdevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 I did a convertible chop... And the rear end... Dear God that is beautiful. I need a kleenex..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 WOW !!!! That is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 (edited) I am working on a chop with the side profile. As soon as I get it done I will post it. I suppose I could have changed the rear more but the styling is so great as it is and you know less is more. I could have done full width taillamps or something different than the Iosis. I have to keep in mind though, this is a concept that is a progression forward without relying on a retro look. Ford could have very well saved this concept and showed it as a Tbird instead of an Iosis and I am sure it would have been a sensation. To me this IosisBird seems like a natural evolution from the 1983-88 Tbirds. I am torn though... The MessengerBird looks good with the top off but the IosisBird is the direction Ford styling is going in on a global level. The 427Bird is still nice but it seems like something that should have been done at the time of inception and now it's too late because Ford's design language is changing so fast. I am done with creating Mustang based Tbirds. They just don't work. You have to have a completely different body with no shared parts other than the platform and some drivetrain. Edited September 11, 2007 by Watchdevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted September 13, 2007 Author Share Posted September 13, 2007 The Iosis Thunderbird idea also seems like a bridge between FoNA "Bold" & FoE "Kinetic" styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford-150 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 leave the retro styling behind!, make it something sleek, something that looks good in black that Iosis is the only one close to what i want, still it needs to be longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 leave the retro styling behind!, make it something sleek, something that looks good in black that Iosis is the only one close to what i want, still it needs to be longer The Iosis can be scaled up or down accordingly. If it can be turned into a coupe then great! I would also modify the rear so that the taillamps are characteristically Thunderbird while also look more modern with the elements that make the Iosis ones interesting. Run those lamps full-width with a dropped center detail and knock the license plate down into the bumper where it belongs. Remember when the 1989 Tbird came out it looked like a BMW coupe with Tbird cues front and rear? At all costs I would avoid that copy car look. Not only did Ford copy the look of import cars but they usually did so from the outgoing generation of such models. So the Tbird mimicked the outgoing BMW coupe, then sucessively the Lincoln LS copied a Mitsibishi, the Five Hundred copied a Passat and the new MKS copied a composite of Infiniti or BMW. I think it's important for a Thunderbird to look like an inhouse Ford design and have the same impact it had when the 1983 models came out, and have the same impact classic models did when presenting Thunderbird styling at the time. You should not ever mistake the Thunderbird for something else. I like the front of the Iosis for a new Tbird because it cleary ties to the last two generations of the four seat Thunderbirds as if they evolved from Jack Telnack's continued influence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Dear God that is beautiful.I need a kleenex..... too late , Mullaly took the last one when he saw the 2110 taurus replacement....agreed THIS is STUNNING!@ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 (edited) too late , Mullaly took the last one when he saw the 2110 taurus replacement....agreed THIS is STUNNING!@ 2110? Geez that's a long time! But I am sure the Pathers will still be around then unchanged... Maybe the next Taurus looks like the Iosis and that's why he's crying! If it does I will weep as well... I'll tell ya if the next Taurus does look the the Iosis then they will have another hit not seen since the original Taurus... People will find their way to Ford dealers without coersion... Edited October 31, 2007 by Watchdevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 2110? Geez that's a long time! But I am sure the Pathers will still be around then unchanged... Maybe the next Taurus looks like the Iosis and that's why he's crying! If it does I will weep as well... I'll tell ya if the next Taurus does look the the Iosis then they will have another hit not seen since the original Taurus... People will find their way to Ford dealers without coersion... actually a typing Pho-pah...but pretty apt...2010 would have been correct, but at the pace they seem to be going maybe my error was more correct....and for what it is worth ford needs to listen to the publics and enthusiasts reaction to their ideas rather than cherry picked Focus groups with nothing better to do than taks a day off from their accounting jobs to critique their latest effort and have free tea and Bikkies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 (edited) 2110? Geez that's a long time! But I am sure the Pathers will still be around then unchanged... Maybe the next Taurus looks like the Iosis and that's why he's crying! If it does I will weep as well... I'll tell ya if the next Taurus does look the the Iosis then they will have another hit not seen since the original Taurus... People will find their way to Ford dealers without coersion... If the next Taurus is a no-holds-barred, total-commitment, make-it-or-break-it-effort from Ford with all the newest technology and done in a cost effective manner, well..... I won't weep for Camcord I thought about that "Mr Mullaly wept" story on the commute home tonight. As much as I'm dyin' to see what he was talking about, I'd rather NOT see it. I hope Ford successfully keeps the upcoming Taurus under wraps until a showcase grand presentation at the Detroit / LA Auto Show is done. I hope Mr Toyota & Mr Honda fail to get some sleep that night. :shades: Edited November 1, 2007 by joihan777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 (edited) If the next Taurus is a no-holds-barred, total-commitment, make-it-or-break-it-effort from Ford with all the newest technology and done in a cost effective manner, well..... I won't weep for Camcord I thought about that "Mr Mullaly wept" story on the commute home tonight. As much as I'm dyin' to see what he was talking about, I'd rather NOT see it. I hope Ford successfully keeps the upcoming Taurus under wraps until a showcase grand presentation at the Detroit / LA Auto Show is done. I hope Mr Toyota & Mr Honda fail to get some sleep that night. :shades: I think buyers are starved for unique and expressive designs that make people forget the generic blandness of Camrys and Accords. With increased and growing confidence in domestic quality it's now a good opportunity to attract buyers with expression and style while featuring expected refinement, content and feautures. It seems over the past decade there have been long lead-in times from car show to production and by the time the cars hit the showrooms there is very little hoopla. I think the Taurus is Ford's most important car and unfortunately the new one just isn't making an impact and it just isn't enough to sell the good features like safety and platform refinements. The name of the car is right but the visual appeal is just not there looking like a dated design that was appropriate for 1998 but not 2008. It seems a lot of people like the Iosis concept and it's my hope that unlike the watered down slab sided production Mondeo, the Taurus will get the same shapely greenhouse, sides and rear end of the Iosis. I think we will end up with something that is somewhere between the Iosis and MKR in shape and design language. Those are distinctly Ford in design and Ford really needs the impact of being new, different and sensational the way the original Taurus and 1983 Thunderbird made an impact back in the 1980's. Having such a vehicle again will certainly attract people from imports who have enough concious to buy American if the right car was available to purchase. There is an article I read about the outgoing generation of the Malibu where GM admit they understyled the car on purpose because thats what they thought buyers wanted... That Toyota blandness. Toyota is responsible for that slad sided, no tumblehome and undersized wheel on body look. Just because people think Toyota can do no wrong, people bought these cars despite the underwhelming boring styling and it snowballed an assumption that bland, conservative and awkward was design fashionable. I hope Ford has learned that they have to make their own design statement and not make visual composites of existing and dated imported cars. I always thought things started going downhill when it was obvious to me that Ford restyled an outgoing BMW 635 coupe with a Thunderbird nose and taillamps. Then later we ended up with the Jaguar Continental, The Mitsubishi Lincoln LS and most recently the Passat Five Hundred/Taurus and the upcoming Infiniti/BMW/Acura composite Lincoln MKS with a new Lincoln grille band-aided at the last minute. While the 1995 Taurus was an effort to be unique and distinct, it was too much of an extreme exploration of trendy ovoid design that had no longevity. The result is that the 1994 and earlier Taurus looks timeless and tasteful while the 1995+ looks strangely dated and odd. The Iosis and MKR cannot be mistaken for anything but Ford designs. Edited November 1, 2007 by Watchdevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 I think buyers are starved for unique and expressive designs that make people forget the generic blandness of Camrys and Accords. With increased and growing confidence in domestic quality it's now a good opportunity to attract buyers with expression and style while featuring expected refinement, content and feautures. It seems over the past decade there have been long lead-in times from car show to production and by the time the cars hit the showrooms there is very little hoopla. I think the Taurus is Ford's most important car and unfortunately the new one just isn't making an impact and it just isn't enough to sell the good features like safety and platform refinements. The name of the car is right but the visual appeal is just not there looking like a dated design that was appropriate for 1998 but not 2008. It seems a lot of people like the Iosis concept and it's my hope that unlike the watered down slab sided production Mondeo, the Taurus will get the same shapely greenhouse, sides and rear end of the Iosis. I think we will end up with something that is somewhere between the Iosis and MKR in shape and design language. Those are distinctly Ford in design and Ford really needs the impact of being new, different and sensational the way the original Taurus and 1983 Thunderbird made an impact back in the 1980's. Having such a vehicle again will certainly attract people from imports who have enough concious to buy American if the right car was available to purchase. There is an article I read about the outgoing generation of the Malibu where GM admit they understyled the car on purpose because thats what they thought buyers wanted... That Toyota blandness. Toyota is responsible for that slad sided, no tumblehome and undersized wheel on body look. Just because people think Toyota can do no wrong, people bought these cars despite the underwhelming boring styling and it snowballed an assumption that bland, conservative and awkward was design fashionable. I hope Ford has learned that they have to make their own design statement and not make visual composites of existing and dated imported cars. I always thought things started going downhill when it was obvious to me that Ford restyled an outgoing BMW 635 coupe with a Thunderbird nose and taillamps. Then later we ended up with the Jaguar Continental, The Mitsubishi Lincoln LS and most recently the Passat Five Hundred/Taurus and the upcoming Infiniti/BMW/Acura composite Lincoln MKS with a new Lincoln grille band-aided at the last minute. While the 1995 Taurus was an effort to be unique and distinct, it was too much of an extreme exploration of trendy ovoid design that had no longevity. The result is that the 1994 and earlier Taurus looks timeless and tasteful while the 1995+ looks strangely dated and odd. The Iosis and MKR cannot be mistaken for anything but Ford designs. Hey Watchdevil, I just showed a couple of the fella's at work your Iosis/ Thunderbird design. They all thought it looked great. To be accurate.." Hoo hoo! That's hella nice. I'd definitely get me one of those!" And that was from a GM guy. They liked the overall style, the T-Bird cues and the folding metal hardtop. The seating arrangements didn't come up...ahem. If Ford was considering the Iosis for the next Thunderbird, based on the huntsmen platform or not, they'd have a champ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 (edited) I thought I'd try the side view of the Iosis, made it into a coupe/convertible. And tried a shortened Mustang JFTHOI. Edited November 30, 2007 by timmm55 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I thought I'd try the side view of the Iosis, made it into a coupe/convertible. And tried a shortened Mustang JFTHOI. I think the Tbird works much better on the Iosis style and would be a dramatic continuation or evolution of the then-forward thinking of the 1983 Aerobird. Ford tried retro with the last production Tbird. I tried recapturing the mystique of the late-60's and 70's Tbirds with the 427 Concept based Tbird and it worked for a while. However Ford is moving away from those forms into the Kinetic designs which are showing up on the Euro Fords and our next Fiesta. The same forms can be found on the Lincoln MKR which they have hinted will happen. The MKR would be the perfect opportunity to do a sister car as a Tbird. The chops you did on the Iosis are close to what I would have done if I had time lately to work on them. I was thinking I would probably I would have made the four doors into two while leaving the kicked up rear quarter window profile alone. Blocking them off or putting a small squarish shape breaks up the flow of the car. One thing I liked about the kicked-up beltline and quarter window design of the Iosis is that it reminded me of the ones Ford did on fastbacks in the early 70's. The chop of the Mustang just doesn't work for me. However it does remind me of many of the disarded clay proposals Ford done in the 1960's while they were fumblng around to find the right design for a Mustang. I love the Messenger front end but it would have looked best brought over into production intact with the rest of the original concept and best presented as a Cougar for Mercury. I love that you keep trying and have a passion for the greatness of legendary Fords and believe that they should still be an evolutionary part of the model lineups. It's a nice break from the constant pissing contests about the mediocre unimaginative and mostly boring new Ford products that they are making now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadBflo Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I love the design elements of the thunderbird logo over the headlights. The 427 chops with the hidden headlamps with the logo over them is just perfect. But I think it would even work if molded into the inside of a current headlamp design, such as those on the Iosis concept above. Not sure how many cars have done this, but from my childhood memories it is unmistakably Thunderbird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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