Cool Compact Cadillac Concept; The Cadillac Urban.

I came across a cool compact concept from Cadillac called the Urban. It is in my opinion that it is cool; others might not think so but this is my blog and I think it is cool.

Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept - Wikipedia

Looking at the performance overview from the Wikipedia page, I can see myself trading in my Smart Fortwo for it. I think it would be a step up.

I think this has an aggressive stance to the design. 

I like the grill / front end design. It connects it to the Cadillac lineup. 

I think this takes the 'lambo' doors and makes them even cooler; in my opinion. 

I like that it is a hatchback. 

I would make the side windows a little bigger. While it looks cool, it does seem to limit ones side view.  I think they production version would have taller windows.

Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept - Los Angelos Auto Show - YouTube. 

This video is very informative. It is about the car that is the subject of this blog.

Car and Driver - Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

Motor Trend - Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

There are other articles online about it but I only chose a couple; for no particular reason except to show that other sites have information on it.

TomLeeM

My Art At Cafe Press

The Miata That Became A Corvette? Rock Star?

There was another article at Motor1 that was about the Rock Star by Mitsuoka; a Miata made to look like a Corvette. It seems they chose an earlier model of the Corvette and not the current one. It does have a lot of similarities and differences. I think they chose a good one to duplicate; not that there were any bad Corvette designs (some just better than others).

I had a search looking for vehicles that used the Mazda MX5 Miata as the donor car and/or platform for another vehicle design. I have found one - Himiki - which lead to this one. I think it is a neat find.

The Mitsuoka Motors emblem.

I think it looks like an earlier version of the Corvette. I think this copy of it is really nice. 

I think it looks cool from this angle. It does have the appearance of the earlier Corvette. Perhaps it could be sold as the Opel GT replacement / update? 

Makes wonder what other 'duplicates' that could be made using the platform of the Mazda MX5 Miata. I think it has a lot of potential - especially for someone with lots of imagination and lots of money (I doubt doing this is cheap).

I wonder if one could create an updated version of the Goggomobil Dart using the Mazda MX5 Miata? (just thinking out loud but still a possibility?). Perhaps an King Midget inspired body on a Miata? 

Here is a model of the King Midget that doesn't seem to have been made before the company stopped making cars. Perhaps it could be adapted / stretched to fit onto the Miata platform? (some more 'thinking out loud'). 

TomLeeM

My Art For Sale On Items by Cafe Press

Big Goofy Guy

Miata as a Morgan? Himiko?

Motor1 has an article that I think is really neat. I was looking for vehicles that used the Mazda MX5 Miata as a platform or basis for another vehicle; a vehicle body built onto or in place of another cars body - modifying it to give it a totally different look. I came across this article.

'Mazda Miata MX5 Gets Morgan Looks Thanks To Mitsuoka'. 

Himiko - the link to the site of the car. 

I think this is amazing. I think they did a great job of combining the Miata and the Morgan. 

I think the design is truly elegant.  Unlike the writer of the article, I don't consider this to be weird but rather cool looking. 

Here is the view of the engine. 

I hope it goes beyond being a concept car. It looks really cool and it would be neat if it was seen on roads around where I live.

'Japan's Mitsuoka is a wonderfully weird company that tends to graft bizarre looks onto existing vehicles. Its latest project is the Himiko that takes the thoroughly modern looking Mazda MX-5 Miata and transforms the exterior to be a retro-inspired roadster. '
- copied from the Motor1 article. 

I think James Bond - or some other cool spy kind of guy - would be cooler driving this car. 


I will be checking out their other vehicles. It seems they have created vehicles. They seem to have some more cool cars at their site. 

TomLeeM

 My Art Store At Cafe Press.

Big Goofy Guy

Mercedes-Benz Reportedly Plotting Renault-Based X-Class Supermini in 2018

Car Scoops has an article titled 'Mercedes Benz Reportedly Plotting Renault Based X-Class Supermini in 2018'. The article is dated March 15, 2013. I wonder if they are still planning such a vehicle?  I don't know if it is small or how it compares to the Smart Fortwo or their other Mercedes Benz cars. It does look - relatively - small (nice if there was a person near it for comparison).

I think this would have a great appeal than the ForTwo by their Smart brand (which might be gone in a decade - per a more recent article). I think it would make for a great Fortwo replacement (perhaps change the Fortwo name if it has a back seat - which it probably has - perhaps called it the Smart FT4? - just thinking out loud). 

YouTube has a short video on it. 

Here is an interesting article on it by Auto Evolution. They seem to have more photos on it and its relative size. It seems like a very interesting vehicle.

It seems it might not have come about since one sees pickup trucks as the Mercedes Benz current X class vehicles. Perhaps they could call this super mini something else and still be a posiblity? One can hope. 

TomLeeM

I have my art on things for sale at Cafe Press.

Not An Expert But A Fan Of Modern Micro Cars

I am not an expert on modern micro cars. I am not an expert on any kind of cars. I just like micro cars; old and new and in between. I don't blog on modern micro cars because I think I know more or is more informed about them, I just like to blog on cars that I find neat; which in this case are modern micro cars. 

It seems some are bigger versions of the previous incarnations since they need to include emission controls and safety devices but they are not huge either. I am amazed how they can still be small - even though a lot bigger than their original version - when compared to other modern vehicles. Two that come to mind is the Fiat 500 and the Mini Cooper. Both are still small but bigger than the previous models / original models. 

It seems some are original micro cars; not having an original version. One that comes to mind is the Smart Fortwo. It is small but not a bigger version of the original since it is the original (the 450 came first). 

There is a Modern Micro Car Club group on Facebook.

Actually I am fan of small things; computers, cars, houses, boats, etc. I am big into small things. 

Big Goofy Guy

Cafe Press Art Store (online).

Mini Cooper Based Micro Cars?

I think the Mini Cooper is cool. I remember reading how they shared platforms back when they first made them; in Great Britain. They had different branches with similar cars but with different names. I remember reading on American companies doing that too. I believe there are some companies that still do; in some ways that makes sense (shared cost of development among divisions).

This is a line drawing of the Mini Cooper. It is the newer one. It is bigger than the original. They needed to add safety devices and emission controls. If they could that for a Mini, why not other micro cars of the past? 

Perhaps one company that could use the platform of the Cooper but have a different body is the King Midget. It would have to be bigger and heavier but that is what they did when they created the newer Cooper and 500. The original KM was a rear engine rear wheel drive car. The new one would be like the Cooper and be front wheel drive. Perhaps it would have a 'roadster' appearance since it would have a trunk but no back seat (perhaps give others an idea of how the Cooper would look like a two door sedan? - that is for another blog). 

This design was created but never made; as far as I know (it would be neat to find out that they did but there is so little on it on the internet). This is a scanned image from a magazine that I had that contained an article on the King Midget. 

I think this is the model 3. It is the most recent of the models. They had others but I think this one is the best. 

Midget Motors was supposed to create one but I have not heard or read anything that is recent or that if it is still being considered. I have not read - or perhaps I missed it? - at the International King Midget Owners Club. 

I think another vehicle that could be brought back and built on the Cooper platform would be the Goggomobil. I think it would make a great basis for some of their models.

 Here is the coupe.

Here is the 250.

Like the 500 by Fiat, it would go from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. I think this would give both more trunk space. 

While I posted this being used on the MX5 platform, I think it could also be used on the Cooper platform. It would be interesting to see the size comparison of the Dart next to the Cooper. The Dart would be bigger - wider and longer - but I think that would make it more appealing; in my opinion. 

I think there are other ideas for creating a newer version of an older micro car. There is a list at Micro Cars site. Perhaps ideas for future blogs? 

Perhaps this could be someones art project. Take a new micro car and adapt an older micro car design to fit over it. Like I said before, it would be bigger - longer and wider - than the original since it would hold safety equipment and emission controls; both could be taken when the platform of the Cooper is used (or other modern micro car - mentioned in other blogs).

Big Goofy Guy

my personal web site - needs work but I did not want to make it too fancy since I want it be seen on cell phones and tablet computers as well as computers.

My Art  On Stuff For Sale

why just buy art when one can buy art on things one can use? 

I think art on walls is boring when one can wear or use it?

Fiat 500 Based Micro Cars?

Like the post I had on old cars brought back and built on the Mazda MX5 Miata platform, I think there are older micro cars that could be brought back, updated (like the older Fiat 500 that was updated with the newer Fiat 500 and the older Mini Cooper updated with the newer Mini Cooper). Since the updated Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 are bigger and safer than the original, any older micro car would also be bigger and safer. It would be like platform sharing that some cars (past and present have done or are doing). 

One can take a Fiat 500 line drawing and adapt the older micro car design to it. It could share the same platform but just add a body to it. I have read of past companies that made the platform and a separate company that made the body; called a 'coach works' if I recall correctly (it made for some interesting designs and some unique ones). 

I think one older micro car that could be brought back and made new would be the Goggomobil. There are a couple that might fit on the Fiat 500 platform even if it is updated (like the newer 500 compared to the older 500). 

I think another older micro car that would be cool to be brought back is the Vespa 400. It is a neat design. It seems the vehicle in Despicable Me 2 could be based on it? It looks like the car that the A.V..L. (Anti Villain League) agent drove. 

It would be cool if the Vespa company saw this and made this (even if it is just a one off as an anniversary vehicle).

I was thinking the King Midget Mark 3 (or the newer design that never got made) would be great on the 500 platform (or perhaps on the Cooper platform - another blog).

This is the scanned image from a magazine that had an article on King Midget. I guess it could be sold as the model 4. 

Here is the King Midget model 3.

Another possible car would be the Subaru 360. It is a small car made by Subaru many years ago. It could be their re-entry into the modern micro car market (neat to think out loud). Of course the styling would be a little different but it would be styled after or inspired by the older micro car. 

Here is the Subaru 360. 

There are others at Micro Cars site that could be updated and built on this platform. I guess it would only depend on ones imagination and having a lot of money (I doubt it would be cheap but it could make for a really cool hobby). 

This is just me thinking out loud. I like to think 'what if?'. I have lots of ideas like this that never came about but it is a joy to me to think of them. There are some that I think would be cool if someone actually worked on my idea. It would be really cool if one or some came to fruition, even if it meant not getting any credit. As Ronald Reagan once said (I hope I am getting this correct), 'it is amazing what you can get done if you don't care who gets the credit'. 

Big Goofy Guy

My Art Store at Cafe Press

New Versions of Older Cars Built Using the Mazda MX5 Miata as the base?

I have read of platform sharing at different car companies. One example is the Chevrolet Chevette. It shared - IIRC - the platform with the Pontiac T1000. I read of British car companies doing the same thing. I read that the new Fiat Spider is a Mazda MX5 Miata with a different body.

I read of cars in the past where one company would make the platform and another would make the body; a coach works. I read that it made for some unique cars.

If they did that now and in the past. why not now? Perhaps one could bring back cars that are no longer around and a particular model is no longer around and create a body for it that is adapted to fit on the Miata platform?

I think it would be cool to make an updated version of the Goggomobil Dart. it would be bigger, as updated versions of older tend to be (to fit in emission controls and safety devices). It could be the first one with doors, the original did not have doors.

This is the older one. I think having a newer one based on the Miata would make it bigger and safer and greener; IMO. 

Perhaps one could create a newer King Midget MK 3? It could be a newer version of the one that was in a magazine article but never got made? 

Here is an article I scanned of the 'newer' KM that did not get very far. It is what could be used as an inspiration for a MK 4?  

There was supposed to be a newer KM by Midget Motors but nothing seem to have come from it. If they were a bigger company, they could use my idea? Using an updated version of the above on a MX5 platform? (just thinking out loud about what could be). There doesn't seem to be any information on their site (unless I somehow over looked it).

The International King Midget Car Club has a new model 'coming soon' but I am not sure how long that has been there and whether or not they are still planning on making a 'new' one.  It would be interesting to see what they might come up with, assuming the project hasn't been abandoned. Perhaps it could be a kit car or plans for one. 

It would be interesting what a Peel Trident would look like after it was adapted to fit onto the MX5 platform? Would it have traditional doors or would one have access via the traditional clam door that original one has. It would be longer and bigger and - assuming - safer. It would have four wheels instead of the original having only three wheels, making it more stable.

I wonder if one could make a newer Peel Viking Sport car using the MX5 platform? It was the biggest that Peel made. I think it would definitely turn some heads when people saw it. Even the original - IIRC - is rare. It would make for a neat updated vehicle; IMO (just thinking out loud). It will probably just have two seats unlike the original (perhaps adapted for four seats?) 

One could think of other micro cars that one could update and expand the body from the ones listed at the Micro Cars site. I think it has a lot of potential. 

Perhaps the MX 5 isn't the only platform one could use to adapt a body on? Perhaps there are cars out there that could be updated and expanded to fit onto a Fiat 500 platform? (that would be different blog - for the future). It would be interesting to see Fiat update some of their older models; based on their newer 500. That is another future blog too. 

I like thinking of these 'what if's'. It keeps my mind busy about what could be. It helps keep the mind active. This is good as one gets older. 

Big Goofy Guy

not secure yet but I am working on it. 

My Art on Stuff that can be used. 

perhaps a more practical way to get art?

Suzuki LC Concept?

I was looking for modern micro cars and found this. I think it looks really cool. It would be neat if it went beyond being just a concept but they actually make it and sell it. It would be cool if they sold it in the USA after putting it in production. 

The article and photos are from Paultan Org. 

I like this design. I wish there was a size comparison of it with a Smart Fortwo. Perhaps if they had a person near it to show relative size? I think they did a good job on the design. 

One can see the door and inside. I think it looks really nice. I think it would look better with the left hand drive; so it could be brought to the USA. 

Since it is for Japan, it is right hand drive. The inside seems roomy but it is not easy to show size since there is nothing to compare it to; size wise. 

The article indicates the LC concept is an updated version of their Suzulite design from the 1960's. 

I wonder how many cool compact concept cars never get made. Perhaps they were too expensive to make, or the design does not transfer well to a production vehicle, or they don't think there is a real market for it, or it does not meet USA safety standards? 

Big Goofy Guy

My Art on Items For Sale at Cafe Press. 

Modern Micro Car Trailers? They are tiny trailers that are made to look like cars!

I saw someone post a photo of a motorcycle - later a Smart Fortwo - towing a tiny boat on a trailer. It turned out to be a trailer that was shaped like a boat; one can see it would be way too small to actually be used as a boat. It was a small cargo trailer. It looked really neat. The web site was Car Replica Trailers.  It was mostly trailers made to look like muscle cars and trucks. At one time - IIRC - they had one that looked like a boat. It was neat. The car shaped ones were also cool looking.  They have coupe trailers, sedan trailers, sport truck trailers, sedan delivery trailers, sports car trailers, classic car trailers, wagon trailers, NASCAR trailers, and race car trailers. 

I found the site for this boat trailer at one time but I have not found it again since. I think they might have discontinued it. It is smaller than the other ones. Perhaps they could bring it back but make it a little bigger and a little more practical? (just thinking out loud). 

Facebook's Modern Micro Car group is where the above photo was posted. 

I think it was also on the forum at Smart Car Of America. 

Big Goofy Guy

I keep wondering if I should have titled my home web site TomLeeM but the above works too and I really like it. 

My Cafe Press art store

why should art be just stuff that collects dust when it can be on items that can be used or worn.

This is my art items store.

The Eleca? Three Wheel Electric Vehicle? A Modern Micro Car Or Modern Electric Trike?

I came across a three wheel electric vehicle that looks really cool and futuristic. It is called the Eleca. The site is MyEleca. It has some unusual styling. If one wanted a vehicle that won't get noticed, this isn't for you. If you don't mind standing out from the crowd (unless it is a crowd of Eleca's), this is the vehicle for you.

Here is the Eleca. It is very aerodynamic and futuristic looking. It doesn't look it but it seems to be a two seat vehicle; one next to the other. 

They seemed to have reduced the price from $9500 to $8000. Even at the non-discounted price, it seems rather reasonable. It is more so at the lower price. I hope they are able to sell it at a reasonable price. I think it would make it even more appealing. 

It looks great being all black with red trim. The look is very futuristic; which is one of the reason I think it is cool. The other is that it is electric. Electric cars seem to be a future trend; repeating the past where electric vehicles outnumbered gas powered ones (until the electric starter came about). 

I think this is cool. I think it is called a 'clam shell' door. I can see where there might be a problem; where the people would be trapped inside if it ever flipped over. Perhaps with a curved roof, it might just roll back upright; which would allow those inside to get out? It is not easy to tell since - so far - it is just computer images and one - it seems - has not been made (yet?).

It does not seem to be produced or even an actual mock up of it. When it is manufactured (I am saying when and not if since I am hoping it will be), I wonder how different it will be from the concept. It seems concept look really cool but not always practical when being mass produced. I hope the design does not change too much when put into production (hoping it does). 

I think it could be even smaller than a Smart Fortwo. It is difficult to realize size when all one has is models and computer generated images. It would be interesting to see size in relation to those nearby or those who are inside. 

Big Goofy Guy

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