Deora III Goes 'Local'

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Less than 2 months ago I discovered something called Local Motors, a new company that 'crowdsources' vehicles. They've developed an online community to share in the design process... How could I not join?

Struggled briefly with the question of which of my designs to throw into the ring. Figured it should be the one with the least family resemblance to other Tellurian Motors vehicles, so my Deora redux fit the bill. Plus, it's conceptually based on someone else's design, so there ya go. Check my profile page.




These sketches have not yet been uploaded to the Local Motors site, and I'm not sure they will be. The LM community is filled with amateurs (and a few professionals) used to seeing slick presentations and renders done with expensive 3D software -- and I've been pestered by a teenager and a twentysomething, both very vocal and opinionated.

The good news is that my participation on the site got me to become more serious about taking this particular daydream and transferring it to paper, then to the computer. It's all well and good to have something in your head, but the real development begins when you attempt to share your vision with others.




Where the orginal Deora show truck was a barely functional vehicle, lacking side windows and completely unusable as a truck, and the Deora II was a Hot Wheels design that was unbelievably interpreted into a full-sized and driveable
yet still completely useless spectacle, I approached Deora III from the beginning as a functional light truck.

It may not be the most practical truck, but most truck owners never use their vehicles to their full potential anyway.

Since both the Deora and Deora II Hot Wheels models included tiny plastic surfboards, I realized I should not ignore the surf connection -- and since not every surf spot has a nice smooth parking lot, Deora III ought to be able to drive right out onto any beach (and get back from it). Yes, that means it needs 4WD and appreciable ground clearance...

It also just about requires that it has some means of securing at least 2 surfboards -- and for this I've envisioned a twin set of removable, folding racks (that could be mounted in the bed of any pickup that has those square holes in the tops of the bedsides). Each rack would hold 2 boards and 'lock' in both horizontal and vertical positions. Need to carry more than 4? There's room under the racks, and a cargo net to keep them from sliding around too much.

You're absolutely correct if, while looking at my digital images, you think the bed isn't long enough. The sketches were done later, and show a longer wheelbase.




Any questions?



filsmyth
01December2009

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the Tellurian Coupe

Made this sketch yesterday, after thinking about the design for a day or so. The Coupe is a 'Grand Tourer'...

What, you wanted more details? What's to tell?


filsmyth
13September2009


PS Another sketch was done, on video:

sketching with fil

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old news (Salamander)

I rarely bother to put the date on my sketches, but on the other side of the sheet of paper I drew this on there is a strange 'END TEST' printout with a date in the middle of December 1997.

As stated in my last post here, one of the vehicle configurations I used to sketch in the mid-90s was the extreme-cab-forward pickup -- yes, before the Chip Foose-designed Deora II was released as a Hot Wheels model...

The main variation was quite large, and at some point it occurred to me that it was sort of like a boat for the land -- so, no surprise that I developed an amphibious version.


...But you ask, "Does this mean the Deora III is meant to be amphibious?"

In a word, no. However one could be configured in a very boat-like manner for land-based activities similar to what you might do on water...


And, why convert a land vehicle into an amphibious one? Better to design a vehicle from the start as amphibious, yes?

So, I could very well be sketching a new version of the Salamander soon -- larger than Deora III and with round wheel openings (into which the wheels will retract during offshore operation). It will be more of a boat with wheels than an amphibious truck...



filsmyth
01August2009

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Deora III or Salamander?

Check this page: http://onlineredlineguide.com/OtherRedlines_Deora.html

For about a decade beginning in the mid-Sixties, with roots going back to the mid-to-late Fifties, 'forward control' played a significant part in American automotive design. With the advent of the Deora show truck, a few customizers went wild...

Ah, but then the issue of passive safety won over, and American automotive design went to shit in general, and forward-control went by the wayside...

Do I have to repeat myself? If more of us were operating vehicles from ahead of the front axle, it would be more about active safety, as in making damn sure you don't run into anyone or anything else...


Well, brace yourselves. Are you ready for a throwback / flash-forward?

Before sunset I was out on the porch sketching, and captured these images on the hood of my 1981 Cressida (AKA Defiant II, awaiting electric conversion).

Raw? Absolutely.


'Salamander' is a name I came up with in the 1990s for a similar vehicle that happened to be amphibious.

I have no affiliation with the Chrysler Corporation or with Mattel (Hot Wheels), so if my concept is to be called 'Deora III' it will have to remain fictional and/or be endorsed -- or, built after the Transition, none of that will matter.

Right?



filsmyth
17July2009

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this just in -- Deora III

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Both of these sketches were done after midnight, so these are being posted much more quickly than anything seen here before...



Maybe you've heard of the Deora, a show truck based on a Dodge A-100, which made its debut in 1966. Maybe you've also heard of the Deora II, a Hot Wheels model that was later built as a full-sized, semi-functional concept vehicle...

Well, the other morning I was musing about what I eventually realized should be called the Deora III -- and it was only later that day that I remembered, while writing about it in an e-mail to a friend, that one of the vehicle forms I was fond of sketching in the 1990s was the 'extreme forward control pickup'.


Tonight I finally did a couple of rough sketches. My scanner apparently isn't compatible with my current operating system, so I used the same little pink camera that has served me well for stills and video of my carvings.



These images are as raw as you can get [Can you tell they were lit with a 40-watt bulb?]. I almost want to do another sketch right now, but...

Anyway what I have in mind is somewhere in between the two in proportion, and there are many details to be worked out -- and some things I have in my head that just don't show up in these quick sketches.

Powertrain? As with all other Tellurian Motors offerings, the Deora III is a 'free energy' electric. Mechanically and structurally, it's a variation on BRUTRUCK. Please reference earlier posts for details.

In the sketches there is the barest hint of my intention to incorporate sideways-chevron-shaped 'bumperettes' at each corner. You may be able to imagine head- and taillight arrangements very similar to others in the family, but inverted.

Seating in the cab is for two and two only, in bucket seats just far enough apart to squeeze between -- there is a disappearing 'midgate' at the back of the cab for access to the bed, flanked by glass 'flying buttresses'.

Back in the 90s, when I sketched similar (but curvy) trucks, the concept was that they could be used much like small pleasure boats, but on land. The Deora III features hidden benches in the bedsides, that can be folded out flat for sleeping, sunbathing, or...


Could this truck be amphibious? Maybe.


The original Deora was nuts. It wasn't practical, but it was cool. The Deora II wasn't designed to be more than a toy. The Deora III (if I may call it that) at least has side-opening doors...



Stay tuned (and yes, it's going in the novel).




filsmyth
15July2009

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Estate, et cetera

Have I really not posted here since March?






The images above are supposed to have a transparent background, like some others seen on this blog. Maybe the fault is with Blogger, and maybe it's an issue unique to the Linux version of Firefox... It's annoying, but not the end of the world.




If you have been following along you can probably tell that the Estate is simply a wagon version of the Time Further Out sedan. These images were produced in April. I guess I've been busy with other things since then.

The Estate has a slightly higher roof than the TFO, and an elongated rear. It features seating for up to 8...

Each Tellurian Motors vehicle is built to spec, so it's up to the buyer to choose a swing-out or disappearing tailgate for his or her Estate. If you choose to include the rear-facing 'wayback' seats, bear in mind that the disappearing tailgate will seriously encroach on footroom while open, less so when closed.




...And now to the 'et cetera' portion...

Yes each Tellurian Motors vehicle is 'built to spec'. What this means is that beyond the production of prototypes as examples, all we can do is suggest options. Within reason, you can pretty much get what you want.

'Within reason'? There are things that go beyond the pale. It's an issue of taste, so we will gently refuse certain requests. If you want something that compromises the aesthetic value of any given Tellurian Motors design, you will either be talked down or influenced to look elsewhere.


Of course when Tellurian Motors vehicles will be built, it will be the beginning of a time when anyone can have anything, anything at all. Anyone is free to have a vehicle inspired by any one of our offerings built according to his or her own taste -- just please don't try to call it a Tellurian.



At Tellurian Motors we may or may not be using robotics wherever possible.

What?

I look at my designs and am quite certain that all of them can be built without the use of robotics -- and yet I've incorporated Tellurian Motors into the novel Virtual Dreamer, in which the main character has inherited his father's businesses, including 'Parkersburg Robot'.

Previously I've stated that Tellurian Motors will require no 'tooling' beyond frame jigs for each model -- but recently I've realized that a jig can be adaptable, even robotically so. One jig can be reconfigured as needed, and there is no reason the task can't be handled by robots.


Here I have to make the case for anthropomorphic robots, otherwise known as 'androids'. A robot built in the size and shape of a person will theoretically be able to perform the same tasks as an actual person, including the use of tools. Such a robot would be able to perform many more tasks than one built for a specific function. While task-specific robots are useful in mass-production, at Tellurian Motors we build vehicles one at a time, to spec. We may use a robotic welder, for instance, but that's a device that normally calls for human interaction...

It is quite possible that something as complex as a Tellurian Motors vehicle could be built from start to finish with no human involvement save the request and approval, up to and including delivery in the customer's driveway.

This is what we can expect from robotics.



More 'et cetera'? I have a design in my head for a van that will look very much the same from the rear as it does from the front. I have sketches, but no digital images to share at this writing.


Also I've been revisiting 'TMT' in my mind. The sketch posted here previously portrays a vehicle similar to an El Camino, Ranchero, or Australian 'ute'. While I like the simplicity and palandromicy of the designation 'TMT' (Tellurian Motors Truck), I've been considering the name 'Utruck'... Fine, I'll discard that.

My most recent thought about the TMT is that it should feature the option of rear-facing seats in the bed similar to what Subaru once featured in the BRAT...


Remember EXOVAN? I've been rethinking that as well. Expect considerable refinements.


Something else I've done is to rework an image of the BRUTRUCK into a BRUTRUCK Crew Truck, a four-door, shortened bed version. There is crappiness to that image that will have to be resolved before I can share it here.



It will be my extreme pleasure to be able to deliver Tellurian Motors vehicles to all who desire them -- but that's a long way off. Much more soonly will be their inclusion in the novel, Virtual Dreamer.


Stay tuned.






filsmyth
7/7/2009

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vehicles for planet Earth and beyond

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TELLURIAN MOTORS
vehicles for planet Earth and beyond

Queso it doesn't really look like there's an actual banana-yellow Time Further Out parked on the salt flats. The shadow's all wrong, it's probably out of scale, there are no reflections, and there is no salt on the tires. It doesn't look real at all.

That's okay. Part of the reason I continue to pursue this design theme is that I want people who see my vehicles to question whether they're real. Each form is starkly angular, otherworldly. There are no doorhandles, no mirrors. The glass meets up flush with the body panels, even on the doors -- making the viewer think they might not open.

It's a little tricky, but the side windows open a bit like sunroofs and moonroofs do -- and when they're down all the way, they've disappeared without a trace...


Another part of the reason for the flat panels, as mentioned before, is ease of manufacture. All panels can be cut & folded using a press brake -- no need for stamping dies or laborious hand-forming. A frame jig for each model will be necessary for welding up the chassis from square and triangular tubing. Bodies and frames, ideally, will be stainless steel.

Paint is therefore an option. Customers might rather have brushed or polished, even engine-turned or etched, bare stainless.


One more part of the reason for this design theme is its uniqueness, and last but not least there is the challenge of subtly arranging angles and straight lines into pleasing forms.

Of course not everyone will be pleased by them. You want curves, look elsewhere.

You may have noticed there is no badging on my vehicles, not even a dot for one in any of my recent images. This is not an oversight. If there is a need for an emblem somewhere, it will look something like this:

Tellurian Motors vehicles are meant for the future, built to be enjoyed far into it. Each will be powered by a device that takes Aetheric energy and Converts it to Electricity (ACE).

What I call ACE devices should have become available beginning in the 1930s, but the technology has been suppressed -- heavily, and with extreme prejudice. This technology will be the key to the People of Earth gradually switching to a paradigm of abundance (Utopia, Heaven on Earth), and its 'release' is inevitable.

Dreams beyond avarice... I've always wanted to build vehicles of my own design, and it appears that in the future it will be my bliss to do so. I've never cared about money and will be glad to see it become a thing of the past...

Eventually, Tellurian Motors will provide other types of vehicles -- but I'm not ready to start designing flying saucers just yet.



filsmyth
29Mar2009

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BRUTRUCK Returns

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BRUTRUCK (so named because it was the first to follow the Brubeck in this design theme) had its humble beginnings on Boxing Day 2004.

A crude and primitive attempt was made to render it in a 3/4 view, and then it was put on the back burner (to simmer). Much later I sketched the TMT (Tellurian Motors Truck)... Wasn't sure I liked the old name anymore, but mostly I was trying to bring it up-to-date with the more refined style of flat-panel design I had come around to...

That crude 3/4 image did however prove to be a decent basis for reimagining -- and re-imaging, if you want to put it that way.


Early on I decided it would be powered by steam, in part because I wanted to be contrary. Later I figured it could be a series hybrid with electrical storage and the option of removing the generator and leaving it behind (at a jobsite, to be used for powering tools while the driver ran an errand, for example). The gen would be underhood, and could be anything that would provide sufficient power, easily replaced.

Down the line, I thought, a BRUTRUCK's generator (and electrical storage medium) could be replaced with a device that harnessed aetheric energy and converted it to electricity. It's only a matter of time before 'free energy' technology is finally 'allowed'. The thing is, I don't expect to be able to actually build any of my vehicles before that happens, except perhaps a Runabout prototype -- so now, all Tellurian Motors vehicles are conceived to run on aetheric energy.

...and so here it is (again), the Tellurian Motors BRUTRUCK, above in 'Metallic Denim', with no provision for a slide-out generator. Under the hood instead are the...

...now hang on a minute, I've just coined a new name and acronym: ACE, for "Aetheric (energy) Conversion to Electricity". Nice thing to have up your sleeve...

...Under the hood instead are the ACE, HVAC equipment, computer/controller, the front pair of electric motors, electric power steering, and a shallow storage area on top. Other storage is available behind the seat (BRUTRUCK has a bench, like any real truck should), in front of and above the rear wheel wells, and maybe in an in-bed trunk (if the spare tire can fit below the front of the bed, ahead of the rear pair of motors).

Yes, BRUTRUCK has all-wheel drive in the form of an electric motor for each wheel, as a standard feature. Each can be disabled through the computer interface, if there is a problem with one of them -- or if you simply want to do some rear-wheel burnouts, or take your truck drifting.

It's been a long journey, but it is by no means over. As with other Tellurian Motors concepts, BRUTRUCK will continue to evolve.

filsmyth
27Mar2009

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Brick / In Progress / Gecko

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When I wrote "The Big, Fast Limo", I didn't have any images to share -- or so I thought...

These images are from a backup disc I'd forgotten about, from our old computer. "In Progress", above, is from October of 2000, created in MS Paint.

Below is the Gecko, which was unnamed until I recoloured it in 'money green' (probably also using MS Paint). We didn't have a scanner back in December 2002 -- my sketch was scanned by a friend and e-mailed to me.

In January of 2003, once again using Paint, I came up with the Brick:

It was -- trying to remember -- while I was an art major at WVU, in 1986, that I began redefining the limousine. What started out as basically luxurious vans with a stagecoach layout evolved into truly monstrous concepts by sometime in 1988, after I'd finished my Army training and was settled down in my barracks at Fort Monmouth.

Soon I'll have to dig out and wade through all those sketches running through the '90s. The 'express limousine' sprang onto the page in countless iterations -- along with many other vehicle forms...


The excess of that era likely played a part in my conception of such vehicles. In recent years I've left the express limousine on a shelf in my mind -- but now I'm looking to a future of abundance, and it can find a new life.

Of course any new 'EL', if it's a Tellurian Motors product, will have to sport flat-panel design. Rest assured, it's already forming...




filsmyth
22Mar2009

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The Brubeck 2

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The original Tellurian Motors Brubeck, the very concept that spurred my signature design theme, was dated. Its lines were too crude, and it was to be powered by a pair of motorcycle engines running on propane -- one last salute to internal combustion. It lost something in being converted to electric...


As you may have read in a previous post, I've not only left internal combustion behind, but batteries (and even ultracapacitors) as well -- at least, as far as Tellurian Motors is concerned. Vehicles can now be designed without the concern of making room for a conventional drivetrain. Beyond that, we don't have to worry about the placement of a large and heavy battery pack, and there is no longer a need to make vehicles efficient, except for the sake of performance.

The full Tellurian Motors line is powered by aetheric energy, harnessed by devices no larger than the electric drive motors. Go ahead and call it science fiction if you like (for now)...

My sketches really don't do justice to the concepts in my head -- until I scan them and use them as the basis for digital imagery. It's a bit like using a ruler on a piece of tracing paper, and the result can appear radically different from the sketch.

...and then comes the opportunity to play around with colour.

[Click on these images to view the original sizes.]

When you look at the Brubeck 2, you don't have to wonder where the engine is: There isn't one. Instead it has a pair of electric motors, one for each rear wheel, between them. This is the simplest solution for good traction, especially when we have the luxury of using direct-drive. Two more motors could theoretically be added to the front, but this is a sports car.



Many Tellurian Motors vehicles will share a family resemblance, and this is certainly the case with the Brubeck 2 and Time Further Out. The front and rear treatments are quite similar -- in my head. You may be able to imagine the front of the TFO after looking at the Brubeck 2, and the rear of the Brubeck 2 after looking at the TFO. As much as I enjoy doing these renderings, you may not have to merely imagine for long...






filsmyth
vernal equinox, 2009

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further and further out

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Sketches are rough, by definition -- but I can look at mine and be reminded of what was in my head when I put pencil to paper. Most everyone else just sees a rough sketch...

The curvy shapes I used to come up with were much easier to draw, so I would go beyond mere sketches. My flat-panel designs? Not so much.

This whole theme of mine began with an image manipulation program, so it makes sense to revive it using one...

First the sketch had to be rotated so that the beltline would be on the horizontal, just to make it easier for me to work with. I then started selecting polygonal areas in new layers and bucket-filling them with colour. Copied the wheels from another image of mine, pasted them as layers which were then skewed for perspective and size. The rest involved manipulation of mostly polygonal selections, a little airbrushing...

...and for the presentation, some text and a background gradient. In the end I've completely covered over and obliterated the original sketch -- but its essence remains, and some elements needed to be revised.

Now of course the Time Further Out looks even more like the Aston Martin Lagonda by Sir William Towns, but as much as that car influenced this design, there are many differences to be found -- which will be obvious when they are parked side-by-side.



I've gained a lot of experience recently with the Gnu Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), and enjoy using it. Finally, I can begin to share images of my designs that more closely resemble what's in my head...





filsmyth
19Mar2009

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Time Further Out

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Nearly a year ago I posted about the Time Further Out...




This week it's been on my mind again. The sketch above is still fairly representative of the design, but there are refinements -- which I may post soon, along with a new sketch or two...



filsmyth
06Mar09

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Quartet

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In the previous entry here I talked about the idea of using disappearing doors on an upcoming design. Well, I've had a few days to think about it, and sort of know what it will look like...

As my first flat-panel design was named after Dave Brubeck (since I was listening to his music at the time), and the Time Further Out is named after one of his albums, I looked to him again for inspiration in naming this latest design. The title of this post began as "the car with no name", and I thought it might stay like that as I reviewed the titles of his songs and albums...

...but I kept seeing the word 'quartet' -- and this car seats four, so there you go.

The Tellurian Quartet

Unlike most grand tourers (GTs), the Quartet is a true four-seater, not a 2+2. It has all-wheel-drive, thanks to electric motors front and rear. Click here and scroll down for an idea of where the power will come from -- on all Tellurian Motors vehicles.

I'm still not sold on designing it as a convertible, but we'll see. There could be a 2-seat roadster version (with flip-down hardtop), possibly called the Duo, but that almost cuts into the territory already occupied by the Brubeck...

Almost. Okay, I guess I can see the Brubeck remaining rear-drive only, and hardtop only, while the 'Duo' (for lack of a better name) will be larger and more luxurious...

The 'Duo' and Quartet will appear as fraternal twins, looking more like one another than anything else in the Tellurian Motors family and sharing more than a few components.

No, once again, I don't have any images to share (yet). However...



However I do plan to develop the Tellurian Motors website (yes it exists), the URL of which I won't bother to list for now, since there is next to no content at the moment. For one, developing the site will help make Tellurian Motors more real, assisting me with immersion into the fictional world of my novel, Virtual Dreamer. For another? I need to develop at least one website as an example of my ability to do so, for a chance to become a professional webmaster.

This needs to happen by the end of the quarter, so it shouldn't be long before you see a post here announcing the official launch of the site -- and, images of vehicle concepts will be important for that, so I'll be putting pencil to paper and paper to scanner more often.


Once again you may be asking if Tellurian Motors is purely fictional, or merely a fantasy. So far, yes, it's little more than a dream. Yes it will be included in the novel, along with Harmonic Conversions and Parkersburg Robot, which are other ventures I'd like to pursue in reality. I'm including my daydreams in the novel, and I must say they fell into it so easily, fit so perfectly, that it seems everything I've been imagining has led up to the writing of Virtual Dreamer. Perhaps sales will enable me to actually begin to build vehicles of my own design...

TELLURIAN MOTORS
vehicles for Planet Earth and beyond

Phil Smith
January 24, 2009

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Disappearing Doors?

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Maybe.

Now listen: I said maybe.


Some of you will remember station wagons from the late Sixties and early-to-mid- Seventies with tailgates that disappeared behind the bumper, under the back of the car. Don't ask me why no one thought to do the same with passenger doors at the time... Maybe they did, but were shot down for various reasons, I don't know...

One consideration is the safety issue. If the electrical system fails, how will you get out? Okay, well, Tellurian Motors does NOT want to be responsible for anyone getting trapped in one of our vehicles, so I have (just now) thought of a solution: Forward of each door will be a crank, mounted flush to the outer wall of the footwell, with a fold-out handle. If you have your foot over that far, there'll be something spinning against it when your door is going up or down (so watch that it doesn't scuff your shoe). The mechanism will only work on the door itself, though, as the window is operated separately (but in concert with the door in normal operation). In such an emergency you will have to clamber out over the window, trying not to break it, but at least you will be able to exit.


Now you're asking which Tellurian Motors vehicle(s) might get these doors -- and that's a good question.

It becomes a packaging issue, since there has to be a cavity between the floor and bellypan large enough to accept the doors. This results in less headroom, so it's a tradeoff...

Had thought of redesigning the Time Further Out, but that's out.

No, but I'm leaving a slot open for a luxury coupe, a 'grand touring' (GT), yet to be designed. It may well resemble the TFO, and some customers may want to have one of each.

Added stiffness in the chassis (due to the double floor) is the element that convinces me this model should have a convertible variant -- or, maybe that this new model should be offered only as a (hardtop) convertible. Hmmm...


Stay tuned while I mull over the design, of a convertible GT with extra-long doors. Should it have a Targa top or be a true convertible? I'm thinking, full drop-top. I'm also thinking it will be more expensive than a TFO, and only the Electrum and EXOVAN (and built-to-spec limos) will cost more.

Actually each vehicle will be built to spec...

Okay, enough about this.



Phil Smith
My 42nd birthday, 2009

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