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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