Styling & balance philosophy

In a few other threads, we've talked about how today's professional car designers and stylists are approaching coachbuilding. I posted a response in one of them a technical sketch Tom McPherson drew up one night while we chatted pro cars. Not so much to talk about what others are doing, but rather what they should be doing, I wanted to start this post separately.

I remembered one point he explained, and as we touched on elsewhere, that the landau bar should not come above the side windows. I didn't however remember the second very important point, which as he explains, is the area at and below the landau shield.

............”In order to better illustrate my point regarding styling balance, I have attached several original Superior and S&S drawings appropriately marked to show what I mean. On professionally designed vehicles, the landau bow should never exceed the height of the side windows (marked in red as section B) while the distance between the back door and the rear wheel opening should always be the same as that occupied by the landau shield area ( marked in red as section A). These basic styling tenets are either unknown to or have been forgotten completely by those who are responsible for the styling of some of the latest creations - most of which are monstrously ugly and completely without balance or proportion. Look at any "professionally" designed funeral car from the past, and you will see that by-and-large these basic styling rules are in evidence."
 

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He would agree completely, further adding that a truly remarkable hearse: (a) has commercial glass (sharp corners), (b) some creativity shown in the "C" pillar treatment, as most coachbuilders, over time, have simply made that an "alcove" with a coach lamp, (c) limousine-styling, and (d) a reasonable "top-hat." Too many hearses fall victim to large top-hats to compensate for the absence of commercial glass and that further throws off the balance. This is one of the reasons why the S&S Victoria commercial glass car is so unique; it is the only hearse on the market that still retains a traditional roofline, coupled with commercial glass.

A basic landau hearse (especially post 1984) with nothing in the way of notable features is a car Bernie referred to as a "cookie cutter hearse." He had no time for them and that is why he was not taken to his final place of rest in one.
 
As McPherson has said numerous times to enthusiasts such as we have here, careful study of many of the funeral cars introduced over the past twenty or more years will reveal that most have been pale imitations of a design theme originated and introduced in 1977 by Hess & Eisenhardt - the landau shield area comprised of a large cove behind the rear side door windows adorned with a coachlamp of some type. No orginality, no imagination - just the parroting of a design that is now 34-years old. You can see yet another version of this much-copied and now antiquated design theme in the 2012 Federal-Lincoln monstrosity previewed within this forum. It is an original S&S design characteristic that has been copied ad-nausium by, it seems, every amateur professional car "stylist" in the industry.
 
I have to agree with most of the above, especially the part about the front point of the landau bar being above the top line of the side windows. I HATE the way that looks. I do think that some of the pre-1977 S&S and Superior Cadillacs look nice, especially black ones, but I really first started noticing hearses of the 93-96 body style Cadillacs so they remain my favorites(I was real young). Also I don't like how the early '70s hearses all seemed to have bench seats. I LOVE an armrest. Leather 60/40 split FTW! lol
 
a man to young to appreciate the use of a full bench seat. but to me the car has to flow together. none of the new stuff has any flow everything looks like a after thought . the glass back side looks like a camper mounted on a pickup. the doors tip in on the top and the top is wider then them. they did the car on the cheap so not to change the top of the doors or the glass. rather then stay with the dinky cars they need to get into the truck line and go back to building the 8 column carved side box on it. with today's casting it could be quite stunning. cadillac makes a big truck so does lincoln. it can't cost any more to get one of them striped down cab forward compleat then a car. I know they are saying not a van body but it would not be a van. it could be married up the same way any of the older cars were with a pass thew or not. you would have a rig that could handle the waight look dignified and bring back some class to the last ride.
 
Leave it to Tom to make something complicated like design features into something very simply explained. That's it, it makes perfect sense.

I'm no hearse expert, but that is exactly what bothered me about some of the upcoming hearse designs - the laudau bar extending above the windows. And the one that I "drew" changes onto, that is exactly the change that made it more appealing to me - moving the landau bar down even with the top of the window line. I was using Tom's principle and didn't even know it. :lightbulb:

Maybe I could get a job designing hearses? (Couldn't do much worse than the current guys, could I? ;))
 
Speaking of styling, balance, and flow...

I don't want to sway this thread from hearse designs, but wanted to interject a quick point about ambulances, which seems appropriate on the heels of an "ambulanceman's" post.

In my opinion, one of the best looking ambulances ever built was the Miller-Meteor Classic 48 / Volunteer. Like all of Miller-Meteor's models, it was designed to look like it was moving even while standing still. The lines are clean and the roofline flows so smoothly. The designers took the "big picture" into account when creating this ambulance; they didn't merely place what resembled a "box" on the roof to increase headroom.

And along came the modulars! I realize there were many factors that led to the replacement of Volunteers with Type IIIs...not simply a change in Cadillac chassis design...but the change in chassis WAS still part of the equation. Gone was the style, balance, and flow of a beautiful emergency vehicle.

The traditional funeral coach, as we've known it, is going down a similar, unpleasant path. First the demise of the Cadillac commercial chassis, then the big rear-wheel-drive chassis, and now the demise of large front-drive sedans, leaving crossovers, SUV's, and small RWD or AWD sedans to pick up the slack. Sure, vehicles like the Lincoln MKT coach could be made to look better with the use of commercial glass, but I'm afraid good 'ol economics will curb that in a hurry. Too low demand when facing too high prices. I am certain 3-ways would still be selling well had they not priced themselves right out of the market.

From what I am seeing in the way of style, balance, and flow - or serious lack thereof - I'm glad we do not need to update our 2007 Eagle Lincoln oval window coach anytime soon!
 

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In a few other threads, we've talked about how today's professional car designers and stylists are approaching coachbuilding. I posted a response in one of them a technical sketch Tom McPherson drew up one night while we chatted pro cars......QUOTE]

Can someone explain the differences between the mid 90's Statesman and Sovereign and which one was the higher model?
 
seeing the two ambulance pictures side by side says it all which would you rather be hauled in the car or the refrigerator truck. for ambulance now I still like the vans best. as for new Hearses we are going to have to do a radical change. the sleek style of the 70-80 90s is gone unless some one will build a complete body out there for just that purpose we no longer have a car capable of making a "car" out of. a move to the truck chassis using the same parables in construction with them as they have on the car chassis is the next best step. not just a superficial add on change of window plugs and bars, but a whole new body from the front doors back will get back to a hearse one can be proud of. I'm sure they have desines on the drawing board right now on them but they can cobble a car up just a shade cheaper. most of your cross overs from the front, look like a hearse comming down the road. making it look from the side and back can't be that much of a challange.
 
Can someone explain the differences between the mid 90's Statesman and Sovereign and which one was the higher model?[/QUOTE]

The Superior Sovereign is fitted with the higher, wider commercial windshield and side glass while the Superior Statesman uses the standard Cadillac passenger car windshield and front door glass.
 
Can someone explain the differences between the mid 90's Statesman and Sovereign and which one was the higher model?

The Superior Sovereign is fitted with the higher, wider commercial windshield and side glass while the Superior Statesman uses the standard Cadillac passenger car windshield and front door glass.[/QUOTE]

Cool. Which one has the roof that has more slope to the front?
 
The Superior Sovereign is fitted with the higher, wider commercial windshield and side glass while the Superior Statesman uses the standard Cadillac passenger car windshield and front door glass.

Cool. Which one has the roof that has more slope to the front?[/QUOTE]

If I understand the question correctly, I'd have to say the windshield with the most slope would be that of the standard glass cars. A commercial windshield us both higher and wider than that of a standard passenger car screen and is usually mounted at a more up-right angle - which changes the angle of the "A-pillars" which in turn affects the angle of the "B" and "C" pillars while allowing a higher roofline with a better balance and profile - especially when viewed from the front. When viewed from the front, a commercial glass professional car does not have that "squeezed-top" look so familiar with most modern funeral cars without commercial glass.
 
Let me start by saying, I DO NOT like the looks of any of the new hearses I have seen. However, I didn't like the hearses that were built in 1977 after the downsized GM chassis. I didn't like the bubble-boat style hearses of the early 90s. The hearses built on the flashy new cadillac chassis in 2000 looked to much like street rods with their bright chrome wheels........I grew to admire and appreciate each style. The simple lines of the 77-90 cads were nice, the bubbly hearse of the early 90's were nice to work with and drove and rode better than any other hearse. The 2000 and newer is a nice looking car today. I am hoping that the new look will grow on me too...and that it will be seen as a professional car by the public:myopinion:.
 
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