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Proposed Model 3 concept 'clay' model (unofficial)

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I have been trying to post some photos of a proposed design model but it appears on the preview to be 'over-sized' so this is a test! If it is over-sized any advice? If it is OK I will send the whole portfolio.
Picasa.jpg


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Oh good that looks OK so I will do the full thing now. Interested in members views!
 
OK let's go into the bear lair...............! I am planning to
get a Model III so follow most of the threads to see what people
would like to see in the new design. It is mainly performance data;
interior comments; features; ACC; blind spot warning etc etc.

But very little about what people would like it to look like –
bar a few classy images. Many of these options are not viable as they
are 2-door designs or too wide/low/long to be practical – too
'concept'! Obviously the MS has set the bar high so many want a
mini-MS but I think this is a bit of a cop-out. But clearly people
want the M3 to look good.

So I began to think what I'd like 'my' M3 to look like. It needs
to have Tesla MS DNA as well as, and I think this is important, play
to EV advantages/strengths. I cannot paint/draw well enough nor
photoshop or similar so after messing around with some sketches, I
decided to make a 1:5 scale model. I am only a hobby model-maker so
excuse the basic nature of the beast. It lacks detailing; swage
lines; creases; and final scalloping shapes to make it all hang
together and have the wow-factor. In essence, this model is a
conceptual design showing the architecture and the general basic
shape. But it is an accurate and realisitic design - dimension-wise
it is workable so not a big compromise.
Side profile -Picasa.jpg


General comments. The overall length is appreciably less than the
MS as is the width – these are closer to a BMW 3-series/Merc
C-class. However the wheelbase is longer than those cars although
shorter than the MS. This will give space for the batteries between the
wheels; improved ride and directional stability; better internal
space useage at a small cost of agility. The resulting short
overhangs front and rear will make maneouvering in urban environments
easier but do pose some design issues.

To give the design Tesla-DNA, I have used the side window/roof
profile from the MS; similar scalloping on the side panels and a
rounded tear-drop nose not unlike the MS. Personally I prefer the
prototype MS nose so the MIII has echoes of this. The front and rear
seat headroom has been increased (more so at he back) to address
concerns about interior headroom with the MS. To give the increased
rear headroom has resulted in a higher rear deck (and a Kamm chopped
tail) which will improve rear luggage space. This car will, after
all, be targetted as a 'family car'.
Three-quarter front 2-picasa.jpg


Importantly the windscreen has been moved forward significantly
resulting in a cab-forward/mid-engined design look. With no need for
a big hood other than access to the frunk this feature greatly
enhances a number of aspects. Firstly safety as the windscreen head
is further away in an accident and the A-pillar can be strengthened
with a vertical support/frame towards its head. This is also a more
aerodynamic shape – closer to a 'teardrop' – as well. Also it
reduces the impact of the sun streaming in the windscreen and allows
the (larger) pano roof to open far further forward giving a feeling
closer to a cabriolet. When TV wide-angle rear-view screens arrive
the forward windscreen will also allow better positioning of the
screen at the head of the windscreen. The A-pillars are also less
visually intrusive when they are further forward giving reduced blind
spots.
Side view - high-Picasa.jpg


The interior space with the windscreen position; roof profile and
rear deck height will feel substantially larger than comparable cars
– especially with the uncluttered Tesla internal space (flat floor
and no tunnel/gearbox housing nor central console (!)).

Overall I would like to see a “from follows function” design,
simple and classic and departing from the 'trendy' slashes; huge
scoops; exaggerated swage lines; over-large wheels arches/flares and
scalloping and so on.

I gave also grown to dislike the huge, over-sized, bulbous and
unnecessary headlights (and tail-lights) that have become the current
trend and already look passe. With LED/Laser the lights can be sleek
and simple so I have minimised the lights into thin strips and
included a Tesla logo and chrome strips at the front (reminiscent of
the VW xl-1) – no faux grille which is the weakest design part of
the MS. See the Peugeot HX-1 concept car for the general light design
and front detailing. Optionally the lights could sweep into the front
wings in a Ferrari-esque way and giving the M3 a very distinctive
look (too radical for Joe-Public?)

The front valance can include any grilles necessary for cooling
various things (by looking at the MS this is more than one would
expect) and any required high-beam/spot lights.

At the rear the look is definitely 'way out'/radical and different
but, hopefully, not too intimidating. Using the EV advantages of no
exhaust boxes, outlet pipes or a huge gas tank, the rear undertray
can be swept up to give downforce ground effect. This low-drag
downforce will result in better cornering at high speed and improved
stability. Furthermore I think it looks really badass.......... (To
see this design feature done in detail, look at the rear of the EV
Exagon Furtive e-GT – beautiful!)
Picasa 2.jpg

Picasa.jpg


The rear has been given haunches like the MS to keep the Tesla
DNA. As the rear deck is much higher and I wanted to keep the rear
overhang short, there is a 'chopped' tail with a small vertical rear
window similar to the Honda Insight-CRX/Z and the Volt etc. But I
have gone for a look that pays homage to the Lamborghini Espada! Not
bad influences.... The rear lights are mainly included in the rear
window so avoiding the bug-eyed look.

Finally there is the option of disc/aero wheels with pepper pot
holes for brake cooling – and as a nod to the old XJ-12 and
enclosed rear wheels – as a tribute to the Citroen DS and because
drag is so important with an EV. As the design has such a short rear
overhang and long wheelbase, this shape lends itself to enclosed rear
wheels – personally I think it looks great!
Three-quarter front-aero pack-picasa.jpg

So clearly a Tesla; certainly an EV - unusual/radical and yet
familiar and unintimidating.

Frustratingly the photos do not do the model justice so treat with
a positive disposition!
Front detail-picasa.jpg

I would be really interested in (constructive!) observations from members!
Three-quarters rear low 2-picasa.jpg
 
Well done Sunlight...nice effort and a very plausible one.

I would definitely not want the aero rear covers, I think they bring the car right downmarket.

I didn't like the rear diffuser, I thought it was OTT and needs toning down. The rear reminded me too much of an 80's Honda CRX; an undoubtedly elegant car ahead of its time, but not a good fit for the M3.

For the front grill, I agree with you that it's a bit of an eyesore on the MS, but you have to consider that people are used to it now and associate it with Tesla. I think you need to somehow work it in while keeping it the same, but making it less gaudy (ahh the impossible things designers have to do). Finally I feel that the nose drops too suddenly.

In general I liked your design except for the front and rear. Excellent work!
 
1:5 wow, pretty big clay model!
And your very brave to put your hard work up on here.

I really like the side on view of the sweeping line of the windshield all the way to how the tail has a slight flick and then it drops. Always liked a tall arse on a car, used to give bad visibility, but we have cameras now :)

Your thin lights that sweep around the corners of the car are nice too, something about the lights being straight and not curved looks "futuristic"

The nose drops too quick for my liking, I know your trying to stick to 3 series dimensions, but everyone loves a big frunk :)

What other cars have you made?
 
Nice work.

My favourite part is the view from the rear. Love that rear diffuser! Tail lights are good too.

I dislike the short hood/cab forwardness. Combined with the lack of a traditonal grille and tiny headlights it's rather ugly to me overall front the front.
 
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That's a lot of work!
Two first impressions: that rear underside (is this what responders have been calling the diffuser?) is the most radical-looking element I've ever seen in a non-super-performance car. To me it's very catchy, in an appealing way.

That segues into point No. 2, however. You wrote you tried to have form follow function, so......how have you any knowledge that that set and kind of shapes would provide the ground-hugging performance you claim? I'm not challenging you - perhaps there are <200mph cars out there for which that work - I'd certainly like to know, however.

And for the rest of function----->form. What matters to me truly is what's on the inside: comfort, usable space both for items as well as people (okay, and large dogs, too.......;)), and room for engine...err, motor + batteries. If I were brave and foolhardy enough to tackle what you've done, I would create that space first, and then design a shell around that.

Now, perhaps that's what you've done, if only in your mind's eye. Did you? At least somewhat?
 
I think you did amazing work and I agree with jerkozwik's comments, very brave.

I think it is an interesting mix between the prius and the Tesla styling (and I don't mean this in a bad way). I also recognize a bit of Citroen in it (also good). I actually like the closed rear wheels in this design. The rear air diffusers might be a bit out of scale for the design. I don't mind them being there but I think they could be a bit smaller. I like the lack of nose cone in your design (I don't dare to call it a grill on this forum...).

I really like the tail lights of the Model S and the ones in your design remind me of a civic which seems out of place here.

My biggest concern with the model 3 is that is will have an at least somewhat useable rear seat and with a sloping design like this I am worried that there will not be enough room. I like the fact that your are trying to solve this by moving the wheels to the far corners. Good for battery placement and additional interior room as you mentioned. This is almost a little more X than S.

A fantastic job I think. Still amazed you did this in clay!
 
Sunlight,
Tremendous effort, I almost love it! Several posters have compared it to the original Honda Insight (2000) and a Prius, both of which I own. I was looking at the pictures, and every one I looked at I was thinking "I could really get into this being the actual design"...

But then I came across the rear view, which I really didn't care for. You can chalk me up as seeing things differently than most others here, since I like the front much better than the rear. Love the side view too.

My favorite shot of all is this one:

Three-quarter front 2-picasa.jpg


To me this has a wonderful combination of both retro styling and a very futuristic look. All in all a very nice effort, and I would say without hesitation that I prefer this to any other version of the Model 3 that has been posted.

RT
 
That is a lot of hard work, well done! Love the amount of thought that went into the design and great to have a discussion on perspective styling.

the wheelbase is longer than those cars although
shorter than the MS. This will give space for the batteries between the
wheels; improved ride and directional stability; better internal
space useage at a small cost of agility. The resulting short
overhangs front and rear

I agree that we'll be seeing this.

The front and rear
seat headroom has been increased (more so at he back) to address
concerns about interior headroom with the MS. To give the increased
rear headroom has resulted in a higher rear deck (and a Kamm chopped
tail) which will improve rear luggage space. This car will, after
all, be targetted as a 'family car'.

Agree!

Importantly the windscreen has been moved forward significantly
resulting in a cab-forward/mid-engined design look. With no need for
a big hood other than access to the frunk this feature greatly
enhances a number of aspects. Firstly safety as the windscreen head
is further away in an accident and the A-pillar can be strengthened
with a vertical support/frame towards its head. This is also a more
aerodynamic shape – closer to a 'teardrop' – as well. Also it
reduces the impact of the sun streaming in the windscreen and allows
the (larger) pano roof to open far further forward giving a feeling
closer to a cabriolet. When TV wide-angle rear-view screens arrive
the forward windscreen will also allow better positioning of the
screen at the head of the windscreen. The A-pillars are also less
visually intrusive when they are further forward giving reduced blind
spots.

The interior space with the windscreen position; roof profile and
rear deck height will feel substantially larger than comparable cars
– especially with the uncluttered Tesla internal space (flat floor
and no tunnel/gearbox housing nor central console (!)).

Love all the thought that went into this. I totally agree that we'll see the short frunk with a forward cab (enabled by the short front overhang).


Optionally the lights could sweep into the front
wings in a Ferrari-esque way and giving the M3 a very distinctive
look (too radical for Joe-Public?)

The front end is going to be the most important style-wise and I can't wait to see how Franz can stylize this area. With a short frunk and necessary aero front slope it will be tough to get a design that doesn't look too much like a prius/insight. I'm hoping for a bit more flare over the fenders with stylish headlights incorporated in a more vertical LED strip like the Ferrari 458.

At the rear the look is definitely 'way out'/radical and different
but, hopefully, not too intimidating. Using the EV advantages of no
exhaust boxes, outlet pipes or a huge gas tank, the rear undertray
can be swept up to give downforce ground effect. This low-drag
downforce will result in better cornering at high speed and improved
stability. Furthermore I think it looks really badass.......... (To
see this design feature done in detail, look at the rear of the EV
Exagon Furtive e-GT – beautiful!)

I like the ideas on the rear end. The chopped kamm tail can look really good and the diffuser could aid in the style. Your diffuser looks like it might be a bit too aggressive on the upslope to keep the air stream attached. For some reason I've been really liking the look of the jaguar f-type taillights, stylish yet simplistic.

Thanks for sharing,
~Greg
 
Good try. But it looks too much like a Prius or Volt. And the rear lower valence looks like my hair clippers. Sorry :/. I think it needs to look more unique and no so much like a Prius or Volt.

I think we may all be surprised at just how much the silhouette of the Model 3 ends up resembling the Volt, Insight, and Prius. There's a reason that those cars all vaguely resemble one another, at least in profile. That shape--Kamm back, tallish roof, sloping rear hatch--is a pretty good solution to the aero and packaging constraints a car like this faces.

I suspect we will see a variation on this theme, and if you are throwing darts at a wall I think it's better to start with this target than something like a shrunken Model S.

Well done speculative model. I'm not sold on some of the detail, but I agree that the front 3/4 view looks great and I like the integration of the Tesla window line, which I can see becoming something of a signature. It's not as iconic as the Hofmeister kink, but it could grow to be close.
 
Great effort, Sunlight! Don't be shy about your performance, I am sure TM is watching here and having a good look to compare their own plans to your guess. Realistically, more as a curiosity, with all due respect, they have a lot more means available in terms of computer power and designer skills.

...

I didn't like the rear diffuser, I thought it was OTT and needs toning down. The rear reminded me too much of an 80's Honda CRX; an undoubtedly elegant car ahead of its time, but not a good fit for the M3.

...

Rear diffuser OTT? I thought it was more like ... under the bottom :tongue:
 
I applaud your effort, so I don't want to come across as too disparaging, as I'm sure it took plenty of effort to do this. I'll keep my comments brief.

Likes:
Prominent "T" logo in front
Overall shape of the greenhouse
One-piece "seamless" appearance of front glass and roof (although I'd shudder to think what the replacement cost would be in the real world!)
Rear diffuser (perhaps a bit more toned-down on the production model)
"Cropped" rear tail

Dislikes:
Nose too short, doesn't "flow" with the beltline, overall proportions
Axle-to-dash proportions. Front axle should be further forward
Headlight design
Taillight design