aluminum skin

 

It doesn't get much better than this. What is it about aluminum "skins" that I'm attracted to? The metal needs to feel as though it's shrink-wrapped over a structure/skeleton beneath. Paint ruins it by adding an extra thickness. Polished surface is not nearly as good as satin finish because a polished surface is too reflective. The aluminum actually needs to feel like stretched skin. I'm not certain that you could achieve this any other way than thin aluminum sheet that is formed over a understructure. The cars from this era are what they are (designed objects) because of the curvilinear forms, thin aluminum, and the method in which they were constructed. I need to remember this in future work.

gt40

I went and saw the Ford vs. Ferrari movie with my Dad and brother when I was visiting family in Illinois last week. I know Hollywood messed with the story and added their usual drama, but it was a good movie nonetheless. I've had an interest in the Shelby stories since my cousin loaned me some of his Cobra and Shelby American books that covered some of the history. The interesting part to me has always been Shelby's assembly of a group of individuals with motivation and know-how to try and achieve some lofty goals. The development of the Cobra, GT40, and the Daytona coupe are some of my favorite stories about building cars: engineering, design, and craft being pushed to the extremes of power and speed. I've been digging through old photos and thought some of these were particularly good.