After many long nights in a dark, smoky dust-filled back room here at Autopian Towers, we’ve come to a decision. Torchinsky shone a bright light into my eyes, grabbed another neon-colored soda from the Aztek cooler, pounded it on the table like a man possessed and started hissing something incoherent about taillights—what I think he meant was our car should have some, preferably a pair. I agreed with him while backing away slowly. It seemed safer that way.
Of all the brilliant suggestions we plucked from the comments of our introductory “Ask A Designer” story using a spectacularly non-scientific decision-making process that sadly didn’t involve bribery or blackmail, the one that we chose was a modern EV version of the traditional All-American Station Wagon. Yes, we decided that I’d try my hand at designing an actual EV wagon— not an SUV or ‘soft roader’ pretensions.
Will we ever see the market return to this type of car? Their size makes them ideal for swallowing batteries, and being lower to the ground helps with handling and aero efficiency. If we can capture a little of the look of those old aircraft carrier wagons of yore and update it sympathetically without ruining its soul, we might tap into some that sweet heritage appeal that helps sell Broncos, Wranglers and Challengers.
One of legendary GM designer Harley Earl’s edicts was always “longer, lower, wider,” and boy does this ever apply to wagons. The fundamental shape simply screams great proportions before the pen even touches the paper.
Here I’ve sketched out two front three-quarter views. Along with the rear three quarter view, these are the most common for a designer to use to show their ideas. This is because they show you two sides at the same time– important because a car’s design should work as you look around it and take in the whole thing.
Since we’re going for a slightly more traditional look, we don’t have the headlights wrapping around into the fender, or corners that are pulled in tight (this is more important for FWD vehicles, as it allows the designer to hide the front overhang).
On the second sketch I’ve added some wood paneling, but rather than slapping it down the side of the wagon I’ve used it as C pillar trim that wraps up into the roof. Why? If you were going to add wood to a new vehicle, you couldn’t just screw onto the bodyside like they used to. You would need it to be flush fitting – which would necessitate two different bodyside stampings–one for paneling, one without (so customers have the option).
This would be economically unfeasible, so one way around this would be to have a trim piece in a place that could either be wood or something else. Here, it could be wood, it could be body colored, or it could be black to blend in with the glazing.
For the ones above I’ve done a slightly more dramatic front-on view. The lack of detail on the side of the car is deliberate– sketch three is all about the front graphic. I quite like this but it feels a bit Cadillac which may not be entirely appropriate.
The second sketch (number four) shows another front three-quarter with a more conservative front graphic and a different approach to the wood paneling. The beauty of sketching digitally is that once you’ve got your eye in and nailed the volumes, you can reuse and alter the same sketch over and over.
Chief designers love saying “I like that, give me ten more versions of it”–and you have to quickly churn out a load of variants. I don’t feel sketch four is as successful as the previous two; something about it doesn’t quite flow the way I would like, and I don’t think the front is modern enough.
See what I mean? Sketch five is a redo of sketch three. I like this front graphic but it feels a bit like something you would see on a muscle car – not necessarily a bad thing, as muscle cars were often based on the two door version of a family of cars that included a wagon. But it might be a little aggressive for our wagon.
Sketch 6 shows another potential C pillar/wood paneling treatment, this time wrapping around the tailgate. I like the step up in the window line and the way it’s mirrored in the roof–it’s clean and modern. This is a higher rear three quarter view — these sorts of views are not used often as they are tricky to get right. They might be used if you have a particular roof or hood detail you want to show. In this case the designer may quickly knock up a digital 3D ‘scratch model’ or use an underlay to sketch over (as I did in this case).
So there you have it. Discuss and dissect in the comments below, feel free to sketch over the images, let me know what you like and don’t like, and I’ll take all your suggestions onboard and come up with the final wagon design next week.
[Ed Note: We decided not to use a poll here to decide because Adrian really likes seeing the thought processes and discussion in the comments! So, please, argue and talk and have fun!–JT]
I love #1. Give me that with some wood paneling and I am all over it.
I don’t love the raised rear roof, if I need a 3rd row of seats I’ll buy a minivan. Just don’t make the back of the roof rake down so far the hatch is compromised.
Also: how many options of brown does it come in?
#2, for sure. All are pretty cool though. Nice work
I think I like the front from #2, and the back from #6 the most. A mashup of those, with a tailgate and rear-facing trunk seats, would be perfection. One potential issue is that I would prefer something that is rear-wheel drive or at least rear biased AWD, so I worry that packaging would become too complicated (expensive) with a seat in the back. Since this has a huge hood, I imagine that front-engine, fwd would make the most sense and still leave plenty of space for a frunk.
Agree 2 front end with 6 rear. I like where the wood trim is there. I know Mercedes does it, but I would think it would be difficult to get a rear-facing 3rd row through now adays. How do you make that safe enough?
The rear cargo interior is constructed entirely from marshmallows. Soft and allows the kids to maintain their sugar high.
A rear facing third row is arguably safer than forward facing (it’s why child seats should be mounted backwards up to a certain age), the problem is kids and small adults would rather face forwards.
An EV station wagon? Yes please!
I really like these articles. As someone who is creative by nature nut not by profession, it’s interesting to hear the thought and rationale that goes into the design process.
I’m liking #4 – the “woody” stripe around the back is a really neat touch.
I really like this idea but it may be futile. I am not sure wagons will ever be a thing again and that really saddens me.
There is always a portion of the market that wants something different. A well executed, high performance wagon seems like it could find new life. If the great wagon re-emergence comes, I think it will start with an EV company looking to solve for space and efficiency.
Didn’t the Dodge Magnum accomplish this?
I’d be Clark Grizwold for that one!
Seriously though, these are some clever wood trim ideas. I like the more fun & entertaining approach rather than the sheer aggression of something like the RS6 ????
I’d be Clark Grizwold for that one!
Seriously though, these are some clever wood trim ideas. I like the more fun & entertaining approach rather than the sheer aggression of something like the RS6 ????
I vote for #2 for the Vista Cruiser top, the wood hoop trim, and rear semi-skirts. The front end will be problematic imo. As an ev, this absolutely needs the best drag coefficient possible, but that could easily leave the nose blank, and I well remember the vitriol about the Tesla 3’s chin on that other site.
Interesting study, this: it’s a big slab, so you need the modern sharp creases for definition, but that could affect drag. Then again, the rounded rear of the Road Master wasn’t imo exactly a iconic design. Thanks for dragging me into your world for a minute with this.
One thing I will say definitively is, please, for the love of Baal, do NOT put 20” wheels with 30-aspect tires on it! I recently saw a fuselage Ford with massive Torqueflites and thin tires and it reinforced my opinion that the classic muscle shape needs some damn sidewall. Or, conversely, can you design a wheel that visually adds that mass back on the outer rim of the wheel without going to the played-out all-black wheel?
This was fun: keep ‘’em comin’!
I’ve mentioned it on previous comments, but it bears reiterating. Cars don’t need to LOOK aero efficient to BE aero efficient. It’s not about no creases or sharp edges, or having a particular shape. It’s more about managing the flows and reducing turbulence. Things like flush glazing, smooth surfaces and managing airflow through the vehicle have a much greater impact. It’s about lots of little gains all over the vehicle.
We can have a bluff front if is mostly closed off. This is why modern vehicles have active cooling vents that shutter off the grill at higher speeds when the motor runs cooler.
I agree a lot of classic cars don’t need massive wheels – I see so many custom builds from high end shops where they completely over wheel them and it looks terrible! (it doesn’t work because the body proportions were not designed around those gigantic wheel sizes).
It helps to start with a more aerodynamic shape. What is your target Cd value? That is going to dictate what you need to do to the shape you choose. A wagon with a long wheelbase lends itself well to all sorts of ways to cut wind resistance due to its inherent proportions. It is more in-line with an ideal teardrop shape than say, a hatchback, minivan, or pickup truck, giving you the chance to start with a very efficient shape. The stepped roofline would not be good for drag(especially from the increase in frontal area), although if you insist on including it, the closer to the front of the roofline that you place the step, the more opportunity you have to taper the rear. The trick is to keep the flow laminar over as much of the vehicle as you can, and then once the flow becomes turbulent, create as little disturbance as possible and to try to keep the pressure as even as possible to reduce the size of the wake in the rear. The stepped roofline does give an opportunity to re-attach airflow if you have flow separation before the air reaches it, although if you design the front end properly, this won’t be an issue.
Since it’s electric, you may want to consider the possibility of AWD, and having a rear track slightly more narrow than the front track. This would be a great opportunity for a Kammtail.
A few vehicles you may want to study for design cues:
-Eliica electric limousine (0.19 drag coefficient)
-Dave Cloud’s “Dolphin”, converted Geo Metro (Did 200 miles range highway on lead acid batteries)
-Volvo LCP2000 (0.25 drag coefficient)
-2005 Mercedes Bionic (0.19 drag coefficient)
While they don’t have the proportions you’re looking for, they are shapes that allow lots of interior room and headroom. The Eliica especially could tell you a lot about what you might be able to do to keep drag low, while getting the aesthetics and proportions you are after.
My all-time favorite wagon is the first-gen AMC Matador, and for that reason my favorite designs are 2 and 5. I like they they’re curvy but also chunky. A station wagon should be without shame. If the Hummer can come back as an electric, I think wagons can, too. I agree with Longmont that it needs a two-way tailgate; those things are a lost art. Sell the finished product as an electric road trip car but have a trim line that’s a hearse.
I love these. They’re a little Syd Mead-esque to my eyes. I actually think 4 is my favorite. Also, just don’t offer it without lots of wood. Woodgrain needs to come back. It’s classy.
Sadly too many Americans are more focused on how large of a vehicle they can get their hands on rather than the utility the vehicle actually provides. Does anybody need the new electric Hummer? Probably like two people in the whole country yet we just saw one sell for north of 250k on BaT. I would love to see any variation of these designs actually hit the market, do well, and bring back wagons to the American market in an electrifying way.
Cool feature.
Folks had a Vista Cruiser when I was a kid. Maybe the only American car I’ve ever really loved. I vote #2 with maybe the face from #1? Not sure — none of the faces really grab me…
I really like your sketches, but I was never a fan of the gigantic American road yacht. Of these I like sketch #1 because it’s roof is flat.
If we are going to look back, how about a Volvo 240? Or even better, put batteries into a SAAB 9-5 wagon?
#1 gives me the fizz. Low, wide, and mean!
Sketch #4 has these echos of 1950s fins which I really like in something intended to be lightly nostalgic.
I’d like to see that brought forward to the grille, somehow, rather than the Camaro-like 5 or the Caddy-ish of 3 and 4. Maybe we could use dagmars for the sensor package?
You’d never get Dagmars through pedestrian impact regulations these days! Something about people not liking their legs being broken.
I live in hope of a Mercedes wagon EV with strong W123 vibes, so this article is right up my alley.
I loved the W123/W124 long before they became cool……
I like the front end on 1 & 2 the best. 3 is either Monte Carlo or Eldorado and neither one says wagon to me. I agree with whoever saw Crown Vic in #4. What if the loop bumper on 6 was bigger? Less Camaro and more ’69-70 Chrysler 300.
The Vista Cruiser roof seems like a good idea on an EV since I assume the batteries would be under the floor, so less room for footwells.
The bump up in the window sill on 1 & 2 is interesting, but I think it would be better with a full wheel opening and I like the slightly skirted style better.
That up curving trim line ahead of the rear wheel on 4 is interesting, but is it going to look weird once you add the actual door outline?
Overall, my car would be the body of 4 or 6 with the fender skirts and front clip from 1 or 2.
I’m a huge fan of #2.
It oozes retro-throwback but also feels like a solid modern take and with the right finer details included, seems very plausible.
The one thing I’d say is that I’d love to see the fascia of #2 utilising the silhouette of #1.
I’m curious how you’d envision the interior of this design.
Sweet drawings!
Personally, I favor keeping the shape/non-stepped roof of 1, and the front end of #4. Both those lend themselves to some tweaks that could allow for excellent aero by today’s standards, while also looking cool. Being an EV, you can go with a completely grille-less design like Tesla’s Model 3. Taper the back a bit similar to the Audi PB18 concept, and cover the rear wheel well ala 1st generation Honda Insight. You could even give it old-school Cadillac hearse-like tail lights that could be subtly curved to double as a partial Kammtail. It would look badass in black. The potential exists to make a pleasingly sinister looking retro design that could get a Cd value into the upper 0.1X to low 0.2X range with some wind tunnel shaping. Need more storage space? Lengthen it; that’s more room for batteries. The potential for such a thing to be very comfortable and get ridiculous range exists.
If you get the drag low enough, even if it weighs in at 6,000 lbs, there is a possibility of getting consumption to around 0.2 kWh/mile @ 70 mph on the highway. With a 150 kWh pack, that’s a 700 mile range, and there would be plenty of room to fit that pack in such a long thing. With a modern magnetic suspension, it could ride smoother than a Citroen DS.
The idea is a road trip vehicle, after all.
It vaguely looks like the 3rd row of seats is rear facing, THIS MUST BE IN THE FINAL.
Yeah I tried to indicate rear facing seats. They will be, don’t worry!
Lots of great memories in the way back seat of our Chevy Caprice wagon when I was a kid! Agreed! This is a requirement!
Interesting, but when wagons come up, I always have to post the Sbarro Cadillac TAG Function Car: https://classiccars.fandom.com/wiki/Cadillac_TAG_Function_Car
#1 is what does it for me. However, wagon perfection already exists in the current gen V60. Just give me a BEV one of those…. drools.
Yeah, those are lush. Cross Country for me please. In black.