If there was any place to begin a search for the next Hollywood movie car, Los Angeles is certainly it. And with the LA Show opening later this month, it’s time for another Design Challenge, 2011 marking the 8th year in a row this competition has been held.
As a result; in a slight change from the norm, this year’s program will focus on finding the next A-list film wagon; a car that follows in the footsteps of machines such as Frank Bullitt’s 1968 Mustang, Dr. Emmet Brown’s time traveling DeLorean DMC-12, or Memphis Raines’ unicorn, the ‘67 Shelby G.T.500 known as Eleanor.
A common theme among entries for this year’s award include science fiction movie plots, where the vehicles serve as faithful sidekicks to their human counterparts, protectors of freedom and justice or machines designed to withstand inhospitable environments, enabling our heroes to get on with the task at hand.
Judging of each entry will focus on such qualities as brand attributes of the vehicle relative to the movie plot, how the car, truck or other vehicle relates to the audience, character development of the vehicle as well as imagination and uniqueness of the plot, vehicle and characters as a combination. The winner will be announced at the annual Design Los Angeles conference which takes place at the LA Auto Show on November 17. To give you an idea of some of the entries in this year’s competition, have a look at the samples below:
Honda Research and Development Americas, Inc.
A futuristic action-adventure, Honda takes you hundreds of years into the future after a catastrophic event wiped out society as we know it in High Noon,featuring the Honda IH (Intelligent Horse). A vehicle that serves as a companion and protector in the inhospitable and lonely environment, the Honda IH was inspired by the legend and material remains of an ancient creature called the horse and brought to life with advanced technology. At High Noon the dangerous environment is apparent when there is a showdown between IH’s competing for fuel and other resources, leaving the audience to question, who will prevail?
Hyundai Design North America
Following the immortal daughter of vampire parents through the most dangerous places in the world to stop the negative effects of communism, Hyundai’s Countess of Siberiafeatures the Hyundai Stratus Sprinter multi-purpose vehicle and the DB Atlant Airship. Serving as the Countess Elena’s homebase, both vehicles have a magical stealth force that renders them invisible during daylight, only to reappear after dark. The vehicles contain the most modern features and have light combat capabilities that help on her quest of justice.
Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America Inc. Advanced Design Center, California (shown above)
In a futuristic society of increased artificial intelligence, two enlightened crash test mannequins, Hans05 and Franz02, show that they’re no dummies when it comes to recognizing a potential catastrophe and decide to take matters into their own hands. Using the Mercedes Silver Arrow with proportions reminiscent of the Mercedes W125 series, a Silberpfeil racecar of the late 1930′s and the Uhlenhaut SLR from the 50′s, and distinguished Mercedes-Benz design traditions combined with a dominant Formula 1 racing legacy, Hans05 and Franz02 lead the relentless and evil ‘Dr. Barrier’ on an action packed thrill ride through the past and future of transportation.
Subaru Design, Tokyo Studio
200 years after the Earth stopped rotating, the Earth was split into two, distinctly different hemispheres, the Daysphere and the Nightsphere. Humans have been living in a highly developed civilization in the Nightsphere, away from the sun’s harmful electromagnetic waves. However, the fuel for the power generation system, a rare crystallized mineral, was running out. Known to be found only in the pole of the Daysphere, a place from which no human has ever come back alive, a team of four ventures to the other end of the world in the Ultra Subaru HORIZON. The HORIZON is specially developed to withstand the strong electromagnetic field, chemical imbalances, scorching heat, and raging storms of the Daysphere. Follow Subaru in this action thriller, Divided.
