ecrabb
06-04-2015, 03:07 PM
OK, so since I can't look at my actual car, I keep staring at pictures of my car and other ZHP's and looking for things to distract myself with. I've always loved the lines on the coupe the best... Love the sedan, too really... But, we decided a vert would just be too much fun to pass up now that we live in a nice place with lots of beautiful days and nights.
But, I wondered what it was I liked and didn't like, so I started really studying the differences between the body styles and noticed I really liked the trunk lid on the sedan and coupe the other night, and decided to deconstruct the design of the two a little to see what it is about each that strikes my fancy. Some of you probably know all this already, but I hadn't really studied this before.
So, let's look at the coupe and sedan "boot" first...
20029
20030
I love the rear end on the sedan and coupe. I love how it sweeps back a little and even faces the roundel down at the ground a little. It also arches a little more in the middle. Looked at some M3 coupes, and sure enough... Looks like the same part, or if not the same part, the same design. That's why I like the ZHP coupe and sedan rear end so well - it's the same as the M3!
20031
20033
Oh, and the different trim piece above the license plate recesses is interesting. The coupe is longer and skinnier, extending past the license plate recess, while the sedan fits neatly over the plate recess.
Now, let's look at a vert...
20032
So, at first, I thought the coupe and sedan lids were more arched, like a mild version of the CSL lid. But, looking at the more closely, side by side, I see where the difference is. The space between between the bottom of the tail lights and the bumper is the same on both. Where the difference really is, and where the height gets added in on the rear lip of the trunk, is above the top of the door, to meet up with the C-pillar. The coupe and sedan are a little meatier above the top of the door sills in the rear half of the car. I'd guess the interior dimension of the trunk, from floor to inside of trunk lid is actually a couple inches taller in the coupe and sedan.
Another little thing gets a little screwed up on the vert a little... The addition of the third brake light in the trunk lid then forced the designers to build up a wart on which to attach the roundel, which is much smaller and actually faces up into the air a little instead of down.
The trim piece above the license plate recess is like the sedan, but with the addition of the wart for the roundel.
There are other interesting design details/decisions, too. For instance, look at the taillight on the sedan, and notice how the divider between the upper two-thirds (turn/brake) lines up perfectly with the crease that runs up the hipline of the car. On the coupe and vert, there's no such harmony. It makes me wonder if something got changed after the fact, or if the euro and US taillights are different.
I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Uhhh... Looks like somebody has too much time on his hands." But, I'm just drooling on pics and killing time until I can get my car. ;)
Has anybody added an aftermarket painted spoiler strip to a vert? It looks great on the coupe and sedan. It makes me wonder why it wasn't available on the vert.
Cheers,
SC
But, I wondered what it was I liked and didn't like, so I started really studying the differences between the body styles and noticed I really liked the trunk lid on the sedan and coupe the other night, and decided to deconstruct the design of the two a little to see what it is about each that strikes my fancy. Some of you probably know all this already, but I hadn't really studied this before.
So, let's look at the coupe and sedan "boot" first...
20029
20030
I love the rear end on the sedan and coupe. I love how it sweeps back a little and even faces the roundel down at the ground a little. It also arches a little more in the middle. Looked at some M3 coupes, and sure enough... Looks like the same part, or if not the same part, the same design. That's why I like the ZHP coupe and sedan rear end so well - it's the same as the M3!
20031
20033
Oh, and the different trim piece above the license plate recesses is interesting. The coupe is longer and skinnier, extending past the license plate recess, while the sedan fits neatly over the plate recess.
Now, let's look at a vert...
20032
So, at first, I thought the coupe and sedan lids were more arched, like a mild version of the CSL lid. But, looking at the more closely, side by side, I see where the difference is. The space between between the bottom of the tail lights and the bumper is the same on both. Where the difference really is, and where the height gets added in on the rear lip of the trunk, is above the top of the door, to meet up with the C-pillar. The coupe and sedan are a little meatier above the top of the door sills in the rear half of the car. I'd guess the interior dimension of the trunk, from floor to inside of trunk lid is actually a couple inches taller in the coupe and sedan.
Another little thing gets a little screwed up on the vert a little... The addition of the third brake light in the trunk lid then forced the designers to build up a wart on which to attach the roundel, which is much smaller and actually faces up into the air a little instead of down.
The trim piece above the license plate recess is like the sedan, but with the addition of the wart for the roundel.
There are other interesting design details/decisions, too. For instance, look at the taillight on the sedan, and notice how the divider between the upper two-thirds (turn/brake) lines up perfectly with the crease that runs up the hipline of the car. On the coupe and vert, there's no such harmony. It makes me wonder if something got changed after the fact, or if the euro and US taillights are different.
I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Uhhh... Looks like somebody has too much time on his hands." But, I'm just drooling on pics and killing time until I can get my car. ;)
Has anybody added an aftermarket painted spoiler strip to a vert? It looks great on the coupe and sedan. It makes me wonder why it wasn't available on the vert.
Cheers,
SC