14 Jun 2015 – Driven To Write

A Photo for Sunday: 1965-1973 Opel Kadett

A once invisible piece of streetscape, now rendered fascinating by age and rarity.

The most interesting thing about the 1965 Kadett is that it donated parts to the Opel GT. And even more interesting is the 1968 Opel GT was made in France by Brisonneau and Lotz in Creil. Eight versions of the Kadett could be had: four door saloon, two door saloon, two door fastback, four door fastback, a two and four door estate and two variants, one known in German as a Kiemencoupé and the other the LS coupé.

The Kadett has a fair amount in common with the themes of the Dipolmat/Kapitan/Admiral saloons (1964) and Rekord B but scaled down. It appears to have kicked off the series of Buick-inspired Opels which drew their inspiration from the 1963 Buick Riviera. Continue reading “A Photo for Sunday: 1965-1973 Opel Kadett”

All Change At VW in the Font Department

I am not an expert in graphic design which means the very subtle differences in sans-serif fonts often elude me, especially when the font is a version of Helvetica.

For graphic designers such differences are as clear to them as the difference between an Audi A6 and an Audi A4 is to me. Thus it is with some bemusement I note VW has elected to change their corporate font to something very slightly different. If you look closely you notice the “a” has changed the most and the letters seem slightly different.
Continue reading “All Change At VW in the Font Department”

The Future’s Bright – (oh, hang on a second…)

The new BMW 7-Series is awash with colour and tech. Oh joy.

'Wanna lift? I've got gesture control!' The new BMW 7-Series in Arctic Grey Brilliant Effect. Or is it Magellan Grey? Oh forget it. Image via BMW UK — BMW’s flagship in Arctic Grey Brilliant Effect. Or is that Magellan Grey? Hang on, that looks more like Jatoba. Oh forget it! Image: BMW UK

According to Autocar, who seemingly troubled the press pack – (something I’ll admit to not being bothered doing) – the newly announced BMW 7-Series will be available in a dazzling array of cheerful colours. Or to put it another way, it won’t. On the surface of things, the new 7’s colour palette looks even more drearily monochrome than its uninspired styling. Continue reading “The Future’s Bright – (oh, hang on a second…)”