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What is old is new. The 2008 BMW X6 is penned a “sports activity coupe”, which sounds revolutionary. But it’s not new when it’s compared to the forgotten 1984 AMC Eagle SX4. Notice these similarities: nearly identical silhouette, hatches, wing-like rear spoiler, blacked-out b-pillars, beefy 5-spoke rims, and two-color bodies.

I’m not suggesting that BMW used the AMC playbook. That’s not a good idea, because you’ll notice there are no AMCs around today. But it is interesting how few new ideas in the automotive world.

I am here to write about the 2009 Ford Flex. But before we talk about what’s new, let’s take a look back at where the Flex’s got its unique look.

The Toyota FJ and Mini proved the white roof is a cool thing.
But will it work for the Flex?

A couple years ago I wrote about how car manufacturers are releasing new cars modeled after older cars. If you are interested in this stuff, read it and enjoy the photos comparing old school and new school. Here is one of my comparisons from that blog:

1. 1960s Ford Bronco (top)
2. The titanium tough-bot Bronco concept that never made it into production (middle)
3. Concept preview of the 2008 Ford Fairlane (bottom), which was renamed the Ford Flex.

In that blog, I wrote this:

“Concept cars usually don’t get manufactured, but they often hint the visual direction of future vehicles. In this case, the Bronco’s style pointed to the Ford Fairlane concept which debuted a year later in 2005. Although the Fairlane and Bronco have similar lines, the rumor is that the Fairlane will be released as a 2008 replacement for their minivan. I’m afraid the Fairlane will become a bore as soon as it’s marketed as practical and economical.”

It looks like Ford will make the Fairlane Flex, even it is a year late. I haven’t seen the car marketed yet…Ford discreetly added the Flex to their line-up on their website with little commotion. I’m trying to figure out if the Flex has enough cool points to succeed. To get an answer, you have to ask the basic question…

Can Practical be Cool?

Here’s the deal. Car manufacturers spend millions of dollars each year trying to make family cars look “cool.” This statement seems so simple that it can’t be true. But it is true. Most of what you see on car lots today are the result of people needing family cars, but not wanting to look like they are driving family cars. Here’s an abridged history of the last 20 years of self-conscious car buyers with children.

The minivan stormed America in the late 1980s because they were practical, but more “sporty” than traditional full-sized vans (think church van) and the non-sexy station wagon (think National Lampoon’s). Unfortunately, the popularity gained from it’s innovative functionality was lost as soon as everyone sobered up and realized that minivans= family haulers. So stylish people started looking around to see what else was on the car lot. What is this? A Ford Explorer?

We all remember the SUV frenzy of the 1990s and the earliest years of this decade. Everyone and their mother drove an SUV because it symbolized independence and versatility. A subplot in that 15 years was that the very essence of the SUV–elevated ride height, 4 wheel drive, truck-based platform–was evolving out of the pack by natural selection. Car buyers liked the looks of the SUV, but they wanted it to behave like a car.

This highly evolved SUV is now called a CUV, short for Crossover Utility Vehicle. But don’t be confused, the CUV is just a tall station wagon. And what is a tall station wagon? Nothing but a mini-van without sliding doors. Why do we keep coming back to this minivanish vehicle? Because in the end, practicality rules.

The Ford Flex: The CUV Anti-Hero

The Ford Flex is a unique vehicle in the cluttered me-too CUV market. Ford decided to be bold. Rather than having a car dressed up like an SUV, they opted boxed out a station wagon. Essentially, the stretched the Scion xB or Honda Element.

The 2009 Ford Flex. Boxy? Yes. Cool? Hmmmm….

Ford understood that their new creation would be misunderstood, so they worked hard to give it a fresh start. The first move, the best move, was to upgrade the name from Fairlane to Flex. The next move was to not tell people it’s a replacement for the Taurus X, a flattering name for Ford’s lame-ass CUV that replaced Ford’s lame-ass Windstar minivan.

Ford’s most interesting decision to give the Flex a fighting chance at “cool” was to hire the cool kids: Chip Foose and DJ Funkmaster Flex. The two went to work to customize the Flex before it hit dealerships.

I happy that Mr. Funkmaster got a shot at customizing the new Ford Flex, because he didn’t have much to work with on that dorky Ford Expedition project from a couple years ago. If you want to see what Mr. Funkmaster did with the Flex, go to Flex website. I don’t like it, probably because it looks like they took photos of his creation with their cell phone.

Instead, check out Chip Foose’s Flex. Mission accomplished.

Summary

It is difficult to predict whether or not a car will sell. Afterall, car manufacturers spend a gazillion dollars trying to figure out what works, and they often fail. I’m rooting for the Flex because it reminds me of the woody wagons in the 1930s-1950s. I get nostalgic when I look at the car, but this isn’t enough to make me buy it. (If Honda made it, I’d buy it tomorrow. Fords today are more reliable than they were 5 years ago, but I’m not in a mood to gamble.)

I hope some young car customizers see the potential in the Flex and make it their own.

In the early 1990s, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre introduced gangster rap to MTV with their G-funk anthems “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang“ and “Gin and Juice.” The videos were pretty straight forward: a day in the life of Snoop and Dre being cool hanging out with friends and the ladies in South Central LA.

But the real stars of the videos were 1960s Chevy Impalas with hydraulics that made the cars bounce. I had never seen anything cooler in my life. I turned 16, and I bought a ’61 Chevy with every intention of adding hydraulics. (My plans were ruined when no mechanic in my rural hometown in the South knew what “hydraulics” were.) Although my hoopty never worked out, I’ve always admired Snoop’s ability to pick cool cars.

Here’s the problem. Earlier this week Snoop’s newest album came out, and he’s looking G in from of a Datsun. See for yourself:

That’s a Datsun 510 Wagon from the late 1960s or early 1970s.

An original ad promoting a few of Datsun’s finest automobiles.

Don’t get me wrong, Datsun made some cool cars. The Datsun 510 makes a vintage Japanese racer that wins respect at a car show. Datsun also made the original Z cars that were reintroduced early this decade as the Nissan 350Z. But Datsuns cannot be gangster cool.

My guess is that Snoop was stoned on the day of the photo shoot, and he thought he was posing in front of a ’64 Impala wagon.

Kids, don’t do drugs!

I’ve stumbled across some cool trucks that are for sale here in the city. Last week I found a late model convertible Chevy truck on eBay. This week I found this tasteful 1963 Chevy Truck for sale over on MarkBarbee.com.

First, take a look at the original concept drawing. This is the kind of stuff they taught us at Georgia Tech…it makes me want to bust out my tools and start drawing. It’s rare that a finished product looks so close to the original drawing. Most drawings are sensational and cool, but unrealistic to fabricate with a real car body. But here they got it right.

The idea.

The reality.

The minor difference don’t amount to much, but they are worth pointing out. They removed the “parking lights in the hood”, something Chevy should’ve done before the truck ever left the factory. They used a stock grill instead of the Rolls-inspired grill in the concept. I would’ve liked to see them make the bumper as it was in the concept sketch with the concrete-scraping crease along the lowest portion of the bumper.

Here’s some more photos:

Notice the smoothed-out tailgate and the deleted bumper.

To make room for big rims, you have to remove the inner fender well. Now the top of the wheel rises well into the engine bay. Other classy details are leather seats and suicide doors.

To pull off this ride height requires a lot of reworking of the frame. The photo below shows all the modifications beneath the bed. Typically, the gray frame would be pretty flat from front to back. But here, the frame rises up and over the rear axle to allow for the low stance. The two yellow boxes are batteries for the airbag suspension.

Beneath every cool truck is an unexciting foundation.

Let’s talk about the bed, because that’s where all the magic happens. First, the wood looks fantastic juxtaposed against the chrome strips. This is the pinstriped suit of the auto world. Second, the leather panels tucked around the perimeter are subtle, yet luxurious. The inset frame of stitching gives it an extra detail. A poor man’s version is to paint the bed to match the interior. (Take a look at the Datsun truck in a previous blog.) Lastly, you’ll see that the fenders rise just to the top of the bed because the rims are that big and truck is that low. On a stock truck, you’d might see 10-12 inches separating the two.

Well done.

Chevy got low low low. That’s the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, home of Super Bowl XLII.

The glamor shot.

Summary: Big Rims Save Lives

Big rims have saved many vehicles from the junkyard, including this generation of the Chevy truck. Throughout my childhood, guys were only interested in the generation that came before and after. (Check out ChevyTrucks.com for a detailed history with photos.) But this generation didn’t have many fans because it’s body was so wonky. If you wanted to describe the truck like it were a person, it had a big head that goofy glasses.

But big chrome rims fill out the fenders and allow the truck to have better proportions. The trucks that were once forgotten are getting dragged out of desert junkyards and into the welder’s shop. Just look at how this 1963 Chevy looked on day one.

Every so often I’ll go online and see what cool cars are for sale here in Phoenix. Last night I found this massively custom 2000 Chevy Silverado on ebay.com

I read online that the owner invested $100,000 to make this truck look just like he wanted. By the time the time ran out on the auction last night, the highest bid was $15,000, which did not meet the minimum reserve.

All of these photos were taken here in Tempe. I love the special photo effects that give it that sci-fi feel.