Digital Garage Project

Oh! Hi! Look who it is. Crawling out of the woodwork to attempt to add some new content to this otherwise languishing blog. I still care, my heart is still in it. I swear to you, baby.

Today I happened across an old blog post from Hemmings Motor News about the Digital Garage Project. Created by 3D car modeler Dan Palatnik of Rio de Janeiro, he digitally recreates in painstaking detail a wide range of classic, iconic and occasionally obscure vehicles.

Now and then, he will take some creative liberty with his models, modifying the existing design in a way a custom fabricator would with their hands and a whole lot of time and materials. Though people love to loathe computer technology, let's all agree that it's pretty radical to be able to see what your crazy car mods might look like in amazing detail before you get all down and dirty.

Some of my favorites include:

The 1957 DeSoto Firesweep (one of my favorite cars designs of all time, already)

Dick Nesbitt's 1963 Van Design

This '67 Fairlane front end (there's something about his front end renderings I just think are beautiful)

And how about this selection of '50s Ford Front Ends?

As a final segue, here's an example of Palatnik's prowess at modifying the existing vehicle design into a "what if" scenario, many of which are great, if only slight, modifications to the original.

“Using the Club Coupe body and adding 7" to the door.”

It's super pleasing to see such modern talent focused on the world of classic automobile design.