CCS-AISI Contest 2002

Before an audience of automotive professionals, steel industry representatives, members of the media, and CCS faculty, three students unveiled their new vehicle concept models and discussed how they met the challenge to design a vehicle for mass-market production that would also have special appeal to the burgeoning tuner market.

Project instructor Ken Grant, a CCS alumnus and faculty member, explained that today’s young auto aficionados, referred to as “tuners”, share a passion with the “gear heads” of the muscle car era. “Each individual wants to have a car that is one-of-a kind, and is willing to do whatever fine tuning it takes to achieve that goal. They love their cars, and they love working on their cars to achieve high-tech performance.”

Since the partnership began in 1989, the College’s AISI interns have faced design challenges ranging from visual appeal to versatility of application. But whether they have been creating cars for movie stars or focusing on fuel containers, the students have worked toward one basic goal: to design vehicles for unique applications that are aesthetically appealing, safe, lightweight, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible.

With guidance from AISI steel application specialists and professional automotive designers, students learn the design and engineering potential of steel to increase their understanding of how to work with the material. The partnership is mutually beneficial. AISI gathers valuable insight into next generation steel design applications from the student projects. The students expand their knowledge of steel, the dominant vehicle design material, prior to entering the job market, thus gaining a valuable edge over prospective designers who have not benefited from this type of real-world experience.

“For our industry, with its long tradition in the automotive market, this program continues to stimulate nontraditional thinking and provides a glimpse at the next generation of designers,” said Allen Root, chairman of the Automotive Applications Committee. “This program is a tremendous investment in our future.”

The AISI interns – Rob Hunwick of Sterling Heights, Mich.; Hyunsoo Kim, a Detroit resident originally from Korea; and Antonio Molinari, a Dearborn native who grew up in Howell, Mich. – are all Industrial Design majors specializing in Transportation Design. As acknowledged tuners themselves, the students drew upon their insight into what their peers want, augmenting their first-hand knowledge with market research. The result, according to Grant, is three distinctive vehicles that are “exceptional in their own right, but will appeal to tuners who will want to ‘tweak’ whatever production vehicle they own.”

Rob Hunwick: Mitsubishi Apex

“I started my Mitsubishi concept with the thought of hydroformed steel. The Mitsubishi concept is a tuner car and as such, requires parts interchangeability for personalization. Most tuners will buy a stock small car and modify it with items such as roll cage, larger wheels and engine performance enhancements. I wanted my concept to use steel and show off the integrated parts of the car that are already there.

A very popular tuner modification is the roll cage. This personalizes the car and adds great interest to the vehicle’s interior. All cars and trucks have a frame – but automakers just cover them all up. In my vehicle, I am exposing parts of this frame by removing some of the body. I want to show off hydroforming and its ability to create different shapes. It just plain looks cool.

I wanted my car to have bulldog like characteristics…flat nose, low to the ground with dramatized fenders and wheels. A bulldog is tough, aggressive and small, which fits this category of vehicles. I want it to be an aggressive, tough small car that could maybe scare off a big truck in the fast lane.”

Hyunsoo Kim: Honda A.R.C. (Apex Race Compact)

“Since Honda a popular choice among import tuners, I decided to begin with a package and wheelbase similar to the Integra/RSX. In applying new steel technology to the current import hot rod, it’s important to recognize the main steel structural components already there. My research showed that the main steel components visible are the rollbar and exterior and interior panels.

After studying custom-built racecars, I decided that an integrated roll bar could not be overlooked. However, roll bars tend to be very inconvenient for space and entry/exit of the vehicle, because their main purpose is to add rigidity to the car. My concept integrates this structural component in a more elegant way. The rollbar is semi-exposed and becomes a textural component of the car, with a bare steel finish to accentuate the steel interior. This creates good potential for interesting graphic breakups of the interior.

The front view looks like the next Honda. The parabola shapes are inspired by the Roman arch, which provides a good distribution of impact for safety especially in the case of a racing accident.”