The name game

As part of my day-job in Silicon Valley, I deal with the naming and branding of new products. Part art and part science, everyone voices strong opinions about their choice and justification of new names, brands and logos. But unlike other topics in high-tech, there is no right versus wrong here, enabling the relaxation of any inhibition when lobbying for their particular position. It gets pretty wild, consuming more email, meeting time and the occasional lobbing of over-ripe fruit across the conference room table than almost any other topic in our business.

Which brings me to another item on this years comment-worthy list from the Pebble Beach Concours. As a bona fide car geek, it's unimaginable to think that there could be a manufacturer, no matter how modest or obscure, that would be unknown to me. But at the Italian car gathering, I came across not one, but two brands that met both criteria - previously unknown names, and names that could have been well served by just a bit more tossing of very, very ripe fruit.

Lets start with the very serious one. A car that meets my criteria for lust, interest and respect on almost any axis. Stunning in every regard save for the name it is none other than the Gumpert Apollo. Check it out at http://www.supercars.net/cars/3313.html. Now it turns out that Gumpert is the fellow who was very involved in the initial Audi Quatro program. Clearly an individual who commands great respect in automotive circles - notwithstanding the fact that the Apollo is a RWD design.

Intense in it's purposeful design, mid-engined, virtually no ground clearance, gull-winged doors, an Audi V8 that's received a non-trivial amount of extra attention yielding a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds, this is a stunningly beautiful car. It screams to be driven hard. In an Italian car event dominated by Ferrari and Lambo marques, virtually all other cars looked anemic and emasculated by comparison.

Here are a few pictures from the show:

Darth, your car is ready...


A racing-oriented interior with a hint of Audi design:

Six-point seat belts:


No attempt to hide the diffusers. This is a form-follows function machine:

And a bit of YouTube'ery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHuu0HoF9ZY

So let me be clear: I want to learn more about this machine. It's priced out of reach, but I want, no no I need to drive it. It is exactly a design that should be in my garage. If any of you have information or experience with this outstanding machine, please share it with us all. Oh, and if you were part of the team that finalized the name, I'd be happy to give you some personal advice.

Contestant number two, a bit more lighthearted in design, in fact all the way down to the name. Built by Funke and Will AG, it's the YES (Young Engineer Sportscar) car. Actually quite impressive in specs and shape: it too has a mid-engine design, light weight (2,000 lbs), an Audi powerplant with a nod toward extra power, and a much more approachable price tag ($75,000-$100,000 U.S.) it all comes together to be a very interesting and impressive spyder design. Check out their site: http://www.yes-roadster.net/. It's what a TT should be if Audi paid more attention to performance and less to art-deco.

Here's a photo or two. Sorry for the absence of a complete shot. Both the web site and the YouTube video will provide a clearer perspective.

Audi TT on a budget design diet:



Odd and inconsistent shapes - but it comes together nicely:



A better view, if not a better monologue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVtEmiNQPkw&feature=related.

For those of you who feel that life would be better if you never saw another Toyota, Honda or Chevrolet again in your lives, acquiring your own auto-obscurata might be just the cure. Gumpert or YES.

The automotive version of Ginger or Mary Ann. And hold the fruit.

Verde