It's a pretty serious charge to level at what is, admittedly, a trend. But John Manoogian, Cadillac's lead exterior designer, believes that fake side vents will wipe out the current trend of stylized-yet-functional side vents. Manoogian says "I've seen Chrysler 300s where guys are buying these stick-on portholes, and I'm thinking, 'What are these people thinking?' They are literally stick-on parts." Yet imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if every other carmaker (including Saturn) and aftermarket shop has hopped on your coat tails... we'd think you'd pat yourself on the back. Sure, it might be aesthetically disappointing to see your lovingly crafted design turned into a chrome flake applique, but that's what happens to trends. Besides, there are far more egregious styling fakeries, as in companies copying significant chunks of another maker's entire design language, that haven't managed to kill original automotive expression. We doubt the lowly side vent spells the end. It's intriguing, though, when Manoogian says, "When it gets to be that ubiquitous, then we are going to have to say, 'We need to do something different here.' " Exactly. Isn't that what car designers are for?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
travis @ May 29th 2007 11:36AM
How is this new? Look at stick on hood scoops, fake chin vents, fake diffusers...hell even the Mustang has factory fake vents...
Tracy McNeil @ May 29th 2007 9:42PM
Where are the Mustangs factory vents located?
Graham @ May 29th 2007 11:43AM
is this post saying that companies are putting in fake side vents and thats copying Cadillac?
felipe @ May 29th 2007 11:44AM
i hate those stupid old man portals on the Buick's and Caddy's.
if it has a purpose, it's not so bad, but stick ons??
bassetized @ May 29th 2007 11:50AM
hey, don't ya watch the Simpsons?
those are speed holes!
Lucas @ May 29th 2007 11:52AM
Not Buick and Caddys, 300s. We've all seen them and their drivers...
http://www.300fx.com/port_holes?b=1
I especially love the rear door vents.... is that if your passengers have gas??
F' you and your stick on vents!
DDL @ May 29th 2007 11:53AM
Maybe Cadillac's lead designer should appoligize to BMW for copying their side vents for the Escalade. Putting the vents on the Escalade is surely not demaned for functional reasons as the Tahoe/Suburban and Yukon all seem to get by without them.
Tool @ May 29th 2007 11:56AM
GM has a number of 'fake' non-functional side vents on their vehicles, including the new Buick Lucerne. So having a Cadillac designer bitch about them is stupid.
The problem is that automakers are putting them on everything. They can be unique and they can be cool, but I suspect that in 2 years we won't be seeing them on anything.
British_Rover @ May 29th 2007 11:58AM
Are the Escalade side vents even functional? I didn't think they did anything. Do they actually vent hot air from under the hood or are they intakes for the engine.
spdracerut @ May 29th 2007 12:06PM
If anyone can complain about being 'copied' for its side vents, it's BMW. How many riced out cars started sporting the BMW Z3 front fender vents after that car came out?
frondeur @ May 29th 2007 12:06PM
John Manoogian should maybe write a letter of apology to Aston Martin for copying their vents, almost exactly.
In it he should emphasize the fact that he is very sorry that Cadillac took one of the most recognizable symbols of Aston Martin, one retained for almost a half century, and put it on a large, ugly SUV.
john @ May 29th 2007 12:29PM
Aston Martin, still using the very best of 1950s technology. At least they were.
frondeur @ May 29th 2007 12:38PM
Yes, full Aluminum Chassis, very 1950s...pushrods
Igor Holas @ May 29th 2007 12:11PM
NONE of the Caddy side vents are functional., but there is at least a HOLE in the sheet metal underneath them ..
the Focus vents are purely 3M kin - they will be optional actually.
However, unlike GM, Ford will use actually functional side vents with the TwinForce engines - they need the additional airflow - the new F150 debuting in next 8 months will have that. (after all it is Ford's Land Rover that restarted the side vent craze with their asymetrical functional side vents)
Igor
scardella @ May 29th 2007 12:16PM
Those fake side vents are all over the place... and most of them look like donkey poop. You can tell because they stick out a good half inch from the fender, because they have to draw attention to the bling.
Usually these are also sporting the chrome dubs and polished grills. Some even have the ultra-tacky number on the fender declaring that they just bankrupted child #3 for 22" rims.
I'd take rice any day over bling.
TrueDis @ May 29th 2007 12:21PM
#1 beat me to the punch, but I must say, the last-gen Mustang was definitely the pinnacle as far as this goes.
LoneWolf @ May 29th 2007 12:26PM
BMW Desigers should apologize for dig out a fifty year old design by Buick...and I like the functional (cooling?) Portholes on a classy Car.
Johnnie @ May 29th 2007 12:32PM
Didn't the Land Rovers really start doing this in the SUV market first?
British_Rover @ May 29th 2007 12:36PM
Ehh I guess so. The gills on the Mark III Range Rover are sort of like vents. That Range Rover came out in June of 2002.
The next vehicle out with a real vent from Land Rover was the LR3/Disco 3 and it only had one vent. That vent is actually functional and draws in air for the engine. The Range Rover Sport has two of these vents but only one is functional.
The LR2 has two vents as well but neither one is functional.
NLN350 @ May 29th 2007 12:43PM
It's their version of making it more "ricey"!! ;)