April 27: What were they thinking?

You've seen them. Those frightening designs that make you want to seek out a public latrine asap. But how did they happen? Did the janitor make some sketches, while doing the rounds, then sign the president's name to them? I wonder.

Take the much maligned Pontiac Aztec (please).......

......and then look at what came out of the same studio at the same time, presumably by the same designers......

Or this strange but true, humpbacked BMW X6..........

......and compare it to this drop dead gorgeous model, which would give Christie Brinkley a run for her money........

Sad but true, folks. I guess everyone has a bad day, but do all the designers, division heads and other company execs who approve these things have a bad day at the same time?

Which brings me to today's example of What were they thinking? 

What is this unusual animal which debuted in China this week with its 24" rims? A new brand trying to earn their chops or possibly a mistake? Let's check out the name of this wild looking beast.......

Look closely and you can see that it is a Maybach, that ne plus ultra Mercedes line. And this particular concept is called the Vision Maybach Ultimate Luxury. Rolls off the tongue like a burning ember. Have they done themselves proud with this whatever? Is it a sedan, just when sedans are experiencing a death rattle? Or is it a less than practical suv, like the X6 pictured above? Or maybe they have taken that new Subaru SUS ad to heart (Google it). 

Breath taking, in a bad way. But wait, lets go inside for a moment.......

Now this is luxury in the Maybach tradition. Complete with bronze trim. Will it turn green with age like with all those beautiful European cathedrals? Now that would be a nice touch. Look closely. When Mercedes showed the Maybach limo, it was complete with a bottle of champagne and flutes for the wealthy owners, but this one isn't being pitched to that crowd. The Ultimate Vision features a tea set! What does that tell you? Take a guess, because I have no idea.

Ugly? Certainly strange. But let's take a look at what else has come out of the Maybach design studios and tell me that these guys weren't having an extremely bad day, when they came up with the Ultimate Vision........

Not a bad line on this Maybach roadster. Now here's the trillion dollar question.......which one of these will they build? The nightmare or the daydream? Time to start working those worry beads.

Until next time.......