Interested in a sneak peek at what it takes to create a concept car? Check out this blast from the past! Art Center College of Design students were tasked with reinventing the interior and exterior of a BMW 1 Series 5-door SUV not available in the states, while also maintaining the underlying structural characteristics.
Art Center student Alex Alexiev was selected to lead the exterior design group for the project named Deep Orange, a collaborative effort with Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research. The Clemson students retrofitted an existing BMW with a state-of-the-art extended range 125 kW electric motor that can be fueled either by charging its stable of lithium polymer batteries from a 110v AC source, or by firing up the highly efficient on-board 800 cc motorcyle engine.
After the design sketches were approved and a 1/5 scale clay model was sculpted, ACCD student leader Alex Alexiev and his team focused their efforts on a full scale model that became the centerpiece of the Art Center’s contribution to the collaboration. Blocks and sheets of Precision Board Plus were donated by Coastal Enterprises for use as the substrate in the full scale model. The design team’s primary goal was to create a 3-door look and 5-door vehicle. From initial sketch to finished model took 14 weeks! The CNC machining time was donated by ADM Works in Santa Ana, CA.
