Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 66: The Mystery of Zephorus Revealed, Part 1
Some Automationeers dedicate much of their lives to reimagining cars made by other Automationeers. Obviously, to be able to do that, extensive knowledge of car exterior design is required. Recently, I found a design studio that specializes in this field, one which started out as an offshoot of a well-known brand. That brand was Zephorus Automotive, a high-end, high-performance car manufacturer. Many of its cars are best known for their bold styling, but they are better known for their coachbuilding services. As a disclaimer, I would like to point out that the original designs for each of the cars shown here are the property of their respective owners.
This design branch works as follows: anyone can send a complete car to Zephorus via a PM which states the donor's intent, and as soon as they have time to do so, the stylists at Zephorus begin the potentially daunting task of reworking the car's exterior design. A few days later and the car emerges with a noticeably different look, exactly as the client wanted it to be. But regardless of the client's desires, the finished product is guaranteed to have superior aesthetics. This is especially true of sports cars, supercars and hypercars, all of which benefit most from such bespoke tailoring.
The Tanaka Akuma R before undergoing a highly extensive makeover, courtesy of the exterior design wizards at Zephorus.
Zephorus succeeded in their task of making the Tanaka Akuma look even more like a hard-edged supercar than it did when it left the factory.
The Akuma emerged from the Zephorus design studio resplendent in bright yellow with a black stripe. Equally obvious was the much larger rear wing, which was reminiscent of those found on actual race cars. But the most important change was reserved for the sides and front end; there were now air intakes on the flanks where there had previously been none, while the nose had a more aggressive and purposeful appearance thanks to the addition of four air vents (two on the bonnet and one on each front fender). The overall effect was a more overtly sporty look, in sharp contrast to the car's understated appearance, and one that fit the car's mission statement much better.
Another prime example is their interpretation of the Stella SR8. It started out as a sleek and elegant hypercar, but its enormous rear wing was out of step with its overall appearance. Zephorus replaced it with a smaller wing and added vents to the bonnet, roof and engine cover, thereby adding more visual aggression. The result was clearly appropriate for a hardcore track-focused version of what was already a scintillating performance car, although the smaller wing would not have been out of place on the original design either.
The Stella SR8 - a good example of a clean, simple design spoiled by a disproportionately large exterior feature.
Prior to this, Zephorus had already worked their magic on a few examples of cars which used this particular body, but this one is especially noteworthy because of how elegant and fluid the original design was, despite (or because of) the body's limitations - some of its morphing zones were glitched, making fixture placement more difficult than usual.
Having seen the effect of Zephorus' design work, I caved in to temptation and decided to donate some of my cars to them. One of these was the DMS Imperia GT, a mid-engined supercar from the late-90s/early 2000s. Here is a comparison of the original design with Zephorus' version:
Above and top: The DMS Imperia GT as it was originally built. Below and bottom: the same car reimagined by Zephorus.
As originally built, the Imperia's front fascia had a somewhat soft appearance, with small intakes and slim headlight lenses. Zephorus decided to give the car more presence with narrower headlights and a full-width grille incorporating a set of fog lights. The rear spoiler was reshaped and enlarged, while the third brake light was moved to the top of the rear fascia and a prominent diffuser added. The most profound changes, however, were found on the upper surfaces, where two large intakes replaced a large slatted panel; these inlets were flanked by a pair of auxiliary ducts running all the way to the trailing edge of the side windows. Even so, some parts of the design remained unchanged, such as the front air extractors and side vents. In short, this redesign was a more cohesive look overall, as expected from Zephorus, and given that it was completed on August 14th, 2019, it was a fitting (virtual) 27th birthday present for me.
To conclude this showcase of Zephorus' coachbuilding services, here is a look at the Arion Cetus III before and after it was redesigned.
Above and top: The Arion Cetus III already had one of the best designs anyone could come up with. To say that Zephorus had its work cut out improving its aesthetics is an understatement.
It seemed unlikely that third-generation Arion Cetus could be aesthetically improved, but Zephorus did just that by over-delivering on the client's expectations. The result was, as expected, more aggressive and, crucially, period-accurate.
Above and top: Zephorus' version of the Arion Cetus III had a much more menacing and aggressive appearance compared to the original design, especially from the front.
In short, Zephorus is one of the most highly regarded design studios on the Automation forums. However, restyling other users' cars is not the only thing they are known for; they are also a manufacturer in their own right. I will explore this particular branch of their business in the next post as promised.
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