Illustration by: Tom Wals...
Illustration by: Tom Walsh
As creative director for an ad agency, Tom Walsh knows a thing or two about conceptualizing. He's been designing cars since he was a kid. But while his career took him down a road far and away from the sheetmetal dreams of his youth, he never gave up on his desire to design fantastic automobiles.
Check out his Rockrider concept. It's a 2-D Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop rendering that looks poised to jump off the page. Tom says that the keyword for the Rockrider is "fun." We would add "high-tech." It runs on a 230hp hydrogen-powered inline-four mated to a five-speed paddle-shift automatic. All-wheel drive keeps its feet on terra firma. A retractable glass top is a good match-up with the all-weather interior. The truck has a satellite suite for radio and navigation. And it's a Wi-Fi hot spot, meaning that you'll never be too far from civilization, no matter how far you and your passenger go.
Illustration by: Tom Wals...
Illustration by: Tom Walsh
Tom drew up this one on demand after we felt that one of his concepts, a cool and certainly forward-looking crossover, just didn't radiate high-perf in a way that our readers might appreciate. So he came back with the Inferno XT, Tom's vision of the next evolution of the muscle truck. He imparts it with a 400hp hydrogen-fueled V-8.
What? You didn't think that hydrogen could crank out that much power? Ever watched a rocket launch? The Inferno XT (like its cousin on the previous spread) offers all-wheel drive, plus a six-speed automatic with sport/highway/towing modes. A twist to the usual GPS navigation solution is the addition of a Doppler weather overlay (so you can check the conditions at the end of the quarter mile). Rear-seat passengers can enjoy satellite TV, and Wi-Fi capability with a 60-foot radius will certainly keep passersby entertained for the split-second that Tom blasts by on the road toward tomorrow.
You can reach TOM WALSH at:
trtzw@sbcglobal.net