Cool Hunting
| 10 January 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Tata Nano: The $2,550 Car
by Jacob Resneck
Tata Motors, India's largest automaker, unveiled today what could become the Ford Model T for the 21st century, the $2,550 car.
Marketed in India as the “one-lakh” (100,000 Rupee = $2,550) car, with a two-cylinder 623 cc gasoline engine, the world is reacting to what has been touted as a “people's car” for the developing world.
The announcement is making waves in India with the country's Commerce Minister calling it “a proud moment for India.” But not everyone is so enthused with the idea of hundreds of thousands of inexpensive vehicles flooding the market.
“The ultra-cheap small cars in the pipeline will tilt the skewed balance against public transport and two-wheelers irretrievably,” argues Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre of Science and Environment, an environmental advocacy group in New Delhi. “The result will be an urban congestion nightmare and an unsustainable fuel load.”
Be that as it may, at only 10 feet long, a maximum speed of about 60 miles per hour and getting about 50 miles per gallon, the Tata may have some appeal outside its home country. Especially considering SmartCars have achieved a modicum of success in Europe and United States, despite the most basic model costing nearly five times as much as the Tata Nano.
Güs
by Ami Kealoha
by Christina Panas
Mark Loncar, a former designer at Apple, and now one-half of the newly launched accessories line güs, says "güs is all about bringing back that really nice quality of handmade goods, but with the addition of contemporary style and functionality."
True to fusionary form, their Passport Folio combines classic craftsmanship and sharp attention to detail with specialized features particular to the modern traveler: Beyond providing ample space for storing a passport, foreign currency, and frequent-flyer cards, the Folio offers two dedicated SIM chip pockets, allowing today's jet-setting gent to store his most vital international tech accessories for safekeeping. Hearty, vegetable-tanned saddle leather gives the piece a substantial, old-school feel while the nifty contrast stitching and the label's signature "splitshot" perforation pattern keep it fashionably interesting.
Burton Archive Series
by Tim Yu
Eighties revivalism continues and when done right we enjoy seeing the era reinvented in design, fashion, music, etc. Better yet, a reissue celebrates originals and maybe even better still, adding new details to classics modernizes them for a fresh look with all the functionality we expect out of today's gear. Specifically, we're talking about Burton's new Archive Series Collection, a line that pulls out some Burton originals, like the '89 Safari Sweatshirt and '91 Freestyle Shell and Pant (pictured above), and cuts them together with the latest techy materials.
Expect the Archive Series to land in Burton Stores sometime soon. You can also try to purchase them online at the Burton store (currently, it looks like everything is out of stock). More images from the series after the jump.
Mad.Elephant Jewelry
by Lost At E Minor
We love the ingenuity of Mad.Elephant's jewelery designs, which includes items as disparate as chicken bone knuckle ring, a 22-caliber bullet shell bracelet and a dove's foot bracelet. Of her work she says, "Art is the filter in my brain that sorts through and deals with all the thoughts in my head which are numerous and sometimes hard to deal with. I heal myself through my art. I found that when I deal with personal issues and painful subject matter, my art is much stronger as well as my concepts. Strife inspires me. Maybe I seek it out in some ways because this is so. Although the healing process is difficult and exhausting, I come out stronger in the end. My jewelry is a perfect manifestation of this process."
