In the luxury car market, there are plenty of brands that have found a way to marry coach-building traditions with mass production. For the first time in history, you can buy a million Ringgit vehicle and have it hand-made and done to a uniform standard with spare parts available. Yet, many smaller-scaled boutique car makers still soldier, sometimes building off work done by larger carmakers (the Zagato-Aston Martin relationship comes to mind), other times steering clear of larger brands altogether. ARES design is one of them.
We featured one of their Land Rover Defender mods before, and our conclusion was that it was really expensive. That in mind, their next project will probably be even more pricey given that it’s a collaboration with Lalique (a French crystal maker) and only 12 of them will be made.
It’s called the WAMI Lalique Spyder. And besides these rather mediocre 3D renderings, very little is known about the 2-seat roadster so far. No details about the engine or transmission.
All we ‘know’ is that they’ve rendered the car in 4 exterior body colours, all with contrasting soft top hoods and interior panels. Only 12 will be made, and it’s unclear if 3 of each colour will be made or if these 4 colours are just ‘suggestions’, with customers being able to individually customise colours for their particular car.
I mean, the car itself is very proportionate and beautiful, but it’s pretty much as generic as 1950s roadsters get. It almost feels as if they’ve pulled a generic model out of a period-fitting video game and stuck their own logos on it.
But as the press release below suggests, it’s an intricate and evocative hand crafter super gem of a car that only the finest Italian and French designers will appreciate. Our point is: if you’re going to spend a LOT of money on a collectible car, why own an homage if you can own the real thing? Maybe if the car is propelled by electricity or if what you want is something made of ‘new’ parts, you could justify it. But neither ARES nor Lalique are carmakers, so what exactly is the appeal here?
PRESS RELEASE
Italian coachbuilder ARES and world-renowned French crystal maker Lalique have revealed first images of their stunning automotive design collaboration, a perfectly proportioned two-seater roadster, the WAMI Lalique Spyder.
With a bold muscular silhouette, reminiscent of the halcyon days of the 1950s, the Spyder’s exterior is crafted from a blend of hand-shaped aluminium and carbon fibre. Its evocative styling cues include chromed exhausts, front and rear bumper with over-riders and wire wheels giving the vehicle the opulent nod to the past and a timeless appearance.
Inside, bespoke French crystal design meets handcrafted Italian upholstery creating a perfect blend of artisan skills and sumptuous luxury detailing. From the delicately decorated centre console to the doors the elegant interior boasts hand-made crystal embellishments, perfectly complemented by the finest English oak dashboard housing the classic white on back dials – reminiscent of the bygone era.
The car’s inspiration, derived from the finest two-seater roadsters, was painstakingly conceived by the Modenese design house’s Centro Stile team. The hand-made jewels will be produced at Lalique’s factory in Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace, France. Like its Italian counterparts, Lalique’s team of gifted artisans marry traditional skills of the past and modern-day technology to create stunning and unique works of art.
