![\"Eight](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.formtrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/carlos-salaff-as-a-child.jpg?ssl=1\" "\\"Eight")
<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\nWhy did you do it?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWith my background at Mazda, I had an opportunity to do some pretty cool concepts. As big of a blessing as that is, it’s very brief satisfaction when you create something with your heart and soul and then it just gets put into a place and never seen again.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to create something with that impact, but something more lasting that people could experience. What started getting really hard to ignore was the desire to create something with a holistic design approach, where chassis and suspension, the inner workings of the car as well as the exterior design and interior, were all built together; something where the mechanicals were as much of the design as the body.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are the seeds of the idea. I knew that I wanted to create something high performance, and I’ve always loved vintage racing machines because of their rawness, that visceral connection of man and machine. I wanted to take that idea and root it in history, but create a fresh design with those values.\u201d<\/p>\n So basically you were a frustrated designer who created a lot of concepts that never made it to production so you decided to bounce and pull a Daniel Simon<\/a> and start your own thing. Is that right?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI guess all designers are a bit frustrated to a degree. We all have our ideas on how things should be ideally. It’s a leap of faith, but something that I’ve had this gut feeling about for so long that I just couldn’t ignore it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes. But you were working with Derek Jenkins and Julien Montousse, guys that, as far as I know, seem to be very nice men. Not to mention you had job security\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. It was a privilege working with some great people at Mazda. My move would have happened no matter what company I was at. I could see my future and I saw an alternative that was more appealing — to strike out on my own and shoot for the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n So after a little over 10 years in the industry you decided to pack it in for a new venture?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s been an exponential learning experience for me. As a designer, you’re in one area working on your sketching, your rendering. You’re creating forms, trying to lift up the brand. I really wanted to get deeper into the inner workings of the machine, to create a more holistic approach.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as going the route of working at a car company, yeah, something small-scale seemed more appealing to me, where I could focus completely on artistry and create something handcrafted rather than mass-produced.\u201d<\/p>\n Tell me a little bit about this machine. What is it based on, where did you get the inspiration to go out there and do this? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve really been inspired by vintage racing cars. For me, the era of the 60s to 80s are the most compelling. Those beautiful cigarette-shaped F1 cars in the 60s and when the aero starts to come in the 70s and 80s you get all of these other raw details happening.<\/p>\n \u201cI think of cars like Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell cars or the 80s Group C cars. The way those cars were built — with metals — appeals to me very much in an age where plastics are becoming the predominate material we build from. I still find this visceral appeal with aluminum and with rivets and I wanted to create something handcrafted and play up the beauty of metals.\u201d<\/p>\n What can you tell me about the form language you\u2019re implementing?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI want to create something timeless. I’m after a design language that relies on dramatic proportions, beautiful volumes and clean surfaces. There is an honesty, simplicity and beauty to designs that endure over time. I’m striving to capture those attributes.<\/p>\n \u201cAluminum monocoques and those forms were so evocative and experimental in the Group C cars. And still to this day, the forms and the sounds are so special.<\/p>\n \u201cCaden’s architecture is a combination of that F1 and Group C era, with a central F1 kind of cigar shape — the driver sitting at the center — and very expressive fenders shrouding the wheels, planting the car.\u201d<\/p>\n What about the layout and mechanicals? How is it all coming together?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFrom a layout standpoint, it’s mid-ship. It’s going to have a BMW V10, the engine from the M5 and M6 cars, previous gen; that’s a very expressive engine. It’s naturally aspirated; it’s very instant. That’s really the line conceptually. It\u2019ll have a six-speed manual, of course. I didn’t want to have anything less involving than that.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s very little in the way of donor things, just the engine and transmission. Everything else is pretty much handmade, down to the glass.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chassis is a ground-up build, a custom chassis. It\u2019s a monocoque aluminum tub with a honeycomb floor and a rear stainless steel tubular sub frame with in-board suspension.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chassis is being built at Metcalf Racing<\/a>, a shop in Texas. What’s cool about them is they specialize in restoring the very type of vintage racecars that I drool over, so they’re using a lot of those techniques that they use on those cars to build an original chassis.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mechanicals will be very much in view. The suspension will be in-board coilovers for the front units, and that will be right in front of the instrument panel, exposed. You’ll be able to see that linkage working as you’re driving. But it will be enclosed, with a canopy, Group C style canopy, fighter jet canopy, if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So you’re working with Metcalf Racing for the chassis and sourcing the powertrain. What about the body? Are you panel beating in your garage?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI considered that, but figured it wouldn’t be done for 20 years. I found a shop — Pete’s Custom Coachbuilding<\/a> — near me in Ohio that restores vintage Alfas, Porsches, and they often beat new panels for those cars.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, well, if they can already do that, I could give them a buck [which is, in old panel beating terms, a sectional representation of the exterior surface, usually wood] and have them beat panels to fit that shape. They were excited about doing it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe process I used is very different from the conventional sketch to digital and clay model process. I built the model fully digitally first, in 3D, and from there I created this station buck for them to work to. I laser cut the sections, provided them with that, so they have all of the form there.<\/p>\n \u201cEven with that, it’s such an art form, watching them work — they somehow coax the molecules in these metal panels into these new forms. I’m learning so much about metallurgy from them and it’s really an art form. So I’ve been documenting that as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Let’s get into nitty-gritty details: Who’s financing this?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I left Mazda, I took a risk and poured all of my personal finances into this — my savings, my retirement, everything. I put all the chips on the table. Seeing the amount of belief I have in Project Caden led my family members to also invest precious resources into it too.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m not from a rich family. Everyone is making sacrifices to help make it a reality. It’s one of the many reasons why this means so much to me.<\/p>\n \u201cI moved my family across the United States to do this, to be closer to home. My brother has supported me a lot; he’s helping me produce a film about the car. He works in entertainment and animation, so right off, as soon as I told him about this, he could see this movie.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s really a family thing. Family is everything, which is why I named my company Salaff, our family name. We\u2019ve come together to build this from the ground up. It’s something that I really want to go old school with. I want to create a legacy and pass it down to my son and daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n So how many of these cars are you looking to make? Is it going to be a one-off or a limited-run?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe plan is just to build just a few every year. Five a year initially is a number I have in my head. If there’s more demand initially we’ll see if we can scale up more than that.<\/p>\n \u201cI really want to keep the focus on artistry, quality, and not dilute that with big numbers. And continue using the same processes, employing the same craftsmen that I’m using for the prototype for the production run to give customers the best experience I can.\u201d<\/p>\n At the moment you’ve got one model in production, but you’ve probably got many in your head. Do you plan to build more Salaff models in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThat’s my desire [but] I’m just focused completely on building this prototype at the moment. We’ve all seen the renderings that have come out on the Internet about a new car and sometimes they don’t ever come to fruition, often times. I really wanted to immediately create something real that customers could experience. That’s what I’m doing now.\u201d<\/p>\n What about these customers? How are you going to market this product?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s been a gut feeling. I feel that if you create something great and beautiful and the experience is special, then people will come to it. It really is a faith thing.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve been marketing it by sharing the story. I believe that if I make my beliefs known, and make them clear, then others with similar beliefs and ideas will be drawn to that. There has been an overwhelming amount of feedback from different places and not all of those people will be buyers, granted, but it’s been really cool hearing stories.<\/p>\n \u201cOne guy from Italy, an engineer, reached out to me over LinkedIn and said, \u2018I love what you’re doing, it reminds me of when I was a kid in my father’s racing and prototype shop in Italy\u2019. If that\u2019s all I take away from this that’d be really special. My story is relating to his — somebody’s life — and that’s special.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like the message is resonating. That’s really the primary vehicle for marketing. Sharing the story, building trust that way, rather than working in stealth and having a ‘ta-da’ moment, and then no one really knows where it came from or who it’s from or what the story is.\u201d<\/p>\n What can you tell me about the name you\u2019ve chosen for the project? What\u2019s its significance?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCaden is my son’s name. My hope is that through my actions he will be encouraged to follow and discover his own passions and dreams. I wanted to leave behind something symbolic, a reminder for him to go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be bringing you an update on Carlos\u2019 progress in due course, but until then you can follow him and the development process of Project Caden on Instagram<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and Kinja<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Landing a position as a designer for an automaker is a dream job for many. It\u2019s the result of hard work and dedication, hours of sketching and years in design school. It\u2019s a process of honing skills that will enable the development of a portfolio that demonstrates ability and makes you stand out. Carlos Salaff was one of the lucky few to have achieved this dream. Since he was very young he\u2019s always had a passion for cars and motorsport, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[67,9,71,68],"tags":[1506,1115],"yoast_head":"\n <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n