I realize that the Tesla Cybertruck is a polarizing vehicle for a variety of reasons; I myself may have contributed to some of this polarizingnessitude, and I think we as an organization have accepted the futility of any sort of objectivity when it comes to this particular vehicle. That said, I think there may be one trait of the Cybertruck that everyone can agree on: the front of it is so blank and featureless that it could become an ideal canvas for changing the overall look and feel of the car in some simple yet dramatic ways.
How? Through the magic of stickers!
Well, maybe this is decals, or a partial wrap, or something similar. What I’m getting at is the Cybertruck’s boldly featureless front end is both a strange, unfeeling cypher, but also a potential place to really have some fun. And it’s not just me who thinks so; this little video clip was making the rounds recently:
I realize the caption on there states that whoever post or shot that claims to hate it, but I think they’re wrong, deeply, embarrassingly wrong! That Chevy K10 truck face completely changes the look and feel of the Cybertruck, and where there was once an uncomfortably empty expanse of unfeeling stainless, now we have a face, something to relate to, to anthropomorphize, and allow us to indulge in some healthy pareidolia! If you have a Cybertruck and feel like it’s missing some character that you associate with other cars and trucks, I think this may be a godsend.
Our own The Bishop made a quick edit to a frame of that video, replacing the Chevy face with a Ford F-150 Bricknose face:
It kind of works in a strange way, right? I think so. This got me thinking about what other fun and iconic car/truck face-decals might work well on the Cybertruck. I think they’d just need to be pretty rectangular and wide, proportionally, but I think there are a lot of great options. I mean, look at all this open real estate:
So what would work well here? I think the first obvious one would be that other stainless-steel, crisp-edged wedge of a car, the DeLorean DMC-12!
That works pretty well! It actually kind of feels like what a DeLorean truck could have been! But what if you want something more classic and rugged? Something low-tech, to contrast the high-tech tone of the Cybertruck? How about this?
An International Scout! This makes the Cybertruck feel a little more approachable, I think. Still feels simple and capable, though, and I like how that mesh grille works there. But maybe we should try something that relies less on a grille? Something unexpected? Something French! Like, say, a Renault 8 Gordini!
The Selective Yellow French headlights really sell this one I think, and, as a rear-engined car, there’s no grille to deal with. Just lights and that little Renault diamond. I almost think this look would be worth doing for real, with actual yellow foglamps installed.
How about another obscure-in-America European car?
A British Ford Cortina! This gives the brutalist Cybertruck a lot more style, I think, and a certain connoisseur’s sophistication. Now, if you want to go in the opposite direction, and embrace a more shitboxy sort of feeling, what about a Chevette?
I wonder what the market is for Cybertruck owners who want their trucks to look like Chevettes. I bet it’s fairly exclusive. This one should have more mass-market appeal:
A classic early Ford Mustang! It’s strange how well that mid-’60s Mustang face adapts to these huge low-polygonal slabs of body. That works better than it should.
Maybe instead of strictly nostalgic, you want friendly; how about a gen-1 Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit?
There’s a simple affability about the early Rabbits, with their big round headlight eyes and simple horizontal grille. I always liked the look of them; they felt at ease and comfortable with themselves, traits that I think certainly can’t hurt the Cybertruck.
There are so many more options! Tons of good cars with wide faces that have character and charm the Cybertruck could benefit from. Fiat Pandas? Ford Galaxies? Jensen Interceptors? I say if you feel an urge, grab that blank Cybertruck face from this post and throw something together and put it in the comments!
Can we post images in comments yet? Crap. Well, still, maybe just tell me about it, then.
Citron H Van for the win!
1000 (1000×667)
Those are ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!
How about the “4×4×4” from the nose of the Super Clod Buster? At least they’re both electric, dual motor, and 4wd…
A Cybertruck would be a good candidate for a “Dazzle” paint scheme, or “Razzle Dazzle” camouflage as used during WWI and II on navy ships. It was employed in an attempt to confuse the enemy about a ships range, speed, orientation and class. I saw a CT yesterday that was just solid gloss black, which was just a missed opportunity and also accentuated waves and defects in the slab like flanks. If a CT owner really wants to stand out like the first class A-hole they are striving to be, a bold, blocky Dazzle paint scheme would do the job.
Either that or disguise it as a large commercial trash dumpster, which it naturally resembles straight from the factory.
I was going to go razzle dazzle but I see it here – nice call
I like how the front end makes them all look wall-eyed.
Love it! When the plastic broke in the grille of my 1983 Citroën 2CV (metal mesh behind it still there), I replaced it with the round star logo from an old Mercedes-Benz 508D Düsseldorfer: Fit right in! And looked fun and strange and cool and quite nofucksgiven’ish
In the 90’s my local car place had a Vauxhall Astra Van (Google tells me it was an Astramax) for parts deliveries.
They’d put the front bumper and wheels from a GTE on it, and had the side panels painted to look like it had the low sloping rear window and spoiler of the GTE on it.
It looked fantastic. Like one of those plumbers’ trucks with what looks like a toilet on the driver’s door, but for car people.
Anyway, still haven’t seen a Cybertruck as they aren’t legal here, like the Nissan Z. It’s a compromise I’m happy with.
For me, looks would be secondary. What the CT needs, first and foremost, are corner bumpers like they sell at IKEA for newly-minted parents.
I understand the general idea of using that ugly flat face for a decal, but fake lights look wrong. Find some designs that upgrade the visual appearance of the rolling dumpster (not a high hurdle to clear), but don’t depict something that isn’t there.
Compromise: a hidden headlight design, something from the ’60s.
A pack of those crappy stick-on touch lights from Home Depot ought to do it!
Or some googly eyes. Dealer’s choice.
Googly eyes sound like a good idea to me.
Would low-profile, cosmetic headlights be legal? Something that just looks the part?
These are all pretty cool, although I’m guessing that the number of CT owners who’ve heard of either the Gordini or the Cortina to be precisely zero. OTOH, I’ll bet you could sell a fair number of the F-150 wraps, and an Escalade version would likely do well.
A fake nose and glasses, because the wank panzer is ashamed. The facelifted Model Y is equally blank, perhaps some BMW nostrils?
It is kinda weird if you think about when the model 3 came out people were ordering fake grill stickers. Most of the cyber truck wraps I’ve seen are very boring normally just white or black. I did see one that had a 65 Ford gt wrap that I thought was an interesting choice it took me a minute to realize what I was looking at.
there’s one in my area which has a sort of blue lightning wrap. certainly stands out
This is hands down the saddest thing I’ve seen in a while. Nothing will make a Cybertruck cool. Nothing. Cybertrucks cosplaying as other vehicles just adds another layer of sadness and desperation.
What, no Gordon Keeble face?
Or an Edsel!
Someone needs to apply a wrap that looks like 20 years of saltwater expose – rust so bad there are open wounds and jagged rocker panels.
And extend it to the plastic bumpers, because faux rust patina wraps always pretend that plastic rusts
There is a Challenger out there like that
Miata is the answer.
Jason, you’ve done a marvelous take on the front end of the Cybertruck and what simple improvements would work there, although you did miss the google eyes. Please do a take on the rear end, which needs as much design improvement as the front end; all I see when behind one is a (Cyber) Dumpster.
You guys could honestly sell these, I am not joking. That’s a solid business idea.
I’m sure both the Cybertruck owners will be thrilled.
But the market would be too small, haha
I’d buy one to put on my neighbor’s CT…
Just gotta be sneaky
Yeah, but zero tooling costs, can be printed to order.
Except it’s the non-cybertruck owners who love them.
The bowtie on one of those is an abomination that will die in a blazing inferno after being struck by divine lightning! Like not killing a mockingbird, Fenway always being green, and Ralphie getting a Red Ryder BB gun every single damn Christmas, some things in this world are sacred! Next, we’ll be painting a mustache on Mona Lisa, remodeling the jungle room at Graceland, and the Mighty Crimson Tide from the great state of Alabama will wear blue and orange(forgive me Bear…cough…Lord) during the Iron Bowl.
Have you no shame, Mr Torchinsky?! To quote Atticus Finch, “the temerity!”
There is a tear on the crest of my cheek at this very moment from just the thought of such a blasphemous rumor…I mean idea.
Those look good, but out of the 4 sides of the thing, I feel like the front is the most ‘finished’, or at the least giant metal slab. The sides and tailgate are where they really need some detail. I do like the wraps where they add some riveted panel looks and what not, just to give it some definition.
There’s one driving around Dallas with big googly eyes stuck on the front of it, so credit where it’s due for someone trying!
I was just going to suggest that! I still wouldn’t like it, but I’d but be happy about how many people I make laugh. Googly eyes in unexpected places are always fun.
I saw the pictures when they came out, but seeing a few in person in the many months since, it’s still stunning how much more offensive they are to look at or share the road with. Even worse than the various iterations of Hummers.
I laugh at them even without googly eyes.
Right? I’m almost embarrassed for them. Actually, I’m fully embarrassed for them. But… not sympathetic for them. At all.
Edsel!
Breakdown of Sales by Model Year:
Sales Breakdown:
Of course, Edsel was essentially directly replaced by the new Comet brand for 1960, which sold 116,300 in its first model year and over 197,000 for 1961, before being folded into Mercury for 1962
I would be thrilled to see one of those things with any of those designs you imagined out in the wild.
Every single one of these is better looking than the original.
Thanks for making my day today. 🙂
Looking at the embedded video I’m seeing more Chevy LUV than K10.