Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

Let’s be honest — if you’re into power, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 is one of the most significant cars of the past year. With a gigantic supercharged engine, ridiculously large brakes and enough carbon fiber to make the kids squeal, this supercar really does turn heads. Pro tip: To get yourself noticed, it helps when the test car shows up in metallic orange on a sunny day.

Not only does the car act the part of “Lamborghini Hater,” the ZR-1 looks the part. With harsh new fenders, a low carbon fiber front spoiler, a carbon fiber roof, a unique rear spoiler and at least seven functioning air intakes along the body panels and hood (including its ever-so-subtle hood scoop), the ZR-1 gives the appearance of a Corvette that’s just busting at the seams with power and pure ferocity. Top it all off with a clear plastic cut-out in the carbon fiber hood that reveals the supercharger on top of the engine, and you’ve got yourself an instant head-turner that’s miles away from its closest competitor. Two words: burning rubber.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Muscle Car FaceOff

If your ear is to the ground concerning all things automotive, you’ll already know Detroit now offers up three V-8 muscle cars. Per my wishes and dreams, the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, the 2010 Ford Mustang GT and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS showed up at the office last week. As my colleagues at Cars.com decided to put these three to the test on the road, I decided it was time for a proper photo showdown. After two years of gawking at them individually, I finally put them all in the same pasture just to see how they looked together. And, oh man, did they look pretty.

As an homage to the era that spawned the original muscle cars (the 1970s) — and a tip of the cap to the newly departed late, great film, Kodachrome — these photos were color-corrected to match the bright cyans and saturated oranges that made Kodachrome ISO 64 film and its prints so spectacular. Enjoy.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

I stumbled across a great quote from @TheRealAutoBlog on Twitter the other day that summed up the performance driving experience that is the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V: “It should come with a trunk full of bail money.” Outside that commentary, because I'm not a car reviewer by trade, I’ll just let the car speak for itself.

Aesthetically, the CTS-V is the pinnacle sedan design in GM’s lineup. I have been in love with the radical direction that Cadillac has taken in the past 10 years. After all its design accomplishments and failures, the interior and exterior of this car are nearly flawless. Featuring hard lines from front to back, mixed with premium materials and one mean-looking face, the CTS-V connects with both luxury and performance audiences.

My favorite exterior aspect of this car is the headlight casings and the framing they create for the front of the car. Whether you see a CTS-V in the middle of the night or the middle of the day, these distinct angled lights and casings give off a unique impression. On the inside, Cadillac’s disappearing touch navigation screen is above and beyond anything else on the market and just one minor detail in what I would argue is the best dashboard I’ve seen.

The design of this car raises the bar for the Cadillac brand. Let's hope that when the new GM has risen from its own ashes we'll see more cars that meet the design standard set by the CTS-V.  

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata

As roadsters go, there are very few cars in the current market that make my head spin. I could whittle that list down to two vehicles in particular, and when I get my hands on a 2010 BMW Z4, it will also grace the pages of Through Ian’s Lens. But until then, I will be quite happy with the new 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Cat-like headlights, pronounced fenders and Mazda's new smiling grille are the first things that catch my attention on the MX-5. From there, the stamped hood, trunklid curve and new taillights give this traditional-looking MX-5 Miata a modern upgrade. The best thing about this roadster? The designers over at Mazda created a great-looking car even with the top up — a rarity in modern roadsters.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Rolls Royce Phantom

When the nation is in troubling economic times, car manufacturers are filing for Chapter 11 and talk about expensive cars means you might spend $30K on a sedan, the name “Rolls-Royce” is the last thing you’ll hear in the news. Well, the only reason I’m mentioning it now is because at Cars.com, we never get our hands on one. So when Rolls-Royce asked if we would like to test-drive and photograph the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupé and the Extended Wheelbase Phantom, we jumped at the chance.

As a historical design icon, Rolls-Royce keeps up its legacy while adding cutting-edge technology that puts a modern twist on a classic look. As new screens, buttons and creatively lit headliners are added, the wood, fine leather, lamb’s wool carpet and plush interior quality reinforce the fact that the current Phantom is still, above all else, a Rolls-Royce: Decadent, over-the-top and way too comfortable — three things my car will never be. But I can envy them, right? And how can you not adore that hood ornament? On these models, you can even electronically retract it before it ends up on a chain around some suburban kid’s neck.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL550

With so many models, trims, engines, SUVs, coupes, roadsters, convertibles, crossovers, sedans — sometimes I wonder how anyone holds it together on the showroom floor at a Mercedes-Benz dealership without exploding with confusion. As Mercedes continues the daunting task of updating the designs of its many models, I want them to leave one class intact and as-is.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe GXP

In the wake of General Motors filing for bankruptcy, I would like to take a moment of silence to honor the short life of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP coupe (pause). Now that the moment has passed, I would like to remember the Solstice coupe as one of the prettiest cars I’ve seen come off a General Motors assembly line in the past five years. This little two-door will only be produced in a small run this year, then will disappear forever as Pontiac closes its doors.

As for the design of this coupe, the swooping hatch reminds me of a crossbreed between Corvettes and Porsches of yore, while even the nose harks back a bit to the British two-seaters of yesteryear. If that’s not enough for you to take a second look, the only production model we could find in the flesh to shoot was painted in a racing yellow, which, well, left a lot to be desired. Why can’t more fleet cars be black? I’d even take gunmetal gray ...

I honestly wish I’d had a chance to drive it. But, alas, we will never see the likes of it again. Adieu, little buddy, adieu.

Through Ian's Lens: 2010 Kia Soul

In spite of dreary economic times, some car companies are manufacturing cars that look and feel cutting-edge. Spending money to make your wheels flashy may become a thing of the past for some car buyers, but now manufacturers are highlighting inexpensive cars with quality parts that create an aftermarket look and feel without the extra cash. Enter the 2010 Kia Soul, a boxy, four-door SUV-meets-hatchback that’s pitted itself against the Scion xB and the new Nissan Cube. The Soul is designed for young, hip twentysomethings, and it’s priced to sell.

The headlights and taillights are exceptional. The lamps and turn signals were plucked straight off a concept car and plopped right onto this production model. The taillights are tall, narrow triangles, while the headlights are multi-angled and covered in enough chrome to make an aftermarket light kit look like a flashlight.

The design aspect that most gives the Soul its edgy character is the shape of the car itself. The Soul’s outer shell has a rounded nose, matched with harsh window accents and sloped body lines. Its flat roof accentuates the angle of the front grille and windshield, while the flat back makes the rounded wheel wells look as if the car is moving while it’s standing still. It reminds me of a shopping cart being propelled at an insane speed down a hill.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Acura TL

My first reaction to the 2009 Acura TL was one of great conflict. How in the world did the highly trained automotive designers at Acura leave that ugly plate of chrome on the front of that poor car? In all honesty, I think the designers at Acura were working on something bigger than replacing a grille on a car. They were hard at work instituting design cues that the entire Acura line of cars could execute. After spending some time with the nose of the TL, I can see what they were aiming for. And I really like it.

The 2009 Acura TL is a sharp-looking car that takes the Acura brand to a new level of quality. With a brutish front end that contains a large chunk of matte chrome paint, the TL looks like a Honda Accord dressed up for a “Star Trek” convention (in a good way). Sharp lines from the front flow through the body panels and end at the rear of the car, near the sharp taillights. All this aggressive movement ends at a vertical point in the middle of the trunk. This symmetry allows the TL to look mean from all angles.

Check out the quality of the interior by looking at the full set of photos below. Please leave your remarks in the comments section, and feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster: Through Ian's Lens

With round hips and flared wheelwells, the new Nissan 370Z Roadster carries on the longstanding design tradition of Z cars. With its sharp front and back light clusters contrasting with the curvy front and rear ends, the lack of a roofline gives this Z a winding-road-on-a-sunny-day feel. I was worried the soft-top would ruin the overall design of this car, but let’s be honest — no one is going to drive this bad boy in the rain or snow. Sun lovers rejoice.

A full set of photos is below; please leave your remarks in the comments section. Feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.