Today's Cars.

[LabelKing]

The cars of today are entirely homogenous from a Saturn to a Maybach to the hideous Rolls Royces--looking like an SUV sized down and with paltry bits of chrome, and the figure attached for a cheap effect. They all have that bulbous, slightly plastic look, and seemingly sleekness is a lost attribute even though ostensibly their main point is some sort of an aerodynamic shape. At one point all auto firms had a very distinct, almost national identity. A Jaguar looked like a Jaguar, a Mercedes looked like a Mercedes while an Opel looked like an Opel. Even the various Italian marques that patronized the same design firms as Pininfarina, Ghia, Zagato, etc. managed to look individual. One couldn't mistake a Fiat for a Lancia. Moreover Paul Bracq's 1970s BMW designs had no particular similarity to his earlier Mercedes-Benz portfolio

compared with:

 

[chrysalid]

platform sharing, ever more stringent safety regulations and the reliance on marketing committees have all taken their toll on the freedom of the car designer, and in turn the individuality of the products.

there are, to my eyes at least, glimmers of hope. i feel particularly happy to see citroen has re-found some of it's dark, brooding and slightly sinister gallic charm.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by chrysalid

platform sharing, ever more stringent safety regulations and the reliance on marketing committees have all taken their toll on the freedom of the car designer, and in turn the individuality of the products. there are, to my eyes at least, glimmers of hope. i feel particularly happy to see citroen has re-found some of it's dark, brooding and slightly sinister gallic charm.

What it seems to me is that a modern Toyota Corrola is not as safe as a 1966 Lincoln Continental despite all the press of World Safety Awards and whatnot. Fortunately, Citroen has always been very different even in this age of similarity. It reminds me of the SM although much less angular, and sexy:

Somehow most modern cars seem to rely on rounding off past designs, and downplaying the chrome and playing up the plastic.

 

[chrysalid]

it's not just about crashing in a car, it's also about being hit by one, and i'd rather be hit by a corolla with its soft bonnet and lack of ornament (unless i knew it would kill me, in which case death by continental is far more appealing).

i saw my first sm in the flesh a couple of months ago, i stopped, got out and stared for about 5 minuntes - they are low and wide and beautiful.

my major bugbear with modern car design is the pillars. all of the old cars you highlighted have thin and delicate pillars that give the cars a feeling of lightness or litheness, and accentuate the usually low waistlines, imo the most feminine part of a car. all modern cars have big fat dumpy pillars that visually fatten a car, isolate and hide the driver from the outside world and also impairs the visibility. i presume this is for safety as well, i would much rather roll c corolla than a continental (jesus could you imgagine the mess?).
delicate:

ungainly:

as a side note, i am not a big fan of ian callum and the shapes he has inspired.

 

[johnapril]

SUVs are a hoax. It's a four-seater on a light truck platform. What's the gain?

Death to SUVs. Hezbollah to SUVs.

 

[otterhound]

Nissan and Chrysler have been a bit more adventurous lately. The Chrysler Crossfire and Infiniti FX are interesting.

 

[Bouji]

Originally Posted by johnapril

SUVs are a hoax. It's a four-seater on a light truck platform. What's the gain?

Death to SUVs. Hezbollah to SUVs.



El mauut talll SUV

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by johnapril

SUVs are a hoax. It's a four-seater on a light truck platform. What's the gain?

Death to SUVs. Hezbollah to SUVs.

You mean Jihad, no? Jihad to SUV's.

Jon.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

My favourite has always been the Facel Vega:

!luc

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

And this is my current car:

!luc

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Luc-Emmanuel

And this is my current car:

!luc
Where is it?

 

[DNW]

I think part of the homogenation comes from the fact that most of these companies are public ones. They have to please their shareholders, not the eccentric designer or quirky owner. It's all about chasing the buck. And where does the buck lies? With the great middle class, obviously.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

I think part of the homogenation comes from the fact that most of these companies are public ones. They have to please their shareholders, not the eccentric designer or quirky owner. It's all about chasing the buck. And where does the buck lies? With the great middle class, obviously.
Clearly inferior.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

I think part of the homogenation comes from the fact that most of these companies are public ones. They have to please their shareholders, not the eccentric designer or quirky owner. It's all about chasing the buck. And where does the buck lies? With the great middle class, obviously.

The middle class is buying the Bentley Flying Spur the LK posted?

Jon.

 

[Nantucket Red]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

The middle class is buying the Bentley Flying Spur the LK posted?

Jon.

Probably not this week.

On a personal note, I've never seen a Rolls I liked. Even the antique ones are garish misproportioned monstrosities, and the new Phantom . . . well, LK said it best.