O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle June 19

The Edsel was actually produced in 1960. I actually saw one out here in San Bernardino (a red Ranger coupe like the one below) about a year ago in immaculate shape.

Basically, it was a 1960 Ford Galaxy with different front/rear sheet metal.

I actually liked the way the 1960 Edsel looked compared to its predecessors, though the 1959's styling did seem to be headed in the right direction.

The Aztec has to be the worst ever. It needed a large "brown bag" from the start.

I could certainly add personal thoughts to some on this list.  Because of the Pacer's

innovative styling, I bought stock in AMC and later sold it at a small profit, probably due to that first year's popularity.  One make that had some startling styling in

the '30's was Hupmobile, first with cycle fendered cars, and then with similar to

Chrysler "ugly Hupp" streamlined cars for the mid-Thirties.  I would watch an old

farmer drive by in an ugly-Hupp coupe while I waited for the school bus.  I'd like

one of each, cycle-fendered and mid-Thiries coupes.  During the Depression, for Chrysler and Hupp, I fear the public was loath to get very far from the familiar. The whole Kaiser-Frazer thing was based on the mundane, a generic car....flat head sixes (right when Olds was installing overhead valve V-8's), hind sight to me says the Olds was then the car to buy.  Unexciting styling, no hardtop coupes (with V-8's, the invogue styling trend).

I was in an Illinois collector's huge collection, and looked at a prototype V-8 Kaiser

he had, but heard nothing about that while Kaiser was offered.

Their styling (lack thereof) seems to be the opposite of Tucker, Chrysler, and Hupp,

but to an extreme, as though retreating from the latter two's experience.

That is most of the market today, 2015, generic four doors, real yawners.  Deja' vu,

all over again.  The Edsel was a restyled, rebadged, Mercury, how mechanically

different from Mercury?  Or, even from Ford, which I think contributed to Mercury's

demise,too.  I don't think rebadging sells.  The peak for GM was when all its five

brands had different engines, from each other, and from compeitors who too many

had only side valve sixes to offer.

Tucker was a flop, but I think that was due to outside forces, and vicious competition.  Like K-F, the Henry J-Allstate, and Willys were generic cars. As a car nut, I have

strong, personal opinions about cars, past and present.  Others may differ and do,

for they buy other brands. FWIW.

      "Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder"     

I have liked the Nissan Cube type body style since it's introduction. Say what you will. The fact is, they were very roomy inside. The newer renditions by other manufactures are following the same path.

                 "Plain Butt Ugly, Pure And Simple"       

It's newer, however, the PT Cruiser belongs at the very top of the list.

A couple of comments:

Airflow: "Unusual styling" is a polite way of saying most people thought it was ugly. A lot of people say "it was just ahead of it's time," but if you look at it 20 years later it still looks weird (although compared to the tanks of the late 40's, it does look pretty good). Chrysler changed the grille in 1935, swapping out the "waterfall" grille for something more normal looking. Richard's picture shows the 1934 model with the original grille. The Airflow was also the victim of a well-orchestrated smear campaign by its competitors, mainly GM. 

Edsel: I seem to be the only one who actually liked the styling of the '58 Edsel. I thought it looked better than that year's Fords and Mercuries. In addition to being introduced in a recession, the Edsel suffered from brand identity confusion. It was an attempt to compete with GM's three mid-market entries, but it lacked a clear identity and in an era when cars were status symbols, that hurt. The early Edsels also suffered some quality control problems, which hurt their reputation. 

Here are some 1/43 Airflows. I may have posted these pictures before, but since the Airflow is part of today's subject, here they are.

 1934 Airflow by Western Models

A pair of 1935 models by Rextoys, a 1934 by Brooklin, and a 1934 by Western Models. Rextoys made the Airflow in many variations, including taxi, police car, fire chief, and various colors.

A pair of silver 35's - IXO on the left, Rextoys on the right. I think the IXO version is also available as a White Box item. The otherwise excellent IXO model lacks the roof insert found on the others. Back in the day they didn't have stamping presses big enough to do a whole roof unit, so they were pieced together and there was a visible center piece that looked like a sunroof but wasn't.

Let's change horses a bit and show you a beautiful Olds convertible.

To go with cars that failed, how about cars with weird names? I've always enjoyed cars (and other products) with strange, inexplicable names. Two of my favorites from the 1930's are the Hudson Terraplane and the Studebaker Dictator. I suppose the Terraplane was meant to evoke some kind of ultra-modern, airplane-like automobile roaming the highways and byways of America, but it still sounds weird. And I cannot imagine why Studebaker would name a car the Dictator. This was the era when Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini were on the rise - what were they thinking? Perhaps the Roman origin of the word - Cincinnatus, or Julius Caesar? I cannot imagine.

There have been all kinds of foreign brands that sound just fine in their native language but come off in English as funny. I once got sent to Vienna for a couple of months (my lucky day, the same people sent me to Liberia in the middle of a civil war), and I was absolutely delighted to find a popular beer called Wieselburger. It was just fun ordering a Wieselburger at lunch.

Here are the Terraplane (left) and the Dictator (center), along with a Studebaker President roadster. All three by Brooklin. 

Brian(PTC),

To me it's the ultimate driving machine. A 1957 Oldsmobile Super 98. One could order the hi-performance package. Thank you!, for posting such a beautiful photo.

Spence,

I stand corrected, Thank you! (I was looking at one and thinking of my other favorite). The body lines are so sensuous. Another favorite is the 1958 Chevrolet Impala w/optional 348 Tri-Power.

Pappy; I believe that's a 1957.

How about the Toyota FJ cruiser? It looks like the front and back were each designed by two different committees which never talked with one another until the day a third group put each end together on a frame. I've never seen a car which looks like each end belongs with a totally different opposite end:

I always look forward to this thread and the weekly topic.  What I don't understand is why some people post photos that have no relevance to the weekly topic?     

Tom B

I think the ultimate expression of sheer automotive ugly is the Daimler SP250:

That's my wife's car. It is strange looking but rides nice and has a decent amount of room inside, especially head room.

Sorta looks like a catfish, doesn't it?

I know where there is a old guy on top of a hill that had a bunch of Airflows on his property, they may still be there.

Sorry njocjoe thats a ugly car.

I put a Olds in a Henery J in the 60's, it was a fast car back then.

That Dalmier is ugly too, I don't normally say someones car is unattractive.

I am not looking for any, but somebody is, if you've seen those Airflows lately.  A high

school acquaintance is the other person I have heard of who souped up a Henry J.

He was an artist who did all the rod striping, and I think, antiques, at the time...I

think he is still in the Louisville, Ky. area, per a friend of mine.

A friend got me one of those "GAZ" Russian Model A models, a touring car, which was a little unique. On first look, I thought it was undersized, but it is the size of both

an Ertl Model T and a Brooklin Model A.  It is a plastic model, not die cast, but looks

exactly like a 1930-31 Model A Ford (I can't differentiate between these two years, but there are subtle differences...1929, first year for Chevrolet OHV six, and the 1930 Chevy have an identical distinctive hood louvre pattern and radiator shape, while

the 1931 Model A and the 1931 Chevrolet probably looked more alike that one year than any other) except for the Cyrillic license plates that will have to be painted over or covered.   One of the cereal brands when I was a kid offered miniature license plates from all the states to collect.  Wonder where I can find 1940 O scale plates to

print out?  Will do a search.

I am also looking for a couple of those GAZ "Model A" buses.

Joe, "That's my wife's car"!

It's still ugly!

What state? It's not that tough to find them on a google search. I've even go so far as to create a template for the state and year I needed, then started collecting a bunch of numbers so I could create whatever county code and number I needed...

Here's a few from back before I had a lot more numbers.

Look in the Scenery Sourcelist under signs, (World License Plates. 

Dave G.

I have IXO's model of the Airflow. A VERY fine model for about $35.. The detail, especially the "trim", is stunning.

Its a Japanese tall boy or tall wagon style Kei car.   As a Kei car, its length and width dimensions and engine displacement are controlled by strict regulations but these vehicles often encompass advanced technologies like forced-induction engines or CV transmissions. Japanese Kei cars are rarely exported, but the Nissan Cube appears to be exactly the same in Japan or North America.

Kei cars have major tax advantages in Japan: 3% vehicle excise tax versus 5%, 30% lower automobile weight tax, lower compulsory automobile insurance payments, and lower annual road tax base on lower engine displacement.

I said I would do a search, AND, found yellow 1940 Colorado plates are there on the net, free to print out. (When all else fails, do a search)

CAR-TOON

Actually, it isn't all that bad.  If they would change the front and rear bodywork, make the doors longer, rake the windshield another 10 degrees and paint it a different color it would suit me just fine.

Love the wheels.

Combining tail fins, a Cadillac "V" on a vacuum cleaner grill, and Jaguar XK120 headlights just did not work.