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What do you think are the world’s best-Looking and ugliest cars?
Modern or vintage, posts pictures if you have them. Also name a milestone car, That would be one whose styling or engineering changed the direction of the auto industry.

My nominees are

53studebaker

 Best style

1953 Studebaker Starliner hardtop

 

61 Lincoln

1961 Lincoln Continental

 

 

Airflow

Milestone

1934 Chrysler Airflow

 

Juke

Ugly

Nissan Juke

 

And I can think of many others in each category. Let’s hear yours.

 

A link to last weeks post
https://ogrforum.com/t...le-chronicle-sept-13

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In my mind the most beautiful car ever put into production is the original Aston Martin Vantage - before the subsequent versions with cooling ducts, flares, etc.  It was a graceful, balanced, gorgeous shape.  I had this one for three years and really miss it. There was not an angle you could view it from that it was not breathtakingly beautiful.  My wife reminds me at least once a week that she told me not to trade it, but I did. 

Aston

The ugliest was the Pontiac Aztek.  I won't sully this forum by including a picture.

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I have always felt that the 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire is a very beautiful car.  Back in '62 (14 years old) I had a friend whose older brother had one.  Used to sit and look at it dreaming that someday we will own one also.  I never did.

 

The ugliest car, I feel, was the American Motors Gremlin.

 

 

1962_SF_cvt_rr_300x200

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There have been several beautiful production cars.

 

Despite its quirks, I always liked the Porsche 928, especially the GTS.

 

Also liked the aforementioned Aston Martin Vantage

 

If I had about $15-$20 Million lying around, I'd have a Cobra Daytona in the garage. Saw two of the six cars produced at the Concous De Elegance in Rancho Palos Verdes last weekend. Three are in North America. The other three are abroad.

By the way, if you want a "skin job" Cobra Daytona, you can get one from Superformance replicas. I don't know what they paid for licensing, but the GT40 replica I saw was beautiful.

 

As for the ugliest, between the AMC Gremlin, AMC Pacer and Pontiac Aztek, the Aztek is the hands-down ugliest. It was so ugly, that when it was born, not only did the doctor slap the parents, the doctor slapped the entire family. There wasn't a single attractive part on that...whatever it was. Like Lee, I will not violate your eyes with a photo.

Last edited by AGHRMatt

It's awfully difficult to single out one car as "the most beautiful" or "the ugliest" - but here are some contenders. 

 

Beautiful

Jaguar XKSS - the street-legal version of the D-type Le Mans car.

jaguar-d-type-xk-ss-05

Maserati A6GCS roadster 

Maserati_A6GCS_sn-2053_1954_ASE0067-2008

1954_Maserati_A6_GCS

The quintessential classic Ferrari, the Testa Rossa:

 250-Testa-Rossa

And finally, the ultimate teardrop, the Talbot Lago coupe by Figoni & Falaschi:

37_Talbot_Lago_T150_C-SS_DV-06-Q_03

Ugly

There are many, many contenders, but it's hard to top the '58 Olds:

Oldsmobile_eighty-eight_1958

Although if you wanted to try, this 1947 DeSoto (or any of the main battle tanks of the immediate postwar period) could give it a run for its money.

2008-8-28_DeSotoSuburbanRFWeb-Large

 

 

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Originally Posted by AGHRMatt:

 

 

 

 

 . . . Daytona, you can get one from Superformance replicas.

 

 

 

Both their cars are pretty close to full reproductions inside and out, with a few additions (larger radiators for AC and cooler running, etc).  About 5 years ago I looked into getting either Superformance's Daytona or GT-40.  The 40 was more  impressive - probably because it was a more advanced car back when . . .   It was particularly great when done "right" (i.e., spend about $150K) - fitted out for the street but with a balanced and blueprinted correct period V8 (no a modern fuel injection, etc) with downdraft Weber carbs, etc., and the optional "bundle of snakes" headers which you'd simple have to have) but I thought the Daytona would make the better daily driver: except it really wouldn't, even civilized as they have made it (you can add AC, power windows, leather, carpet) it's still cramped inside, and hot (the Ac just helps it not be really hot in there), and in addition to a lot of road and drive train noise, there are a lot of buzzes and vibrations and odd resonances at certain RPMs that you can't blame Superformance for: the original car no doubt had them all.

 

I will content myself with a fairly good Yat Ming model which I currently have on a shelf awaiting some place to put it on the layout. 

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
Originally Posted by AGHRMatt:

 

 

 

 

 . . . Daytona, you can get one from Superformance replicas.

 

 

 

Both their cars are pretty close to full reproductions inside and out, with a few additions (larger radiators for AC and cooler running, etc).  About 5 years ago I looked into getting either Superformance's Daytona or GT-40.  The 40 was more  impressive - probably because it was a more advanced car back when . . .   It was particularly great when done "right" (i.e., spend about $150K) - fitted out for the street but with a balanced and blueprinted correct period V8 (no a modern fuel injection, etc) with downdraft Weber carbs, etc., and the optional "bundle of snakes" headers which you'd simple have to have) but I thought the Daytona would make the better daily driver: except it really wouldn't, even civilized as they have made it (you can add AC, power windows, leather, carpet) it's still cramped inside, and hot (the Ac just helps it not be really hot in there), and in addition to a lot of road and drive train noise, there are a lot of buzzes and vibrations and odd resonances at certain RPMs that you can't blame Superformance for: the original car no doubt had them all.

 

I will content myself with a fairly good Yat Ming model which I currently have on a shelf awaiting some place to put it on the layout. 

 

I have the Yat Ming Daytona myself. Nicely done.

 

The Cobras and GT40's (and their replicated progeny) weren't really designed for creature comforts. I've heard that the GT40 was really noisy as well. They were designed for uncivilized speed. That's what you get when you go that high in the food chain, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

The original question asked about landmark cars that changed the industry.

 

c1900 De Dion-Bouton introduced the sliding-pinion gearbox, basis for all later manual transmissions, even today.

 

The Oldsmobile curved-dash c1904 was the first mass-produced car - and it was reliable.

 

1904 Mercedes introduced the layout that was to set the pattern for most cars; radiator/engine/gearbox with H change driving through a propellor shaft to the rear axle.

 

The Ford Model T - high quality materials yet low price showed what could be done to democratise motoring.  The flywheel magneto and planetary transmission based upon those of the British Lanchester.  Anybody could now change gear silently!

 

The 1912 Cadillac, first to have electric starting allowed motoring to be enjoyed equally by women.

 

The 1924 cross-plane V8 Cadillac wholly solved the former V8 vibration problems - leading to that engine form becoming nearly universal for larger cars.

 

1928 Cadillac introduced syncro-mesh enabling anyone to change gear.

 

1928, the British Daimler Co introduced the combination of 4-speed pre-selector epicyclic gearbox, fluid coupling and steering column selector, all developed in the 1930s by GM, following their purchace of one example in 1931 at the London Motor Show, into the 4-speed Hydramatic , in its turn the precursor of all automatic transmissions for the next sixty years - and counting.

 

1949 Cadillac introduce the first high-compression engine, taking advantage of high-octane fuels, giving simultaneously more power and better economy.  This was then further developed, most notably by Chrysler with the "Hemi" - a cylinder form now universal, albeit now with four valves.    

 

The 1959 Austin Se7en  & Morris Mini Minor, first of the modern transverse-engined cars, set the pattern that would progressively sweep the World over the next 40 years - and counting.

 

Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Tesla cars demonstrate we are nearing the tipping point to a new era by increasing the electrification of the powertrain of the automobile. 

Last edited by claughton1345
Originally Posted by Dennis Rempel:

I have had several real high horsepower cars, a couple that were really drag racing cars, that I drove on the street. They all had a lot of road and drivetrain noise, buzzes and vibrations, and odd resonances.

Race cars have all that and more.  In the 70's, briefly, I drove a competition Alfa Montreal for Autodelta.  That car was nothing but buzz and resonance - that overwhelmed even the exhaust of an unmuffled 2.6 liter V8 - just an amazingly rattlely, buzzy car, (but unfortunately not quite fast enough otherwise.)

 

But speed alone is no excuse for noise and uncivilized manners.  From 2005 through into 2007 my daily driver was a '02 Corvette ZO6 with a built Chevy C5R (427 cid) engine and 10 lbs boost from a centrifugal supercharger.  A lot of work went into tuning it, first at Lingenfelter and later at a local Nascar shop, but after a bit of sorting out, in street trim I could do very low tens in it, and my youngest son could get it into the very high nines without using slicks.  It had AC, leather, stereo, and no vibration, buzz, or annoying noise. Production cars carry an extra 200 lb or more of noise and vibration reduction but it's worth it if you have to drive them daily.

Monon Jim: That was my favorite color for it, but with the tanned leather interior (extra $$ option). The first year's run had the round headlights.

 Richard E. : They also reworked the fibreglass molds to make a four-door back then, too (UGLY as S---!). The last owner of the name and molds SCRAPPED them to make a Jeep-clone SUV under the Avanti name. Don't see any of those around, do ya? 

Such a sin. 

Originally Posted by Richard E:

In the '80s they replaced the '60s chrome bumpers with urethane making the styling  more contemporary.  You could put it in a new car showroom today, and it would not look out of place

25th-anniversary-avanti-ad


It looks very modern.  I guarantee you, if you put the picture above in the newspaper with the Headline "Chyrsler Announces New Electric Sports Coupe with Italian Styling" two-thirds of people would not even blink.

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Wow, a Borgward. It takes a lot of character to admit you owned a Borgward.

 

Borgward's proved and ugly isn't skin deep - it went all the way through on them.

I'm thinking you might like the 1:43 Borgward Traumwagon Version II dream car at $96.99 currently listed on eBay. It would give your layout a truly unique car.

Lee, I have about 30 1:43 non-US car models from the '50s. Most ugly is a Panhard Dyna X that I'm actually quite fond of. "Neatest" model is a '55 Renault 4 CV 4-door with the canvas top folded back.

My wife and I just got back from 10 days in France. I was impressed that I saw very few "imports". It seemed 90% of the cars were Renaults, Citroens, and Peugeots. A number of them looked big and expensive.

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Yeah, Panhard Dyna - that was an ugly car. (see below).

 

I'm not going to spring for the Borgward Traumwagon on e-bay - more of a mightmare than a dream by the way.  But you can buy it new for $56 plus $12 shipping from Amazon.  I do have a Borgward Isabella though - looks sort of like a big, ugly VW Karmann Ghia.

That thing looks like a fat salamander with its tongue out...A happy salamander, but a salamander non the less.  

i understand it was a pretty good car though. And if they had put a good looking front end on it, it would have been acceptable, but VW always had to make a statement about "no radiator" and all and draw that to the world's attention. 

 

But back to Borgward: the thing about that name is that is sounds like an ugly car.  I expect it to be uglyjust based on the sound.  It was really a pretty pitiful company - sort of the Wolseley of German cars.

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