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50 Years of Ugly Cars --You Be The Judge! - READ ONLY

54 messages,  Last post on Nov 10, 2010 at 6:09 PM

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#1 of 54 50 Years of Ugly Cars --What Do You Think? by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 08, 2010 (11:39 am)

Yes, yes, beauty *IS* in the eye of the beholder, but I have to say, aside from 4 or 5 on the list that I might defend, by and large these do seem to be the homely pups in the litter.
 
Why do you think Car X or Car Y made the list? What is it about certain cars that, time and again, seem to offend most people's sense of style?
 
50 Years of Ugly Cars
 
 
 
Be sure to specify which car you are talking about when you post a comment.
 

#2 of 54 Re: 50 Years of Ugly Cars --What Do You Think? [Mr_Shiftright] by steve_ HOST

Nov 08, 2010 (12:00 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 08, 2010 11:39 am)
Without plowing through all 50 pages of photos (no doubt with a bunch of ads on every page), from a few thumbnail clicks, I'd say they didn't really try hard enough.
 
I don't mind the Brat (I don't much mind that style rig anyway, from Rancheros to the SSR), and the Hummer may not be your cup of tea, but it works for what it is. And the boxy Volvo 240? That's practically a classic. The Prius isn't any more offensive than a Probe or Corolla.

#3 of 54 .... by anythngbutgm

Nov 08, 2010 (12:50 pm)

Ya, a lot of those on the list appear to be more personal preference of the author than actually ugly.
 
For the time, the El Camino was inoffensive IMO and the the 240? That was the style that pretty much put Volvo on the radar for a lot of buyers. Functional, safe and solid. Same with the original Mercury Sable. The Taurus it was based off was the quintessential turning point for mainstream midsize family sedan styling IMO.
 
Also, the Cimarron wasn't ugly!!! It was a cheap piece of garbage but there is nothing about it that I would call ugly. Tasteless? yes. Ugly? no.
 
Other notable disagreements for me would be the RAV4, Prowler, PT, Prius, IQ, Baja, New Beetle and Element which I am especially fond of... nice of them to pick the dullest color combo possible on that one.
 
I'd replace a few of those with cars like the BMW Isetta, Studebaker Avanti, Citroen D-type or SM, AMC Matador, Toyota MR-S...
 
And the Enzo??? Really? Has this guy never seen a Mitsuoka Orochi?
 

#4 of 54 Re: .... [anythngbutgm] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 08, 2010 (1:05 pm)

Replying to: anythngbutgm (Nov 08, 2010 12:50 pm)
The Volvo 240 is more "homely" than ugly. I mean, it doesn't make babies jump of their carriages like some cars. But it is certainly not much more than a lump of metal, in that configuration. Maybe the problem with the 240 is that it stayed the same far too long and began to be noticeably dated while other cars were going "aero".
 
Oh I think the Prius is pretty ungainly. I suppose a hippopotamus is not at all ugly to another hippo, but seeing the Prius wallowing down the street is not a pretty sight IMO.
 
The Element doesn't win any awards but I'm not offended by it. Ditto the El Camino and the Cimarron. The Cimarron is guilty of being bland, not ugly.
 
The Avanti suffers from being totally out of fashion to the modern eye. The shovel nose is simply no longer appealing I think to modern sensibilities. It's rather awkward. One has to be very very careful about the "nose" of a car, more than any other part of it.
 

#5 of 54 Ha! by nippononly

Nov 08, 2010 (1:21 pm)

50 cars on that list, and my Echo is not among them. Proof positive its styling is a winner!

#6 of 54 Re: .... [Mr_Shiftright] by anythngbutgm

Nov 08, 2010 (1:23 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 08, 2010 1:05 pm)
I guess I'm in the norm because I don't find the Prius to be all that offensive. It was a case of form follows function and the low drag levels help fuel mileage while the hatchback offers the utility over a conventional Corolla.
 
No it's not a beauty queen either but ugly? I would give that nod to the original EV-1 myself...
 

#7 of 54 I have to "echo" other posters by nippononly

Nov 08, 2010 (1:24 pm)

in saying this list misses the mark more than once. The New Beetle and the PT Cruiser? This guy is seriously reaching.
 
And some like the Element and the Cube are designed to be polarizing - if you don't like 'em, you just don't understand, that's all. Same with the SSR, GM's cartoon truck.

#8 of 54 Re: Ha! [nippononly] by anythngbutgm

Nov 08, 2010 (1:28 pm)

Replying to: nippononly (Nov 08, 2010 1:21 pm)
I don't see how the Echo deserved all the criticism it got yet the original Daewoo Aveo of the same era got a free pass...
 

 

 
At least the Echo was reliable.

#9 of 54 Re: .... [anythngbutgm] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 08, 2010 (1:35 pm)

Replying to: anythngbutgm (Nov 08, 2010 1:23 pm)
I think you have to stand next to a Prius and walk around it for a moment. It's not bad from the front but as you get the profile and then that whale-butt....I dunno...it's not the UGLIEST car by any means....but on a scale of 1 (Citroen Ami6) to 10 (whatever beautiful car you pick) I'd give the Prius about a 3 or 4
 
ECHO -- again, awkward when you see a real one and you stare at it. Something is just not right with that car---the rear windows I think and how the belt line works its way up to a stubby rear deck. It's a tad disturbing but not offensive.

#10 of 54 Re: .... [Mr_Shiftright] by steve_ HOST

Nov 08, 2010 (1:36 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 08, 2010 1:35 pm)
I'd buy one.
 
Come to think of it, friends have an ECHO, but I liked the Tercel better. The ECHO got a bit inflated.
 
I like a lot of Citroëns too, lol.

Messages Page 1 of 6

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