sgraber
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| posted on 26/1/04 at 09:31 PM |
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What makes a car beautiful?
I was able to attend the Barrett/Jackson Auction in Scottsdale this past weekend and I saw many unbelievably beautiful cars. Later, my friends that I
went with and I were discussing beauty, as it relates to cars. What exactly is it about certain cars that makes them universally attractive?
Since then I have asked other people the same question. The responses I have received can be divided into two camps. The first are references to some
other car they like, e.g., "The front of a Jag, rear like a Corvette". The second are references to female anatomy "rear end looks
like a woman's sensual hips, front curves remind of breasts," etc. Neither approach really answers the question.
My theory is that there are two elements to consider. First involves proportions of the various parts relative to each other. The second has to do
with qualities of the curves throughout the design. From the 70s up until recently a lot of designs made use of large, relatively flat panels,
connected by small radius curves. Typical sedan, truck, etc., bodies.
Now we are seeing in a lot of the retro designs a nod back to the intermediate-radius shapes.
Why are these radii so appealing? I think it has something to do with the way highlights reflect off them. With car in which large, flat panels are
connected by tight radii, the highlights are reduced to dots, unless you happen to be at just the right position for a flat panel to catch the sun.
With "just-right" radii on the various body panels, every panel will produce a highlight. All the highlights will be of a
"good" visual quality.
In a sense, the selection of radii and proportions is from a spectrum. On one end you have the first gen Hummer, old land rovers, etc. On the other
end you have the jelly bean, low Cd cars. The idea in creating a successful design is to find the sweet spot on that spectrum.
What do you think?
Here is an image of a beautiful car. Notice the reflections and highlights.
Steve Graber
http://www.grabercars.com/
"Quickness through lightness"
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Jon Ison
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| posted on 26/1/04 at 10:26 PM |
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its all depends who's looking at it i guess,
thats why 20 locosts parked side by side will not look the same, a wheel on each corner then its off on your own idea....
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blueshift
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| posted on 26/1/04 at 10:40 PM |
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Thing is, to me, that's not a beautiful car.
You might get something out of talking to a psychologist, an artist and a car designer.. I'd guess it has something to do with cars and other
things and shapes that have impressed themselves on a certain person's mind, so different for each of us. Maybe someone has a childhood memory
of some big noisy truck that impressed them, so they subliminaly appreciate design features that remind them of that in muscle cars..
"fiddly psych stuff like that" is what I would guess the answer is to the question "what makes a car beautiful?". It lies in
the eye of the beholder.
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 26/1/04 at 10:48 PM |
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beats me how this ever got made - has curves tho!
atb
steve
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Dunc
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| posted on 26/1/04 at 11:00 PM |
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Definitely the female hips thing, especially around the butt-tock area of an automobile. And symmetry too. The highlights just emphasise the likeness
to a female butt-tock, all the truely beautiful supercars have it, the EB110 does not. I really need to get out more!!!!!!
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Hellfire
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 12:08 AM |
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sgraber
If I didn't know better I'd say you were an undercover spy for Fiat...
Steve Gust - your picture didn't appear at first but now it has and 'low and behold' it's the same car!
By far and away the worlds most ugly car! Swiftly followed by the Porsche Cayenne... eeew. Just proves even Porsche have made a few dogs...
 
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 12:22 AM |
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fiat know its ugly
their site lists 'the ugly bug ball' in northampton in may - its a rally for these things.
atb
steve
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Browser
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 12:56 AM |
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Ugly car:
Pretty car:
Prettier car:
Brutal looking but pretty:
Don't ask me to explain my likes/dislikes 'cos I can't. It's gut instinct, animal level stuff.
(note to self, up medication
     )
[Edited on 27/1/04 by Browser]
[Edited on 27/1/04 by Browser]
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 10:16 AM |
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the red car looks best and...... is that an edsel?
I actually quite like it - distinctive - cant say that for many cars now
atb
steve
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mackie
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 10:44 AM |
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This is the ugliest car ever made:
Thing is, the Multipla is a very good car. I'd much prefer one to a Zafira (maybe not the Turbo ) if I had 3 kids.
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ned
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 11:56 AM |
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i might throw a spanner in the works and say that I might not care what the car actually looks like (well, ok, to a degree).
I'll say that I think properly engineered, purposeful cars are beautiful.
now, i really like this one:
simple, everything in the right place, properly made, oh and goes well too.
Ned.
One could almost say that beauty is more than skin deep!
[Edited on 27/1/04 by ned]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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DaveFJ
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 12:30 PM |
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I dunno, I think that a lot of these cars have at least something going for them.... or maybe i'm just sad
Anway this just hasd to be the ugliest so far in this thread....
 
Ug - lee
add that to your list of ugly cars and basically just about ALL other american cars can go in as well !!!
what else can you say about the country that brought you "IRAQ War II: The Re-CON"
[Edited on 27/1/04 by protofj]
Dave
"In Support of Help the Heroes" - Always
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ned
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 01:13 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by protofj
add that to your list of ugly cars and basically just about ALL other american cars can go in as well !!!
Dave,
what about the gt40 and dodge viper, oh and mustang, oh and cobra.
cheers,
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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JoelP
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 02:16 PM |
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i believe there are two ways a car can be beautiful (maybe more but definately two)
one is to be human like, the eyes etc, this relates to what steve says, including highlights.
the other is as ned says, brilliant purposeful engineering, raw and hardcore. this would cover le mans style cars which are lovely but not at all
human like.
then theres my car.
Beware! Bourettes is binfectious.
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DaveFJ
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 02:28 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ned
quote:
Originally posted by protofj
add that to your list of ugly cars and basically just about ALL other american cars can go in as well !!!
Dave,
what about the gt40 and dodge viper, oh and mustang, oh and cobra.
cheers,
Ned.
I did say 'just about' - anyway the mustang is bloody ugly! and i think you may find the others had european designers....
Dave
"In Support of Help the Heroes" - Always
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Spyderman
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 02:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ned
quote:
Originally posted by protofj
add that to your list of ugly cars and basically just about ALL other american cars can go in as well !!!
Dave,
what about the gt40 and dodge viper, oh and mustang, oh and cobra.
cheers,
Ned.
Don't give Em' too much credit!
Both the Cobra and GT40 are British designs. The only thing American about them is the engines.
Personally I think the Viper looks like a truck. I suppose it has to, to fit the truck engine.
Now when you come to the Mustang are you talking classic Mustang GT350, GT500, Boss Mustang or the newer incarnations?
The early ones are fabulous, but the later cars do nothing for me by comparison.
To me the best looking cars came out from around 1960 onward, upto about mid to late seventies. Oh what a coincidence that coincides with my
youth!
My personal favourites are;
Lambo Miura
Ford GT40
Ferrari Daytona, Spyder and coupe
Lotus Eleven
Porsche RS60
Has'nt this been discussed before or am I going senile?
Terry
[Edited on 27/1/04 by Spyderman]
Spyderman
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Metal Hippy
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 02:33 PM |
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The GT40 was designed and built by Ford GB... Unlike the new GT....
Cock off or cock on. You choose.
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Metal Hippy
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 02:34 PM |
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Dammit Spyder, you had to beat me saying it
Cock off or cock on. You choose.
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ned
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 02:58 PM |
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spyderman,
i'd agree with most of your favourites, i was referring to the gt350 and shelby gt 500 mustangs, of course.
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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mackie
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 03:02 PM |
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The new GT is brilliant but i've seen a lot of people pan it for having a truck engine "like a viper". This isn't the case,
the basis in on a truck engine but not one part is the same, crank, pistons, heads, everything has be custom designed for the GT. It's sweet, I
want one
Twice the torque over twice the range of a 360 and 100 horses more for less money.
The new Mustang is cool too, harks back nicely to the 60s models and is pretty damn cheap to boot.
[Edited on 27/1/04 by mackie]
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sgraber
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 03:09 PM |
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Not WHICH car!!! WHAT makes beautiful cars beautiful?
I like the more rounded shapes from the 60's. I think it's the fact that those shapes reflect whats around them in a dazzling way.
I also visually like when tight (hot) women wear really tight pants. The shape of a womans ass is very important when I think about attractiveness.
That shape correlates to the shape of the cars fenders. A car should have a waspy waist line with big round fenders over the back tires.
Alan's new Meerkat design does that better than his original design and the new design is much more attractive.
Steve Graber
http://www.grabercars.com/
"Quickness through lightness"
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Metal Hippy
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 03:12 PM |
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I think Alan should have a moulded pair of tits on the front.
It will add an enormous amount of class to it.
Cock off or cock on. You choose.
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timf
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 03:28 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Metal Hippy
I think Alan should have a moulded pair of tits on the front.
It will add an enormous amount of class to it.
not to mention added safety (external airbags)
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sgraber
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 04:24 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Metal Hippy
I think Alan should have a moulded pair of tits on the front.
It will add an enormous amount of class to it.
ROFLMAO!
perfect!
Steve Graber
http://www.grabercars.com/
"Quickness through lightness"
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 27/1/04 at 04:25 PM |
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quote :
"
To me the best looking cars came out from around 1960 onward, upto about mid to late seventies. Oh what a coincidence that coincides with my youth!
"
That period also encompasses the ford anglia, the austin allegro, and the maxi
atb
steve
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