To my eye, classic car designs were the creation of artists and visionaries with a sense of style and elegance. The car designs of today resemble a cartoonish exaggeration of the future dreamed up by an adolescent. The front of a 1978 Eldorado relays sophistication and luxury. Most car front ends today resemble Darth Vader at the start of a sneeze.

There is also the cost issue. Makers use the same body for a DECADE whereas styles were changed about every three years prior to the 70's. They reduced the option choices for the same reason. Two choices for interior color, option packages instead of individual feature choices, etc. cars are built to a cost point with ease of manufacture the primary concern. Worked 19 years in auto assembly plant and saw it first hand.

Many new cars lack the interior space, especially in the back seats, when compared to the living room sofa seats of some 1930s - 40s cars, and even many of the land yachts of the 60s and 70s. The "thousand shades of gray" interiors that are so prevalent, are just depressing. There's no "regulations" against colored interiors, but after the 80s, those seemed to have just disappeared, except on high-dollar makes. Granted, there are some decent-looking modern cars, but classic designs will always look better, IMO.

I think the basic problem with modern styling is that there is too much emphasis on grabbing eyeballs by shocking rather than by pleasing the eye. The gigantic Lexus, Toyota, and BMW grilles are examples of this. Deep stamping fenders is alive and well in pickup trucks, witness the Silverado and the newest Tacoma. There are some decent, even if not adventurous designs in cars within the modern constraints. The Tesla Model S , the last Ford Fusion , the 10th Generation Honda Accord , and the current Cadillac sedans are all good designs done in good taste.

In my mind, cars since 1995 are basically home appliances with wheels: all plastic, bland design and no way to fix it if broke

Just a minor correction: the most important task of the thick and strongly inclined A-pillars is to distribute the immense forces over the entire body in the event of a frontal collision in order to keep the passenger compartment intact and ensure that the doors can be opened after a collision. Protection against a rollover is also a task, but a secondary one.

Too many modern cars have "Gone Klingon" in search of safety and aerodynamics. 😔

Im a child of Eisenhower and I have no issue with the styling of modern vehicles. What I DO have an issue with is why all new vehicles are designed to BLIND all other drivers on the road with their super bright headlights. I think the USDOT regulators are a bunch of idiots in this regard. I know Im not the only one that feels this way.

Besides the Low Profile Tires are more easily damaged by the high quality roads we have in Michigan. I had to be very careful when I ordered my 2019 Cherokee to get the Trailhawk as it had 17" tires, not I believe the standard 19 or 20". I do miss the days of my 31x10.50R15 tires on my Scout II.

Now maybe this is due to the exuberance of youth but when I was a kid in the later 60’s and early 70’s, but I could barely contain myself when I went to an auto show of new cars. I remember going to the auto show for the first time in 1968. I would take virtually any new 1968 car over anything built today. I remember going to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin auto show in February of this year and thinking to myself “why do I bother?”

There are a lot of really good comments on this episode! I just sold my 15 Mustang Ecoboost (which I special ordered), and bought a beautiful 65 Corvair 4 door. I just love the styling of the late 4 door. And, if you want to talk about lack of safety, just look at my avatar, a 61 Corvair Rampside. If you get in a front end collision, your feet will be the first ones there! I'm retired, so I don't drive much, so I'm not too worried. t

Great video! I came away from it feeling educated. One thing I've noticed about new car looks: Remember when the Pontiac Aztek was introduced 20+ years ago? Everyone talked about how homely it was at first, and they were right, but today it doesn't stand out as uniquely unattractive like it did back then. It blends in visually with other cars today more than it did in 2001. That's more a statement on modern cars than the Aztek.

Hey, now! I have a BMW I3S and a Lincoln MkIV. 2 polar opposites can exist in one’s head. The I3 is a genius town car. And the Lincoln makes me feel connected to a time that shall not be forgotten.

You bring up many very valid points, Adam. I think that there are still some good-looking cars/vehicles being made today, along with plenty of turkeys. One thiing I've noticed about vehicle design over the last 10 years or so is this "me too" design of many vehicles, like that weird C pillar on a lot of Nissan sedans and other SUVs that looks like it is meant to invoke a flat separate roof piece from the side. One thing that I really wish would return is the two-door hardtop. I don't see why car designers/companies cannot execute and market such a car if they can design/market a convertible. Perhaps that is a good question for your and Marc to discuss on another episode!

I’ve watched dozens of videos of accidents recorded on dash cams and security cameras and I’m often amazed to see drivers and passengers escape serious injury in vehicles that look like they’ve already visited the crusher at the junk yard. Contemporary designs are certainly not as aesthetically appealing as in decades past but they sure are much safer in an accident.

I always liked the porch chats!

Thanks for this one, Adam ! Always good to enjoy auto design history and talk. I was a child in the early 1960s, and grew up with the most amazing car designs ever imagined.. I miss that era dearly now. Design got heavier, more bloated and more conservative starting in the 1960s.. Perhaps a reaction to the more free wheeling and expressive 1960s, that whole 'neoclassical' design ethos became deeply entrenched. One cannot imagine anyone today coming out with a 1971 boat tail Riviera, for instance. In the US only GM was big enough, and daring enough to pull that sort of thing off. Bill Mitchell era at GM saw some of the best car designs anywhere on Earth.

Dont even get me stated on the color palette available in newer cars. One of a couple shades of primary colors and 27 shades of grey.

I'd like to know: 1. Why are there so few cars of any kind even being manufactured today (and by cars I do mean REAL cars, that is cars with gasoline or diesel engines)? 2. Why are there almost NO two door cars being made today? I grew up with 2 door cars. Lots of them. I never had a 4 door car until I was in my late 50s. 3. Why are there almost no REAL pickups anymore? I grew up on a farm, and to me, a pickup has 2 doors, a bench seat, and an 8 foot bed. To actually carry CARGO (gas or diesel of course) 4. The last thing is really 2 things, that seem to go together. Why do new cars sit so close to the ground that they are virtually undriveable on normal roads, with bumps and potholes? Some cars actually have to have a way to lift them up a bit to go over anything more than an inch high, like the C8 Corvette. I have a 1976 that can be driven pretty much anywhere any car can be driven. And second, why do almost all newer cars have those huge ghetto wheels with only a very thin strip of rubber wrapped around the outside? And most of them are black. These things are hideously ugly, to the point of being disgusting. This is a trend that started in the ghettos, where pimps, drug dealers, gang members, and any criminal with the financial means put them on their cars as a status symbol. Cars like that are called "donks", and for some reason the trend has found its way into mainstream society, just like baggy pants that you had to hold up with your hands, which also came from the ghetto. Again, these abominations make the vehicle virtually undrivable on normal roads, along with being disgustingly ugly. The only "late model" cars I will drive are still 2 decades old. I have 2 Mercury Grand Marquis, an '06 and an '07. They still have some resemblance to what a car should look like. Chrome bumpers would help a lot, but the basic shape is close. My other 2 decade old car is a 2003 V6 Mustang, in bright yellow. I wasn't looking for a Mustang specifically, I just wanted a 2 door rear wheel drive American car. It didn't take long to realize that a V6 Mustang was the only real choice in my price range. It came with 16" wheels, and the tires were fairly well worn, but the rest of it was a 9.5 out of 10. I found a set of 15" wheels from a 2000 Mustang V6 for it, so I could use normal tires, and have more sidewall. The bright yellow really stands out in a sea of black, white, and gray front wheel drive sedans, "crossovers" and 4 door trucks. My last non vintage vehicle, though it is getting close, is a 1993 Chevy truck, 1/2 ton, 2 door, 2 wheel drive, bench seat, V8/auto, with an 8 foot bed. I also have the restored stock '76 Corvette, and a '72 Plymouth Duster, that I built a hot rod out of.

Yes, I was told that by a guy I know that works for NHTSA. Trucks and SUVs have special pedestrian and bicycle impact standards which have to be tall and flat to avoid people getting thrown over or underneath said vehicles. The idea is they would 'bounce off' the flat surfaces. However the irony is now days cars and SUVs are all porkers, so the idea of 'let's use plastic and styrofoam to save weight' is laughable. They weigh as much as a 70s land yacht with little problem. I worked with a guy who was a designer at the later yrs of Saturn. He said "You're gonna see more and more car companies use bigger and bigger logos and emblems in the upcoming yrs, because everything looks the same, so 1 needs to know if they're looking at a Chevy or Buick.." That was nearly 20 yrs ago. As far as I'm concerned, with little exception, everything pretty much looks the same now days.

My 1975 Toronado has an Aluminum structural beam behind the 5 piece chrome bumper. I had a good laugh when I saw this on a 4800 lb car. Engineers were definitely working in a strange world then.

Aerodynamics needs, pedestrian and cyclist impact standards, cheapened tooling for sheet metal, crash crumple zones, and generally the same form factor on SUVs and crossovers.

That Lucid @1:11 is actually pretty darn decent looking!

The fixed steering column on my '65 Bel Air would save me from hitting my head on the steel dash.

I don't get modern truck design because that GM you highlight doesn't look very aerodynamic from the front if you compare it to the old Lincoln.

Interesting video, I’d add another design constraint related to impact rules is the loss of lower “tumble home” (or “turn under”). This refers to older cars having the rocker panels and lower body panels being pinched inward relative to the widest part of the body. This lower tapering makes vintage cars look lighter and leaner and modern cars brick like . This was necessary to improve side impact resistance with much larger and heavier rocker panels as well as moving them outwards to increase the side crumple zone especially as related to leg injuries. In my opinion there were three major developments that destroyed the beautiful proportions of cars up to the very early 70’s. First was the 1973 5mph bumper laws that resulted in big ugly railroad tie type bumpers. Second was the roll over laws later in the 70’s that killed the beautiful lithe look of hardtop styling and instead regressed us to 1930’s style big bulky window framing. Lastly and probably most important was the switch to compact front drive drive units. This resulted in stubby droopy hoods and moved the front axle back till the front tires were almost under the windshield and front overhangs became very excessive. This destroyed the beautifully esthetic proportions afforded by minimal front overhang and front axles well forward creating a balanced athletic look compared to the wheelbarrow like proportions of todays stubby sedans and small SUV’s with so much of the visual bulk forward of the front wheels and a too short rear overhang.

The beauty of those old cars is accentuated by rarity as a product of passing time, and nostalgia. We also see preeminence of artists and engineers replaced by that of bureaucrats and accountants.

A few observations: most of us are prejudiced towards our favorite era of cars, and think they have a wide variety of style and the best style, while, because we don't like another era of cars, we tend to think those all look the same. In reality, many, many cars of every era looked just like each other, and in the past, we fixated on little things like grilles and lights to distinguish what were, in fact, the same chassis or the one the other carmaker copied. There are actually many more models from each maker, and far more makers, than in the past. Some makers have 6 or even 8 different sizes of SUV! that's just silly. And yet it's true- almost all the makers take the me-too, keep up with the Joneses attitude of making their cars look like and have all the same measurements and specs as their competitors. This has been the case since WW2. Want the perfectly proportioned car? Not too low, not too high? 1955 Chevy- or Ford or Dodge. Ironically, they were the first cars to have a fully filled- out body without wasted space with huge fenders and hoods, but with more useful trunks and properly roomy wagons. After that, things went really long and low and wide, and all over the place from there.

Another thing is that everything’s been done before. It’s getting harder and harder to do something truly unique. Add that to those aerodynamic and safety regulations

I love vintage cars but modern vehicles are orders of magnitude safer, more practical and more efficient than older ones. It’s always been that way as technology has marched on. 30 years from now we’ll be loving the classic designs of the 2020’s lol. Great video!

Excellent! Sadly, most cars look so similar today. I am sick of crossovers! I miss 60s styling.

Yes this video is spot on about regulations. One thing I could add is the SUV trend that is killing the styling of every vehicule. Most vehicules looks the same, so it blends all together and no vehicule pops out of the lot, except for the extreme. Also manufacturers exchange their brand in "alliance" between them, like the Toyota Yaris, that is in fact a rebranded Mazda 2.

My only issue with modern cars is the big pillars (not only for roll over safety, but also to make room for airbags). These pillars (A,B and C) are dangerous. I have at least one near accident per year because of dead zones in my view. Mind you my car does not have the modern warning systems yet and I am meticulous with having my rear view mirrors adjusted correctly. But still, it happens sometimes that I miss a cyclist coming from the right, or a vehicle when changing lanes.

Wow, that Tornado is gorgeous!

When you drive a huge 70s Lincoln, the other cars are your crumple zone!

I'm very glad you made this video. A friend and I we're just talking about this very thing a couple of weeks ago. It's hard to find a car today that has a comparable ride to some of the land yachts from the '50s, '60s, or 70s. Sure, a modern car can out handle any of those old land yachts, but I'm not taking my '60s Imperial around the Nuremberg ring.

That 66 Toronado front end is unmatched in my opinion.

Other concerns for the accountants is warehousing and transportation. As construction, real estate and transportation have dramatically increased in cost over the decades warehousing and space utilization has become a prime concern. Sheet metal with gentle curves and soft angles is not only cheaper to manufacture. It also nests more efficiently and stacks more numerously in smaller spaces. Every truckload, fork truck and square foot reduced is $ saved.

A modern Dodge Charger weights more than a 1969 Dodge Charger

Sorry Adam, I don't buy the excuses. Look at Rolls, Bentley, The BMW 7 Series - these cars have block front ends, tasteful chrome. The BMW 8 Series from the 90's and the recent Mercedes S Class Coupes had no B pillars and are two of the most beautiful cars ever made. Nobody wants chrome railroad tie bumpers but tasteful split bumperettes in chrome are a great styling alternative. I lay the blame at recent generations of designers who have no sense or respect for history or heritage and couldn't design a modern classic for all the tea in China. GM showed the Elmiraj, The Escala and the Buick Avenir - all GORGEOUS vehicles - so where are they? They are pushed aside in favor of trucks and SUV's that all look the same. BMW in particular should fire and prosecute everyone in their design team under 40 for the garbage they have unleashed on the public, and pull the older generation out of retirement. They KNOW what a BMW should look like.

Modern styling cues, such as the floating roof line, and lower headlight position, are a bit safer than what was done pre mid-70s. Also, with the use of 'air curtains 'to improve aerodynamics, have become more common. When those standards came out back then, it was a huge game of trial and error, in terms of what caught the consumer's eye.

Oh yeah! My parents had a '72 Continental. Single digit mpg all day long! So comfy though.

When GM redesigned their full sized SUV (Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade), they hit a home run. An enormous vehicle became sleek, capable, beautiful. Someday I will get one. The latest iteration, while boasting an independent rear axle and other tweaks, looks like a bloated design that could have easily been one discarded when the 2015 was restyled. But IMO, the ghastly, grotesque and ever growing flat black plastic wheel lip mouldings are outrageous. Let’s hope those go the way of the fins from the late 50s. Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful channel.

Great video & topic

An important topic and well explained. Also, it seems like we are stuck with cars that are a combination, for the most part, of odd and ugly.

I think I may have watched your channel too much, Adam .. So often, now, when I see something really snazz on an old car, instead of thinking how cool it is I'm automatically either "That would never pass crash standards, today" or "I bet a bean counter forced them to do that to save $0.74" .. lol .. Really appreciate these videos for all I've learned from you, sir

The easiest way around most regulation restrictions is to design a LARGE TRUCK/SUV. First off big trucks are considered commercial vehicles so they get less fuel and emissions restraint along with many pedestrian exemptions. No person safely rolls over a 6" high truck hood.

Good video, Adam. Agree with all points. However, one of the biggest issues with modern vehicles with transverse FWD design is the basic drivetrain architecture of placing the engine in front of the transmission. Causes the horrible, awkward massive front overhang, tucking the front wheel back near the A-pillar. Just awful in every way!

In my opinion (and I completely agree that new cars are much less attractive than older cars), it comes from the desperation of corporate culture. The people who design modern products are very conformist, very much slaves of "trends", and very anxious to blow away the competition-- rather than creating valuable, satisfying, and discreet designs that would distinguish them. Thus this current malaise of design, where sheet metal is desperately overstyled into images of mockery and excess, and quite obvious messages of aggression. American carmakers are the worst in this way.

Cars in the 30's were square boxes with large diameter wheels. Seems we've just gone back to that!

As someone who is 24, the 80’s is the cutoff point, maybe I’ll stretch it to 1991 since that was the last year of the boxy panther platform cars from Ford. Aerodynamics essentially murdered automotive styling, don’t care if it makes cars more fuel efficient etc, it just causes more issues since it eats into the interior, trunk volume. That explains why people have moved on from most sedans and hatchbacks, while smaller vehicles are practical in certain situations, how can a vehicle be practical when there’s not much space for rear seat passengers and luggage?

1:43 That Toronado could slice a pedestrian in thirds!

Your in-depth video on this topic is so correct!!! All of the reasons that you mentioned why today's cars are not future classics is so spot-on!!! This is why modern cars lack a soul.

Thumbs up for your spot on presentation as is always the case, Adam. However, I would like to drive home something about the design of many of today's cars and SUV's that I believe is worth mentioning, and it is how their intrinsic aggressive styling seems to be subconsciously playing a role in ticking up road rage. Just as offensive blindingly bright headlight beams have become, there is something to certain modern cars' front end looks that seems to entice violence -albeit subconsciously- turning driver error into something misconstrued as intentional or menacing behavior, that would otherwise be taken as simple unintentional, non-provoking erratic driving on an otherwise friendly-looking car.

I was so underwhelmed with new vehicles I bought a low mile 81 AMC wagon with a stick shift instead, although I will be storing it during salt season. Manual brakes and windows, no stupid screen on the dash. My other daily driver option In the summer is a 74 VW beetle.

Start out with a Cyber Truck. That has to be one of the most hideous things I have seen in years. One thing I miss the most is the chrome on cars.

Excellent video! Thanks for posting. 👍

Insightful and interesting video. Thank you Adam!

Besides aerodynamics, crash safety, pedestrian safety, there’s also been a coarsening of tastes. The rise of the mean-faced, urban assault vehicle aesthetic. Enormous, chunky pickups that aren’t attractive the way cars used to be. Trucks have gotten as obese as the Americans that drive them. They were a way for GM, Ford, etc. to avoid the standards applied to cars.

Great episode, Adam! You mentioned a collision in old vs new - we often hear vantage car enthusiasts say “I’d rather have all that steel between me and them. Not these cheap new cars.” Would be interesting for a comprehensive timeline review of regulations and the kinds of collisions that compelled them (let’s see some twisted metal!) LOVE the old cars but I’d rather be in a collision in most any modern car than the fanciest old car - so much safer.

I prefer old cars and enjoy your videos. Thank you,

Cost is another really big factor. Uniqueness equals cost so keeping things a bit bland keeps the cost down. As well, there is the fact that buyers want one vehicle that does all jobs so if you're setting out to design something that has to be part sedan, part wagon, part SUV, part minivan, part theater, part day care, part office, part lounge etc, it's going to be very challenging to make the end product appealing, especially when you have to keep it under a certain cost ceiling..

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this topic. One thing designers do now is squeeze down the roof lower and make the windows short. There are a few exceptions like the Subaru Forester, but just compare that car with, say, a Lexus NX.

MPG's of modern cars is not impressive compared to some old cars I've owned

Over on the autopian, they recently had a podcast with the lead designer of the Lucid Air which was I think your example of a stylish modern car. There is some good dialogue about making a clean sheet design. Also, you mentioned fender flares and the example of a BMW M3 came to mind. A really handsome modern car IMO, with stylish fenders. Thanks for all the great videos.

Could you do a video on the impact of different regulations on design like the 5mph bumper and others? I think design peaked about 64-71, then regulations just kept cutting the legs out from underneath, 70's Ford and Iacocca Chrysler had some rough stuff on the eyes.

Great video Adam! Thank you!

The trend, which really started before WWII, of using increasingly compact drivetrains to bring the front wheels closer to the firewall and to shorten the hood, while reducing bulk as well as weight, and greatly improving maneuverability, has given modern cars stubby, slug-like proportions that are hard to style in attractive ways. It's hard to make a cucumber on wheels into a "classic".

Summed it up well Adam. You've finally made the transition to 'honorary designer.' Congratulations !

Great points made in this video!

It's really simple actually. Manufacturer's once built cars for consumers. Now they build them for the government. Where does the government come up with all these requirements? They just pull them out of their ass. We are being ruled by MAGIC ASS regulation.

Great classic car channel.

Agree with this. One of my buddies who worked for GM his whole career told me that everyone was pretty much limited to two designs for the front, because of federal regulations. Specifically the pedestrian issue you mentioned. Personally, I like the stiffer ride and handling of the lower profile tires, but that's me.

Another great Vid!

Your knowledge on cars never ceases to amaze me! Thanks

At this point in car design I'm checked out. Thin LED light front and back and ovoid shapes outside, with two curved screens inside seem to be the trend, and it's just blah. There are some outliers, like the IONIQ 6 which is just stunning IMO. I really love the design of my own vehicle, a 22 Ford Maverick. To me it represents a cross section of the cars I grew up with and the current and future reality of car design/content. I think the designers did a great job with the most subtle of nods to the 80s/90s F150/Ranger, inside and out, while keeping it modern and fresh.

Love the channel, love the old cars, agree with the appreciation for the classic styling…but…I have to admit to a guilty love for the i3 that is the thumbnail picture for this video. I think it looks great.

Great channel

no doubt vintage is better.

I’m just done with cars that have to look like they have to get through a zombie apocalypse. SUV’s and crossovers just have a clunky, non aerodynamic design. Most of the cars look good, with the exception of some big grills on bottom breathers. Great video Adam.

Adam, this was very well explained and objective and rational.

It's an American art form. Is this not why these vehicles are so cherished all over the worldnowadays? I saw this Russian guy on You Tube with a mint 68' or 69' T-Bird with a switched out Coyote engine. Can you believe it? I can, they probably don't have many 385 blocks laying around in Russian junkyards.

Thank You Adam. It was very interesting. It just seems the designers and engineers are limited by meeting regulations. I understand why classic cars have style and substance where modern cars lack this. In the attempt to meet all the regulations the cars are just not appealing as they once were. Some companies are indeed trying. I think this is why modern cars lack the individuality they once had.

Simple answer: Bloated government kills beauty in many ways. Thank you, Ralph “Darth” Nader.

Depends what you mean by modern. Cars from 2015 to now, have more styling similarites to 50-70s American cars. Than those from 1990s and 2000s. The use of chrome, angry overstyling, two tone roofs have made a come back. Just look at Hyundai and Kia as an example.

Adam, I had always hoped this channel would remain a T__la and Hy____i free zone. 🤨

Good points.

Very informative! I also prefer the classics more but understand modern cars better now. When you think about it, it's just a logical evolution.Styling changes remind us time moves on.

Thank you Adam for being a voice of reason amidst the "good old days" mentality on KZfaq car channels for whom today's car designs make no sense and thus are simply another sign of the collapse of society.😮

lol its the collision safety regulations that has driven up the massive weight increases of cars in the recent years, so much so that its massive detriment to fuel economy. Cars today weigh almost 1000 lbs more than their same size equivalents did back in the 80/90s, hence why automakers are desperately trying to make their cars as aerodynamic as possible to get back some of that lost mpg. Ultimately it was government regulations that caused this mess and at the end of the day we the consumers are the ones that lose because of this.

I was 15 years old when the Collonade cars came... My initial thought back then was that they were so ugly and so poorly built that they would make it to collector status.... Well, now they are, and they are probably the best driving intermidiate GM ever built... Unfortunately they are difficult to restore due to the poor quality of everything used in building them... It's a lot easier to restore an earlier car....

Last year I needed to rent a car-and got a Toyota Camry. It was quite an okay car and its rearview camera was great. That camera is indispensable because without it, the car would’ve been extremely hard to back up. My mom complained about the blind spots (wide C-pillars) in her 1967 Chrysler, but it might as well have been a convertible relative to new cars with their letter-slot windows. (Ditto my ’74 Town & Country wagon.) Considering how heavy the EV drive systems are, I wonder how heavy the wagon (about 5,000 lb as is) would be if I switched it from ICE to EV, like some have done to “green up” their classics.

Having collected 1970s AMCs and some 60s and 70s Lincolns and Imperials for the last 20 years, I think a lot of the appeal of these cars has to do with the memories they invoke. For example, I don't think the 1974 LTD is a particularly imaginative design, and it's certainly no feat of engineering by any metric, but every time I see one, I remember my dad pulling into the driveway every weekday after work, or joking when I was a kid that LTD stood for "long term debt." Almost all of the classic cars we hold dear are far inferior to today's cars in almost every metric related to safety, efficiency, and engineering. I love driving my 74 Matador coupe, but when I get into my 2022 Volvo for my long commute to work each day, I breathe a sigh of relief, turn on the adaptive cruise, and give thanks for not having to commute in a 74 LTD like my dad.

Excellent, really enjoy the discussion of the manufacturing process and its interaction with style. I worked in the aircraft manufacturing business and certainly stampings, hot joggles, stretch form these things could make a car that almost no one could afford. While my favorite car is the tornado still if I were to be driving a car a lot I would really be thinking about safety, fuel mileage, environmental impact and all of those other mandates we complain about. Its a part of living in the modern world

The BMW i3 exists, yet people still insist on calling the Aztek the ugliest vehicle ever.

SUV's sit like cars from the Thirties and Forties. People liked it then, and they like it now. Pickup trucks ride better, and with more luxury/power than cars of yesteryear, and that's that.

I’m sure that government regulations play a huge part. Crumple zones limit front end design as an example. Also it likely costs more to build a beautifully designed car with tooling etc.

Rear impact regulations tends to favor compact SUVs to sends because the beltline is raised so the rear is a crash bumper. Cameras and sensors are needed because of the reduced visibility

The funny thing is that my 1996 Ford F150 with a 5.0L (302) Windsor V8 will outlast any overpriced plastic modern vehicle you see on the road today and plus it looks a million times better than any modern vehicle you see on the road today as well (especially the overpriced EcoBoost trucks).

I think some of the mid-2000s cars look nice, not too angular and Transformers-looking. I love my 2004 Mercury Sable wagon, and my Dodge Magnum wagons.