New cars = No style or character

[Bucknaked]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

You can all say what you like but i would rather be cruising around in one of these than anything else that is on offer today, but that is what personal choice/taste is all about......



...now that is style....(to me)

Looks like they dropped 1 car onto another.

[Iggypoppin']

Fair point bent 8. At the time a new model comes out, I guess it's as good as it gets. Until the next one. I still hold much respect for the T3, despite it's age.

[TUF_302]

Originally Posted by Bucknaked

Looks like they dropped 1 car onto another.

What the hell is that thing??

[last fairlane]

The fifties and sixties were my formative years and as thats what I grew up in
The cars and the music
to me the best looking car ever was the XJ6 Jag
or maybe the Jensen Intercepter
or even a Ferrari 250 or a Ford GT 40

but in Australian cars I reckon it comes down to about 1/2 a dozen
All my opinion of course

XD Ghia the prettiest Ford ever
or the XY GT very nice
HK Monaro but not the HG/T
HQ Monaro the two door model
VH Charger not the later ones
XU1 the LJ model
The Torana was about the best to drive maybe something to do with the rack and pinion steering and the coil springs alround a bit like todays models

the problem is they were all fairly average to drive
compared to later models
any way thats my list

The music
the Beatles sold hundreds of millions records (CDs)
but Emanem sold twice that many CDs

now this is where the style comes in

I can sing along to about 100 Beatles songs without missing a beat
for Emanen the score is Zero

Do others look at things this way or is it just me and my mid life crisis

The Midlife crisis car is a 66 Thunderbird on the road soon

the daily driver is an AU Fairmont with Tickford gas

and the Mrs car is a BA Ghia
thanks John

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by TUF_302

What the hell is that thing??

It's a Ford of course.....

A Ford Mercury Turnpike Cruiser.....

[Dezza]

Style is a subjective thing. I know when the BA was unveiled I loved it. It looked so bold and aggressive. It was great! As they started appearing everywhere though, I got bored with them. When there's so many, there's not a lot you can do to make it stand out. I know the E-series aren't everyone's favourites but I've always loved the designs of them from the squarer EA-EDs through to the more rounded EF-EL. My only major criticism is the massive rideheight they left the factory with

[Melz]

Originally Posted by Peuty

I think the XF is a beautiful car.

Yep, definetely the best looking XF

[flappist]

I had a XD (a couple actually) as well as XC XE XF EA EB etc. When I owned them I reckoned they were GREAT.

I also had a safari suit, sideburns, fluffy hair, towling hat, coolite esky, reel to reel tape player, record player, black and white TV, 8 bit computer and lots of other 70s and 80s style items. When I owned them I thought they were great too.

XD styling, safari suits, shoulder pads and fluffy hair......yep that was the 80s....

[mik]

one thing about the majority of newer cars with their pedestrian friendly shapes and fuel efficient body`s, they are for the most part becomeing more and more alike, for me i would like something just to break up the mass of one colored sheetmetal on cars these days, GT`s are still cool, , the days of 2 tone paint seems pretty rare , vinyl roofs .........long gone, bumper over riders for a bit of class gone, chrome on the door frames? chrome bumpers.....gone, my favourite era was the 70`s i would agree with Grimreaper09 , something is missing from the majority of modern cars, even though they are better in almost every way.

[Falcman0o7]

new small cars are as boring as dog ******** besides 1%

[JimNiki]

But the AU brought individuality, and creativity, that was lost in the BA.

G'day guys ...
I am a ford man thru and thru and have worked for a tier 1 supplier to Ford for many years.
On the verge of unleashing the AU onto the world, I personally made some last minute deliveries to Broady (they were short of parts).

Driving through the place I can see thousands of AU's all parked there ready to be sent to dealers. My jaw dropped at how ugly they were... I was positive then that this will hurt Ford badly. Yes, I do agree that looks is subjective but I still haven't met a person who actually admired the AU for its shape. You are the first. Unfortunately the reason all cars are starting to look the same is for aerodynamics (fuel efficiency). I'm not a huge Chrysler fan but at least they go against the grain and do the boxy 300C, the boxy Nitro, etc.

[89.SVO]

XF is just as boxy and plastic as any E series. EA-ED were a good looking car. done up of course. bog stock models are ugly. need S-pac or higher spec

anything after EF were just plaint crap

[gtxb67]

surprisingly so, the common line is - my car looks good, anything made after mine is crap
looks are not subjective, people are objective - having to somehow justify why their car is great and everyone elses sucks big time

cars were just as boring and all looked the same in the 70's. just ask someone who like the 50's styles. anyone who thinks small cars are bad now, obviously doesn't remember gems such as the 120 why, the cedric and many more. right throughout history cars have looked good or crap depending on your allegience, birthdate and what you can afford or need to drive

not many non car enthusiasts can pick the difference between a ford, chrysler and holden from the 70's on looks alone. we can because we are in the 1% that actually care what it is

all fords have their charm - no holden's do anything for me. does that mean they are crap. maybe, but moreso that i am biased




and i did like the au shape. with the xr lights, they looked great. the te and ts versions were awesome lookers

[Jim Goose]

I always considered the plain looking XF, EA (truely an awful car, I owned one), EB/ED as well as the AU I boring and dull looking cars. Even the interiors seemed bland and tasteless.

The AU II with the higher bonnet line fixed a few things and the rest of the minor changes to the front made the car look better.

The EL/ EF even as a plain Falcon always looked good and their interiors were reasonably stylish.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

Fair point bent 8. At the time a new model comes out, I guess it's as good as it gets. Until the next one. I still hold much respect for the T3, despite it's age.

Its an individual thing for sure.
i tend to agree with the T3, however the AU as a basic package left alot to be desired.
Today i was following an FG XT and thought how soft the rear styling is as compared to BA.

Its a shame really that a world class driveline can be dismissed if the vehicles styling isnt right...

I like what Toyota did with the current 70 series LC workmate in offering a budget 4x in a retro package, simple yet effective for what it is.

[Nikked]

Its easy now to say 50's cars look good and individual, but that's because, in today's environment, they are.

But 50's cars...

"OK, Wrap around windscreen, lean forward A pillars. Lets add some fins on the rear, Oh, the front needs some more chrome....hmmm, ah! Lets add some more chrome to the side"

Don't get me wrong, i like 50's cars. I just hate the whole single mindedness of New v's Old.

[zdcol71]

I'm guessing by the OPs comment about the XF he was thinking mainly in regards to Aussie car makers. To that end I think that the best chance Ford or Holden had of producing a car with any character went out the window with the "new" Monaro. (To me , nothing more than a 2 door commodore, in terms of styling/character.Hope future GTs or mooted HOs or similar models don't go down the same path))
Wasn't a big fan of the XF,(I thought the dash looked silly), but have owned XT, XA,XE's,ZD,EA from new(Which I thought was a coup for styling, and still stands up today), and though not having owned one,I think the AU was,in hindsight, a styling land mark.
I just bought a XH ute, and would be fairly confident in saying (IMO), there hasn't been a ute with more "character" built since.
The essence of the car, for me, is more about the style and "feel good" factor, than the technology inside, or grunt under the hood. I don't think we build a car today with the same sensibility as we used to , for good or bad,but IMO, we sure don,t build 'em like we used to.

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by flappist

I had a XD (a couple actually) as well as XC XE XF EA EB etc. When I owned them I reckoned they were GREAT.

I also had a safari suit, sideburns, fluffy hair, towling hat, coolite esky, reel to reel tape player, record player, black and white TV, 8 bit computer and lots of other 70s and 80s style items. When I owned them I thought they were great too.

XD styling, safari suits, shoulder pads and fluffy hair......yep that was the 80s....

only one thing worse than owning an XD in the 80s.... owning a canary yellow XE with a stanley flat blade (matching color) as the indicator arm in the 90s that you had to remove the rotor button to turn off

[zdcol71]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

only one thing worse than owning an XD in the 80s.... owning a had a canary yellow XE with a stanley flat blade (matching color) as the indicator arm in the 90s that you had to remove the rotor button to turn off

I've had a couple tonight, but I gotta say... what???

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by zdcol71

I've had a couple tonight, but I gotta say... what???

i had a canary yellow XE, had a screw driver jammed in the steering column so i had indicators, i needed to pull the leads out to turn it off. it was a POS but it was all i could afford

and the windscreen washers used to hit the car behind me, so thats a win

[Jimmyd]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

G'day guys ...
I am a ford man thru and thru and have worked for a tier 1 supplier to Ford for many years.
On the verge of unleashing the AU onto the world, I personally made some last minute deliveries to Broady (they were short of parts).

Driving through the place I can see thousands of AU's all parked there ready to be sent to dealers. My jaw dropped at how ugly they were... I was positive then that this will hurt Ford badly. Yes, I do agree that looks is subjective but I still haven't met a person who actually admired the AU for its shape. You are the first. Unfortunately the reason all cars are starting to look the same is for aerodynamics (fuel efficiency). I'm not a huge Chrysler fan but at least they go against the grain and do the boxy 300C, the boxy Nitro, etc.

Chalk me up as a fan of the AU from day one - AU was a spectacular cutting edge design that Ford marketing department destroyed when they tried to soften the 'edge' design, ended up looking like the love child of an XF and EA...... enter the BA....

Not all aero designed cars have to look the same - the two cars in my garage share the same drag coefficient - RS2000 from 1980, AU Fairmont Ghia from 1998



Cheers

James

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by gtxb67

surprisingly so, the common line is - my car looks good, anything made after mine is crap
looks are not subjective, people are objective - having to somehow justify why their car is great and everyone elses sucks big time

cars were just as boring and all looked the same in the 70's. just ask someone who like the 50's styles. anyone who thinks small cars are bad now, obviously doesn't remember gems such as the 120 why, the cedric and many more. right throughout history cars have looked good or crap depending on your allegience, birthdate and what you can afford or need to drive

not many non car enthusiasts can pick the difference between a ford, chrysler and holden from the 70's on looks alone. we can because we are in the 1% that actually care what it is

all fords have their charm - no holden's do anything for me. does that mean they are crap. maybe, but moreso that i am biased




and i did like the au shape. with the xr lights, they looked great. the te and ts versions were awesome lookers

this.
Oh, and some rep.

[mik]

have a look at this, i fell in love the coachwork when i was a young buk, it has a lot of style, the photo does`nt do it justice, one of the nicer alfa`s i reckon. http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-conte...llpaper_01.jpg

[JimNiki]

Originally Posted by Jimmyd

Chalk me up as a fan of the AU from day one - AU was a spectacular cutting edge design that Ford marketing department destroyed when they tried to soften the 'edge' design, ended up looking like the love child of an XF and EA...... enter the BA....

Cheers

James

To me it looks as though they entered formulas into a big supercomputer and told it to spit out a shape that was drag efficient, where all body lines qualified any other adjacent body line, etc.

In theory, it is a fantastic design ahead of its time, just ugly in my eyes.
Unfortunately, if it's ugly most buyers won't look further.

[Windsor220]

To me the 80s cars are boring. XB and XC were good and then they went to the boxy XD - XF. Commodores were not much better with the VB-VL. Engines power seemed to drop off during this time too so there werent many hero models.

Atleast through the 90s and beyond we got some interesting looking/performing models.

[Stefan]

I cannot believe someone has stated modern cars have no style and put forward an XF Falcon as the alternative..

the XF must go down as one of the leat stylish cars of all time. It's a box nothing more nothing less.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Stefan

I cannot believe someone has stated modern cars have no style and put forward an XF Falcon as the alternative..

the XF must go down as one of the leat stylish cars of all time. It's a box nothing more nothing less.

Its worse than that, its a box trying to be slightly rounded!

Every decade has its hits and misses, plenty of new metal around that I would have in an instant; same goes for previous makes and models aswell.

But as with the 5.0 mustang thread, the 80's wasn't kind to the automotive industry.

[anto]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

G'day guys ...
I am a ford man thru and thru and have worked for a tier 1 supplier to Ford for many years.
On the verge of unleashing the AU onto the world, I personally made some last minute deliveries to Broady (they were short of parts).

Driving through the place I can see thousands of AU's all parked there ready to be sent to dealers. My jaw dropped at how ugly they were... I was positive then that this will hurt Ford badly. Yes, I do agree that looks is subjective but I still haven't met a person who actually admired the AU for its shape. You are the first. Unfortunately the reason all cars are starting to look the same is for aerodynamics (fuel efficiency). I'm not a huge Chrysler fan but at least they go against the grain and do the boxy 300C, the boxy Nitro, etc.

and I must be the third now in fact I liked it so much I bought my AUXR8 over a BA XR8 becaus it looked and drove so much better.

[rag top]

There are certain versions of falcon from the late 80's early 90's I wouldn't mind having in my driveway:
the AWD Turbo XF falcon
EA sony scorcher
EB SS falcon
ED Sprint

I currently have an AU ute that I changed slightly to make it more appealing to me. Do I give a rats about other's opinions? Nah; If I did that, I'd be better off driving a white prius or something similar that was environmentally friendly.
Can Ford make a model that everyone likes? Obviously not.

[tweeked]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

You can all say what you like but i would rather be cruising around in one of these than anything else that is on offer today, but that is what personal choice/taste is all about......



...now that is style....(to me)

How do you use the boot?

Actually, doesn't matter, leaves plenty of space in there so i could climb in easily enough so I wouldnt be seen in it.

And the threads original question, just like old cars, some have style, most do not.