Give it ten years and we'll see what happens

[Felters]

XJ220 never did it for me, come to that I can't think of a Lambo I'd want apart from the Miura.

Roughly in ascending order of current cost the cars that still look good are:
2CV
Mk1 Golf GTI
Porsche 944
Defender
Bristol 400 or 411
Caterham
Pre-impact bumper 911
Ferrari 355
Lotus Eleven
McLaren F1
Proper Bentley's

Stuff still in production that will last the course:
Anything by Aston M.
Zonda
Sadly I can't think of any volume car that's likely to make the list. Most are

[djmojo]

Not sure anybody's mentioned it yet or not, but what about the 'Goddess', the Citroen DS. Arguably the most beautiful vehicle ever designed! Not sure about the C6, but there's definitely something about it! I hope it doesn't look too dated in 10 years. It's easily the best looking large saloon available at the moment!

[Agoogy]

My choices would be the..in no particular order

of those made today that will still look great in 10 years:
Audi A8
Alfa 159
Brera
Citreon C6
Golf Gti
997
Murcielago
Subaru Legacy Estate
RR Phantom
Konigseggsegg
Astons...all
Grande Punto
Panda

Those that won't
pretty much everything else but especially
BMW (except 3 series convertible, 6 and Z4 coupe)
Cayenne
Ferraris - all
Jaguars - all
Renaults - all
Peugeots - all maybe except 207cc

[Gold]

Gallardo

[Will2425]

djmojo said:

Not sure anybody's mentioned it yet or not, but what about the 'Goddess', the Citroen DS. Arguably the most beautiful vehicle ever designed!

I've never understood why everybody raves about the DS, i've always thought it is pig ugly. impressive engineering, yes, striking design, yes, beautiful, no.

[Twincam16]

Zad said:

Arguably the best looking cars are not timeless classics, but cars which are very much of their time.

E-Type, DB5
Countach
Ur-Quattro, Integrale
etc.

I agree.

I also think cars date most badly when they're covered in fads from their decade of birth.

Think '70s - brown paint, vinyl roof, baroque badges with maybe a gold crown on them, with a royal blue or maroon background, button-back velour seats, a load of trim level letters on the boot, a caramel-coloured steering wheel.

What are this decade's equivalent f the things that make a '70s car so '70s? Carved-in angles, I think. Huge, shapeless headlights with two dozen different types of reflecter and diffuser crammed into them. Big, slabby doors and rising waistlines. Carbon fibre-look vinyl stickers on door pillars, triangular exhausts, 'bling' chrome-edged air vents.

Retro designs will age terribly - the new Beetle looks like a baby toy, and I think the MINI will do the same over time - its driving manners are rescuing it for the time being.

As for supercars, I think they'll all date really badly. The Zonda looks revolting and tasteless inside and out and no matter how good it is to drive, I think people will see it that way in years to come. The McLaren-Mercedes SLR is similarly hideous - exaggerated bonnet length makes it a cock extension of epic proportions, the McLaren name is an insult to the F1, and I think these will be huge depreciators once they get over ten years old.

Mid-engined Ferraris have looked vulgar ever since the F355 was retired. The Maranello looked like a right old dog - ham-fisted proportions, and none of its design features flowed properly either. The jury's out on the Scaglietti, but the Fiorano is spot on. In terms of front-engined designs, Ferrari have learnt their lesson with this. I think it'll still look great in ten years time, whereas the Maranello will be the 'token exotic' on Arfur Daley's lot.

Porsche - the 911 design was getting tired by the late '70s. Now they date like warm butter.

[Twincam16]

Will2425 said:

djmojo said:

Not sure anybody's mentioned it yet or not, but what about the 'Goddess', the Citroen DS. Arguably the most beautiful vehicle ever designed!

I've never understood why everybody raves about the DS, i've always thought it is pig ugly. impressive engineering, yes, striking design, yes, beautiful, no.

On the contrary, it was the future of the saloon car. We're still seeing its influence now.

It was the first car to have headlight clusters, rather than just a pair of lamps screwed into the bodywork. It was also the first to put its rear indicators high up on the C-pillar. It had an aerodynamic front end with no notable radiator grille - at a time when most cars aspired to look like a Rolls-Royce with a great big fireplace at the front. Also, it had a raked-back windscreen and a 0.30 drag coefficient. Ford studied its design to solve problems with the Sierra. Also, there was the fibreglass roof, to keep the centre of gravity low - witness the BMW M6. Also, the dashboard was the first to be moulded out of plastic - other cars just bolted instruments straight into the metal or screwed a slab of wood behind the steering wheel.

And I think it's beautiful. Just look at the way the lines taper down from the peak of the headlights back, and the roofline with its slender pillars just sits on top of it, with the C-pillars sweeping down into the lower lines of the body. And that single-spoke steering wheel

[Marquis_Rex]

I think there is a balance of timeless styling and character. IMO timeless looking cars are somewhat characterless. I think Pooh hit the nail on the head.
The original 928 is an amazing design, timeless and it didn't follow petty fashion or trends. However, I think it's bland and characterless.
Compare the overhand heavy 928 with a BMW 6 series of the same era. The 6 series is dated looking, but classic and very characterful with that thrustingly aggressive shark nose.

The Bangle stuff along with alot of the modern mainstream motors are trendy, fussy and ugly, along with all the new edge Ford stuff. They'll date quickly. It's a corrollary of cars becoming lifestyle fashion accessories rather than function driven thoroughbreds. They have to change - for changes sake just to boost sales numbers.
Again, I think the 993 looks more dated than the 996, but I think the 993 looks incredibly balanced, and characterful while the 996 looks overhang heavy and bland.
The old classic Mini looks great so much finnese, a superb classic, infact that overbloated pretender- the New Mini (looking like some dumb animal wearing an innane grin) is the best advertisement for the old one- at least when it comes to looks.

I think the E39 is the best looking BMW of that era, even compared to the smaller E46 3 series. The E39 has to be last of a great balanced classic, it has a proper torquey V8 in the M5 (not a thrashy V10) and superb square jawed subtle styling.

[biggbn]

i adore the ds..but the most gorgeous car of all time for me was the citroen sm.....and the series 3 xj6/12 just edges the ds and traction avant as the most beautiful saloon car ever.....i think your right, the 928 is a fairly timeless design, it could have been unveiled a week ago...it has prescence but is a little bland tbh...

[LuS1fer]

Will2425 said:

djmojo said:

Not sure anybody's mentioned it yet or not, but what about the 'Goddess', the Citroen DS. Arguably the most beautiful vehicle ever designed!

I've never understood why everybody raves about the DS, i've always thought it is pig ugly. impressive engineering, yes, striking design, yes, beautiful, no.

The front is stunning, the sides are stunning, the rear is a disaster. You really have to look at other 1950s designs to even comprehend the DS, let alone appreciate just how far ahead of it's time it was. It would be like Ford launching a car that looked like Thunderbird 1 as the Mondeo.

[jdbecks]

i agree about what was said regarding the audi A8, that design looks good now but there is nothing there that makes it a stunning car, i think the series 1 elise looks dated yet the series 2 will live far longer heres a few cars that also look good still, a toyota mr2 rev3+, rx7 and a supra, admitedly a supra needs to be slightly modified to bring it up to date..wheres cars like the scoobys will age pretty quick, already pre 2000 models look quite dated

is that not one of the nicest supras you have ever seen?


rx7


a very nice clean example of a well looked after mr2
mr2 rev3 turbo

Edited by jdbecks on Monday 22 October 18:24

[Sheriff JWPepper]

No to all three.

Edited by Sheriff JWPepper on Monday 22 October 18:42

[75_Steve]

Agreed - just blooby bits of Jap plastic to my eyes.

[jdbecks]

hahahah

i think they look gorgeous, im moving on the a s2 elise or exige...waiting on the test drive.. do you not even think they look good??

[75_Steve]

jdbecks said:

hahahah

i think they look gorgeous, im moving on the a s2 elise or exige...waiting on the test drive.. do you not even think they look good??

I think that once you've passed your GCSEs and mummy gives you some money for driving lessons, you may be in a position to comment.

[jdbecks]

hahahaha i use to own a mr2 turbo i think they were great cars, but you must admit they have grew well with age,

[75_Steve]

jdbecks said:

hahahaha i use to own a mr2 turbo i think they were great cars, but you must admit they have grew well with age,

No, they haven't.

I've known a couple of people with MkII MR2s - they were illiterate, too.

[groomi]

75_Steve said:

jdbecks said:

hahahaha i use to own a mr2 turbo i think they were great cars, but you must admit they have grew well with age,

No, they haven't.

I've known a couple of people with MkII MR2s - they were illiterate, too.

Remember, all sweeping generalisations are dangerous...

[Hooli]

jdbecks said:

is that not one of the nicest supras you have ever seen?

no take those damn silly arches off & put the right wheels back THEN it'll be a lovely car

rx7

yes those look great

[biggbn]

i like both supra and rx7 when standard, but not to keen on either of those...that said the supra is adamn sight more restrained than some of its ilk you see running around...just think white wheels on that mazda on a balck car are wrong all the way from the basement to teh top floor..ie..on SO many levels..