At what point do you think Automotive design hit its pinnacle?

[bmw325]

I'd say the 1960's.... those British sports cars, early Porsches, MBs were all so nicely designed back then.

What do you guys think was the best designed sports car/roadster?
What about sedan?

I'm talking about styling- not handling or performance.

[nate]

The 60s certainly had some incredible cars as did the 1920s. I cant pick the best looking, there are TOO many cars out there.

[Alex Baumann]

Originally posted by robg
I'd say the 1960's.... those British sports cars, early Porsches, MBs were all so nicely designed back then.

What do you guys think was the best designed sports car/roadster?
I'm talking about styling- not handling or performance.

For me the best of the best was 1962 Ferrari 250GTO

http://perso.club-internet.fr/jlcouet/250GTO.jpg

[The HACK]

Take a look at the Aston Martin Vanguish...Beauty, power, prestige, performance all wrapped into one. THAT is the pinnacle of automotive design, for today. 5 years ago I'd have said McLaren F1, true pinnacle of automotive design combining god like performance with the latest of technologies all wrapped in one of the greatest looking car shells ever made. 10 years ago? Porsche 959. 15 years ago? Lamborghini Countach.

I think the fact is, as time goes by taste and requirement change. It used to be big block V12s were the king of engine design but now a days aluminum V8s are the engines champions are made of. Power has given way to efficiency today, big bore/big stroke engine has given way to higher revs. Straigh lines and sharp angles has given way to curves and "flame surfacing." Everything in this industry evolves over time...and there are some timeless designs in each period that can truely be appreciated as the pinnacles of automotive design. Cobras, Ferrari Daytonas, old Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts and Silver Seraphs...List goes on and on.

[bmw325]

All of the cars you mentioned were supercars- very high end exotics. I was thinking of the design trends among more mass market cars. And I think that 2 trends are emerging in modern mass auto design-- both not good.
1. Be different (and ugly) just for the sake of being different --ala Bangled BMWs, most GM products, etc.
2. Be generic, derivative and completely bland (most Japanese models).

I actually think that Mercedes has done the best job of designing cars that manage to look good and modern without being too boring and derivative. Audi is also pretty good. Mercedes probably has the most classic designs throughout history-- look at a Merc from any era and it still looks good today. I don't think any other make has quite that record FWIW.

I think that cars of the 60s (in general) tended to have a better sense of proportion-- and the different car makes/models managed to look different yet attractive.

[___lk___]

Originally posted by robg
All of the cars you mentioned were supercars- very high end exotics. I was thinking of the design trends among more mass market cars.

Then there is no doubt...here's your winner:

<center>http://www.toyota.co.jp/Showroom/All_toyota_lineup/Supra/exterior/images/ex01_vga.jpg</center>

[BayDetailz]

WINNER.....THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD.....This one is treated with Meguiar's

[Dan]

Automotive design peaked in the 1960's for American and certain European makes.

General Motors designs were exceptional back then: the 1963-1967 Corvette Stingray, the 1963 Buick Riviera and 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado were all stunning. GM's muscle cars and ponycars were also beautifully styled: Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Chevelle SS396, Oldsmobile 442, Camaro and Firebird. Ford also had a number of winners: the first and second generation Mustangs, third and fourth generation Thunderbirds, and of course, the Shelby Cobras. Chrysler had the gorgeous 1968 Dodge Charger, and even AMC had the AMX.

On the European front, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati all had some of their most stunningly beautiful designs during the 1960's.

[Dan]

And the winners are...

1. Best design for a sportscar/roadster: Jaguar E-type Series 1 (1961-1967) - the sexiest, most beautiful car ever designed that went into mass production. Honorable mentions: Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari 275 GTB, Ferrari Daytona.

2. Best design for a sedan: a tie between: a) the Jaguar Mark II (1959-1969). The essence of style, perfectly proportioned body (by the way, the front end of this stunning automobile was the inspiration for Jaguar's current S-Type sedan); and b) Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 - 3 (1968-1986). Considered by many professional automobile writers to be the most beautiful sedan ever built.

[bmw325]

definitely.

[Fisch330ciTB]

Pinnacle for the available Technology..
-advent of windtunnel aerodynamic testing, when the jetage took off. Most of the previous design had a DIY flair, then the utilitarian design age because of recession and war, after wars the tech trickled down
-plastics
-ArtCenterCollegeOfDesign (joke...but...?) my almamater :)
-computer assisted design...Now, all the styles are looking similar, as the computerage of design arrives and uses found, at least if a company wants to dominate a market segment they gotta make something with mass purchase appeal. And the Anal Car Age has arrived. The car designers nowadays had too many legos and lincoln logs as children has been offered as an argument too.

Another fact is there aren't alot of Car Companies existing with a multinational reach anymore, 2 hands is all it takes. And with the economic clime, the small car companies charge $80g-$120g and up, out of the reach of the majority. I know of a lot of cool cars I wish I could get from across the pond from the US, but either too much money or it doesn't pass DOT. There are a lot of badass cars still made, Design don't die, it just reinvent's itself. :confused: ?

[LeucX3]

I don't know about pinnacle, but definitely a landmark in automotive design would have to be the mid-80s Audi 5000.

That started the wave of aerodynamic mainstream cars like the Taurus, which was a blatant rip-off of that design.