AutomobileMag Forums

I must say that that's a great list Automobile Mag put together. The photos taken by Michael Furman blew me away. I had to buy this issue. One car especially grabbed my attention as I skipped through: the 1936-38 M-B 500K/540K Special Raodster. Now that's a Benz. However, a few cars were missing from that list (and whoever wants to object, hell, be my guest):

1. 2001 BMW Z8 (retro styling mixed with 21st century pizzaz)

2. 1965 Shelby GT500 (particulary Eleanor from "Gone in 60 Seconds")

3. Porsche 959 (need I say more?)

4. 2003 Chrysler 300C (how could you guys leave this one out???)

5. Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (to me the best Rolls ever made)

6. Chevy Belair (need I say more again?)

7. Audi Q7 (what? I like it...)  

The 25 Most Beautiful Cars of all Time?  Buick Riviera, check.  Nissan 300ZX, check.  Lotus Elite, check.  Wait a minute.  Who?  What?  No GTV 2000?!?  I was forced to lie down for several days in order to recover.

http://www.velocissima.com/Gallery/GBonatto1.jpg  

Individual tastes are just that.  I did enjoy Automobile's view on that very hard task.

I would add the 1939 15/SIX Traction Avant (the best gangster car ever built) ... The 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II (weren't a few built with special stainless steel bodies?) ... The 1955 Ford Thunderbird with the hardtop (to stop cowl shake)(and minus the dagmars, they spoiled the front end look) ... The 1960 Type 61 Maserati Birdcage (one of the best balances of form and function ever built)  

In answer to the previous post; There were no stainless Mark IIs. There are three stainless slab-side early '60s Lincoln convertibles. There are also a couple of stainless T-birds and some mid-30s Fords. All were built by Allegeny Ludlam {sp} as experiments. The Lincolns were made at the end of a model year as the stainless material destroyed the stamping dies.

I have the first of three Mark II convertibles built for Ford.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/340096  

I've never posted on here before, and I haven't really been an Automobile reader in many years either (I was subscribing to too many magazines, reading too few, I didn't resubscribe to 30 different car mags at the end of one year). But I saw the headline on the magazine at the grocery store and HAD to stop and look.

I understand, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that this is all very subjective. I've read most of what everyone else posted in this thread, I just want to throw my twenty cents in-

A. How did that other BMW (forgive me for forgetting the model) make the list over the 2002? The 2002 existed before the one on the list, was a much tighter and refined looking car, and is just gorgeous from any angle. I've seen a few of this other one in person (WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER THE MODEL NAME??? Brain farts drive me nuts), and they just don't do it for me the way an early 2002 does.

B. I can't see the attraction with the XJ6 (and how did it get inspired by the Riviera?), the 300ZX (The original 300Z was a FAR better looking car, as was the JDM S13 Nissan Silvia that existed in the same time period, IMHO), and the afforementioned BMW.  Am I the only one who loves the Jaguar Mark X?

C. The hatred of styling cues mentioned in the article. Alright, I too have always despised opera windows (though I think they were part of this '20s-'30s retro hard-on many '70s car designers seemed to be having, with tall stately grilles, huge C-pillars and such), but fins? Vinyl tops? Woodgrain? Three things I've lived for. If you think there aren't any gorgeous cars with fins, pull your heads out of your collective automotive-elitist *** and get a grip. '57-'58 Plymouths are sharp cars. '57 Fords (like the one featured elsewhere in this issue) are gorgous finned cars. '56 Fords (esp. Crown Vic/Skyliners) are gorgeous in stock form, though the many restified ones make it hard to tell. I'm not a big fan of tri-five Chevies, or big finned Caddies though. '57-'60 Chryslers? '60 Desoto. Mmmm. I am a firm believer Exner designed the nicest fin cars. Except for my favorite (I'll come to that later).  

Vinyl tops- While I love the plaid/flowered/paisley tops on many cars of the era, I'll agree they aren't high style. But vinyl tops aren't always ugly, even if they don't show up on the most beautiful cars of all time. 1969-1971 Fuselage Chrysler fullsize two-doors, for instance, look like absolute *** without a vinyl top. They need that extra roofline trim to break it up and make it look longer, lower, sleeker. The 300 Hursts, don't even talk about them, ungodly tacky *** children that get far more respect (at least of late) than they deserve. I wouldn't dare call any fullsize Chrysler one of the most beautiful cars of all time (though the '65 Dodges, '65 and '66 300s, for different reasons each, '68 Newport Sportsgrain convertible and '68 Town & Country, '69 and '70 300, '68 Fury, '69 Monaco, '70 and '71 Sport Fury, '72 Monaco, and '72 Newport 2-door all rank high on my personal list). Many '60s and '70s cars need the vinyl top just to add more color and character to them, because they look terrible blanketed in a single color, just too much. Maybe a painted top would be a better alternative in some cases, but the vinyl top was more popular, and so be it.

Woodgrain- OK, I'll admit, not on the most beautiful cars of all time, but I love the way it looks on many. But be reasonable- just because it was on a Chevette doesn't mean it's terrible. My favorite use of fake wood? '72-'73 Dodge Monaco station wagons. Go find one, one with original woodgrain still attached and in good shape. It goes along the top of the bodyside, and wraps around the C-pillar. It's really a cool look, and it has darker colored fake wood inside the fake wood, with a lighter colored "Monaco" script at the back. My own '68 Town & Country, I think, looks cool with woodgrain, though I wouldn't call it a styling masterpiece. I can't imagine a Country Squire sans woodgrain- it's wrong. But so cool with it. '69 Chevy fullsize wagons with hideaways and woodgrain. Tasty.



OK, cars I think should have made the list-

1. Citroen DS- WHY WAS THIS NOT THERE????


2. '49 Ford and Mercury- how could these be forgotten?

I guess that's pretty much it.

Cars I'd love to see on the list, because I think they rank high, but to date few people agree with ***

1. 1960 Buick Electra 225 Convertible- I *** LOVE THESE CARS. This is, in my humble opinion, the most gorgeous production car ever built. There is one every year I see at the dream cruise, and it was at Meadowbrook a few years back, and every time I see it my pants grow tighter. I hate red cars, but I can't imagine this one any other way- red, red interior, white top, whitewalls, stock hubcaps. I love the way this car looks with all my might, and I can't see why I'm the only one who feels this way.

2. '65-'69 Corvair- Teh hotness as well.

3. 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider

4. 1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

5. 1969-1970 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV (can you tell I like Alfas?)

6. So many, so VERY MANY coachbuilt '30s French cars that I'd eat children for, but one stands out above the rest in my own opinion- 1939 Delahaye Type 165 V-12 Figoni Cabriolet. To me, this is, without a doubt, the most incredibly gorgeous automobile ever produced. And yet that nasty Bugatti, with a that grille shell that looks like it's been sucking a lemon twice as hard as an Edsel (I do love Edsels), and the exposed rivets and *** made the list before something so beautiful? I don't care which was more revolutionary, beautiful is not revolutionary- it is beautiful.


I've spoken too much now, watch this all get ignored quickly.  

Anyone who thinks the 300ZX Z32 does not belong in the 25 most beautiful cars, look at what was around in 1989 when it first came out.  Nothing could compare with it's beautiful looks, twin turbo power and handling, and price.  Even 17 years later, its design still looks fresh.  Everywhere I go with my 93Z, I get looks, questions of what it is, how beautiful it is, and thumbs up.  People ask me if I want to sell it.  It does turn heads.  There is nothing bland about it.  

Others here in this thread comment why the 240Z is not included.  The 240Z was a landmark car, I owned a new 73.  But it was derived from multiple cars including a Jaguar nose.  Great looking, yes, beautiful, maybe not.  The second the Z32 came out in 1989, I immediately went to Nissan to buy one.  They offered so little for trade in on my 85 Z31 Turbo, I did not trade.  However, I waited and bought my 93 Z32 and kept my 85 Z31 and still have both to this day. 305K miles on the Z31, 113K miles on my Z32.  Strongest engines ever made.  The Z32 definitely belongs on the 25 most beautiful list.  

It's great to know that the staff at AUTOMOBILE magazine has such splendid taste to choose the Z32 (aka Fairlady 300zx). It was truly a car ahead of it's time in many areas. Lambo's are regarded as the exotic cream of the crop but has even incorporated the Z's headlights at one time! For a decade plus old vehicle; it can still hold her head up high to even the BEST cars produced today. The flowing lines are still quite modern and there are many examples of well maintained 300zx's STILL on the road; myself included. I've owned quite a few cars from high end German to Italian and the one car I keep coming back to is the Z32. So for those naysayers that has any misconception of this car...think again; the Z32 is alive and well...and do check the AUTOMOBILE 300zx online poll for those that still dispute it's popularity.  

I do agree with one of the members that the Cadillac 60, Buick Riviera and Cisitalia 202 are not exactly known for their looks, but overall I think the choices were quite OK...yeah perhaps Toyoa 2000 Gt could have been included, in my opinion...

Btw, I'm sure some of you have seen some interesting news on the cars that the billionaires drive and the most expensive cars ranking, both by Forbes (if you want, an exceprt is available at the Super Cars for Super Rich site here - http://www.billdoll.com/ref/ideas/rec/cars/super_rich_cars.html )...no surprises in the most expensive cars list really, but some of you will be surprised by the cars that a couple of the wealthiest drive

NS  

I thought my 1990 300ZX was beautiful, but figured I was biased. I don't really care what others think, but it WAS cool to see that Automobile Magazine agrees. I live in "car savvy" Los Angeles near Beverly Hills, and my car still gets all kinds of over-the-top attention. I keep the charcoal pearl paint buffed, and chromed original wheels polished...it also has a large turbo wing on the back. The amount of attention it gets is pretty phenomenal...especially for a 16 year-old car that should be going through it's dowdy late-middle-age stage. No matter what anyone says, people are still talking about this 16+ year-old design, and people on the street are still admiring it.  

Okay, I confess, I wasn't one of the people around the office who voted for the 300ZX.  Hot?  Sure.  But beautiful?  Not in my book.

Oh -- and sure, lots of people voted for it on the online group.  But some sneaky (savvy?) 300ZX fan put a link on a forum to our site that, instead of bringing people to the forum, brought people to the YES vote page.  Very schneeeky.

Still - I'm writing for a reason.  I just drove a '90 300ZX a few weeks ago.  It was a friend of a friend's car, with 214,000 miles on it.  And now I'll use the word beautiful:  The 300ZX is a beautiful car to drive.  Fantastic balance, great sounds, and big fun.

So I may not think it's a "beautiful" car in the conventional sense of the word, but it was truly an awesome car.  

Pretty good article, but as most of you would agree, a top 5 beauty was somehow left out - the Duesenberg J/SJ/SSJ.

C'mon!  If you had a Nissan 300Z (or ANY Nissan, for that matter) sitting next to a 1930 Duesenberg, would anybody really notice the Nissan?  

Exactly.

The Nissan is lucky to even be considered a vehicle next to the mighty Duesenberg.  

Ummm,  try the jelly bean Taurus.  Which really was a follower of the 1982 Thunderbird.

Up till then the 70-80s cars were real square in appearance.  Even the headlamps were square/rectangular.  

Personally I thought the Rover P5/P5B should have been on the list. Classy, sporty, elegant,bold, brash and muscular looking all at the same time, and unmistakably British. The SD1 turns my head, as well.  

Boy_Racer, I tried.  I voted the Rover SD1 on my personal list, but everyone here laughed.  It looks like a four-door Ferrari, I said.  They ignored me.  It has a screaming 3500 V8!  They told me that didn't make it beautiful.

But you're absolutely.  The SD1 (or Rover 3500, as it was sold in the US for '79 and '80, was it?) was, is, and will always be, gorgeous.  

It's just sad how some people don't see the beauty in cars...