Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread

[balthazar]

More Eldo Brougham love ~ 

[surreal1272]

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

More Eldo Brougham love ~ 

When Cadillacs still ruled the world.

[oldshurst442]

 

and 2 other Cadillacs when Cadillacs ruled the world that are in my collection. (with a Fatboy in the middle)

 

[oldshurst442]

If Im not drooling over a '59 Eldorado Convertible, Im drooling over a '57.

[balthazar]

Roof, roof, gimme a roof!

[Robert Hall]

I like the '64 Eldorado... I like the lack of rear fender skirts on these..

Edited January 21, 2022 by Robert Hall

[Robert Hall]

And my favorite Eldorado..the '67.  Such a crisp, clean design. Love the proportions and roofline.

 

[balthazar]

^ I don't expect to see design so pure & inspired... where the form does all the talking, ever again. Sheer masterpiece.

[G. David Felt]

18 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

And my favorite Eldorado..the '67.  Such a crisp, clean design. Love the proportions and roofline.

 

I actually believe we could see a pure form like this again in an EV format. I think we have not even begun to explore how we could optimize style in EV format yet. Love this car!

[balthazar]

Motive power has zero to do with the sheet metal body. Zero.

[balthazar]

'70 GS with Motor Wheel Spyder rims ~ 

Edited January 22, 2022 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

18 hours ago, David said:

I actually believe we could see a pure form like this again in an EV format. I think we have not even begun to explore how we could optimize style in EV format yet. Love this car!

Not going to happen, though...most EV cars will be pill shaped aero disposable appliances with zero style and personality, available in black, silver or white.  

Edited January 22, 2022 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

Everything is perfect in BE World! ?

[G. David Felt]

14 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Not going to happen, though...most EV cars will be pill shaped aero disposable appliances with zero style and personality, available in black, silver or white.  

One can always dream and dreams is what brings change. I will dream that we can have Style and BEV in the same setup.

7 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Everything is perfect in BE World! ?

Yes, Yes, it is without all the smelly unburnt hydrocarbons. Yesterday had to deal with being behind a very noisy toxic spewing Power Stroke. So glad when we can get these destructive autos off the road.

[oldshurst442]

I never saw those kinds of wheels before.   Lookin' at the '70 GS Spyder rims.     I like 'em! 

"Aerodynamic"  jelly bean / pill / used bar of soap  shapes  have ruled car design since the 1990s.  It wont change much, if any, with EVs.    Its a bummer because aerodynamic shapes need not be that way to be aerodynamic.  Rounded surfaces do help, but the overall design doesnt need to follow that form all the way through.  But that is just an opinion, I really dont know much about aerodynamic flow so...  

Here, let me take a jab in posting 1 or 2  beautiful cars instead of talking about shyte I have no knowledge about...

 

(Proceeds to post "aerodynamic" blobs  )    

 

 

[Robert Hall]

20 minutes ago, David said:

One can always dream and dreams is what brings change. I will dream that we can have Style and BEV in the same setup.

 

The reality is 90% of BEVs are going to be forgettable appliances like GM and everyone else makes today, only electrified.   There will be a few outstanding designs, but few and far between I suspect.  Just a lot of generic appliances for generic consumers.  I know I'm being cynical, but probably not that unrealistic.

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

'70 GS with Motor Wheel Spyder rims ~ 

Love those rims...seen a few photos of early 70s Challengers and Firebirds with them.  

Edited January 22, 2022 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

'71 GP SSJ ~ 

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

[balthazar]

Top of the line '59 DeSoto Adventurer convertible, 1 of only 82 built. Prolly a quarter million dollar car in this flawless shape.
 

[Drew Dowdell]

On 1/21/2022 at 4:41 PM, David said:

I actually believe we could see a pure form like this again in an EV format. I think we have not even begun to explore how we could optimize style in EV format yet. Love this car!

They'll all be shaped like a Tylenol. 

34 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Top of the line '59 DeSoto Adventurer convertible, 1 of only 82 built. Prolly a quarter million dollar car in this flawless shape.
 

I never really understood why DeSoto didn't sell, they were pretty good looking. Dodges of the era were painfully ugly. Plymouth was "beneath" it. It was probably something dumb like the Chrysler Windsor being roughly the same price and at least that sat in the same dealership with the Imperial. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Not that I dislike the El-Dogs you posted @Robert Hall and @oldshurst442

But this was one of the last gasps of the Cadillac styling department until the CT6 came about.  (With some minor brainstem activity for the '03 CTS)

[Robert Hall]

2 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Not that I dislike the El-Dogs you posted @Robert Hall and @oldshurst442

But this was one of the last gasps of the Cadillac styling department until the CT6 came about.  (With some minor brainstem activity for the '03 CTS)

I like those Eldos.  I like the two generations of Sevilles of that era also..

 

 

[balthazar]

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I never really understood why DeSoto didn't sell, they were pretty good looking. Dodges of the era were painfully ugly. Plymouth was "beneath" it. It was probably something dumb like the Chrysler Windsor being roughly the same price and at least that sat in the same dealership with the Imperial. 

DeSoto had a banner year in '57, largely due to the gorgeous styling. But the '58 recession hit them very hard- down 60% (the mid-price tiered brands all got hit), and they never recovered.  

Edited January 24, 2022 by balthazar

[Drew Dowdell]

16 minutes ago, balthazar said:

DeSoto had a banner year in '57, largely due to the gorgeous styling. But the '58 recession hit them very hard- down 60% (the mid-price tiered brands all got hit), and they never recovered.  

Yeah, but there has to be more to it than that. Dodge gaining looks or Chrysler moving down market. I know what I feel about the cars looking back from today, but I don’t know what contemporary opinion was

[balthazar]

YEAR :: Plymouth -- Dodge -- DeSoto -- Chrysler
1957 --  762,231 -- 287,608 - 117,514 -- 124,675
1958 --  443,799 -- 137,861 - 49,445 -- 63,110
1959 --  458,259 -- 156,385 - 45,724 -- 69,970
1960 --  447,724 -- 367,804 - 25,581 -- 77,285
1961 --  350,285 -- 269,367 -- 3,034 -- 96,454

Chrysler's entry-level Newport Series was new for '61, and ChryCo assuredly knew they were going to pull DeSoto's plug when developing the Newport (that announcement came only 6 weeks after the '61s debuted).  It was still priced above DeSoto, but it closed the gap.

Plymouth gained the Valiant compact in '60 but was seeing an erosion of appeal due to styling after the high-water designs in '57-58.  Forget the '57 Chevy; it's impossible to dismiss the sheer appeal the '57 Plymouth design had with consumers (1956: 552K).

Dodge had the Dart in '60 but it was still basically full-size in '60-62 (wheelbase 118-116"). Dart didn't go compact until '63, but the 1st gen Darts at least were price leaders.  Dodge had a great year in '60 with a lot of appeal, but the '61s dimmed the porch light.

DeSoto saw a shocking contraction. Why the '59s didn't gain in sales is a question.  Buick did a lot of the same thing despite being in Chrysler's price tier; sales dropped from the banner year of '55, every year thru '58, and only saw a tiny increase for '59 (240K > 285K).

The compacts really did add to the legacy brand's bottom (volume) lines in the '60s.

Buick didn't eclipse its '55 volume of 737K until 1973. 

Edited January 24, 2022 by balthazar

[oldshurst442]

I came, ahem, across this ad while googling 'motor wheel spyder rim'

 

I would like to blow  Miss Muffet's doors off too.  And then, she could, ahem, blow my doors off after I blow hers...

But then I found out she has a....brother. 

 

  I am not one to mess around with somebody else's gal.   ? 

Edited January 25, 2022 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

Who says Corvettes are not muscle cars?

I believe all these pics are 'vintage'.  

The one thing that I loved about the '70s. 

 

 

 

 

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

I love the emblem (O-60) ~ 

[Drew Dowdell]

Found this in my basement collection today. Original magazine still intact

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

^ '59 Pontiac Safari pickup concept. 2 built, this one survives (restored over many years).

[Robert Hall]

On 2/1/2022 at 7:31 PM, oldshurst442 said:

 

Always liked the '69 Impala styling, esp. with the optional hidden headlights.

 

[oldshurst442]

^^^  It looks better with the hidden headlights, I must agree! 

[balthazar]

[oldshurst442]

Check my ride, meng.  Issa Cadillac, meng.   Custom made for Razor!  

 

Rest in peace, Chico! 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

And the reason for these Bentleys

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

Ive had all kinds of little songs and ditties (yes...with a d not a t)  in my head this past month.  Because of certain events.  And I was equating them to cars.   So, here is another.   This time its a TV commercial. A local commercial and possibly national ?(Canada) 

 

I just LOVE the song. I didnt know who sang it. Google sometimes helps. I had to dig deeper than google. Turns out to be a local Montreal artist. Turns out it is just a sample song specifically made for the commercial. It also turns out to be a cover. From a very known French and global super star singer.  The video was mostly shot in Montreal from what I recognize.

And Edith Piaf's original.

I find that the cover version is just as sensual and possibly have a more French (From France) flair to it despite having an English verse to it!   Love both!  

 

[balthazar]

The fabric convertible top cover (when retracted) is an atrocity no matter the brand/model. 
Cadillac had the hard cover up thru '76 on the Eldorado, it should have returned in '84.