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Re: MG styling

To: Bill Eastman <william.eastman@medtronic.com>
Subject: Re: MG styling
From: mmcewen@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca (John McEwen)
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 19:57:09 -0500
Hello Bill:

I thoroughly enjoyed your postings today - not that other days are less
engaging.  I will assist your attempt to start a styling thread by listing
my particular automotive favorite designs.  I'll stick to the post-war
period as trying to involve the great cars of the thirties causes too much
difficulty due to the completely different philosophy of the times.  I'm
also excluding really rare and exotic cars.

The ultimate best-looking-car-of-all-time is the Jaguar XK120 roadster with
wires and no skirts.  This car will stop traffic anywhere, anytime.

In second place we find the 1966 Olds Toronado - note the proportional
resemblance to the Jag.  This was, and is, a simply stunning car.

Number three is the 1957 Chrysler 300C coupe.  It doesn't get much more
direct than this car... in-your-face power.

Number 4 is probably the Bentley Continental for all the obvious reasons.

Number 5  is the Porsche 356A Coupe.  The original jelly bean car and still
the best.

Number 6 is the 1963-67 Chevrolet Corvette.  A fabulous-looking car.

Number 7 is the 1965-69 Chevrolet Corvair Coupe.  This is an outstanding
design whose success was diminished by the furor over the mechanics.

Number 8 is the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe.  No bumper and a great grille
on a very nicely proportioned body.

No, I'm not a Chevy fan.  I don't even own one.

Number 9 is the 1958 Plymouth Fury.  This one should probably be higher on
the list.

Number 10 is the Austin-Healey 100 for every good reason.

I really wanted to include the Ferrari 356 GTB Daytona on this list.

It goes without saying that the MGA and MGB are superior and very pleasing
designs (obligatory MG content).

The new Dodge Viper GTS Coupe would be very near the top of the list except
that it is somewhat of an exotic and I grudgingly excluded it.

I should include a group of my special favorites - Cars that are so ugly
that even a mother wouldn't love them.  My WOOF awards - in no particular
order go to:

European Cars

The Lotus Europa, The Triumph Vitesse, The Triumph Stag Convert., The
Jaguar XJS, The Hillman/Sunbeam Imp, The Hillman Super Minx (ugh), The
Consul 315, The Fiat X1/9, The Ferrari 330 GT, The Borgward Isabella Coupe,
The Alfa Romeo Milano, most corruptions of the original Austin Land Crab
after 1970.

American and other

The Subaru 360, The AMC Gremlin, The Chevette, The 1977-79 Ford
Thunderbird, The 1958-1961 Oldsmobiles, The 1961 Dodge full-size, The
1958-60 Ramblers full-size, The 1958 Packard (double woof), The 1960-61
Mercuries, The 1956-57 Hudsons, The 1960 Edsel, The 1959 Cadillac, The 1962
Buick, most Japanese sedans before 1971
The Ford Maverick and Pinto.  Hyundai Ponys, Ladas, and nearly every '70s
cheap car.

The list could go on I'm sure, but I would love to hear from others.

For those who don't find this an appropriate topic on the MG list I offer
my concerns.  Pbbbtthhsst.

John McEwen










>I know what you are all thinking.  Third post in one day?  Give that guy
>something to do!  Well, I have some time on my hands so you will all have
>to suffer for my complete lack of a real life ;-)
>
>The subject of MGF styling and styling for the new MG came up last week.
>As I get older, the aesthetics of my cars become more important to me.
>When I was a teenager,  I my interest ran toward women who looked good and
>cars with hearts of gold.  Now my priorities have taken an about face. (I
>have also become much more monogomous in both areas.)  I find that the
>appearance and feel of a car is much more important than the technical
>specifications.  This is probably why I like LBC's in general and MG's in
>particular since MG (along with Jaguar until the XJS) has consistently
>produced good looking cars.
>
>To me the two most important elements of a car are the wheels and the
>engine.  The designs that I am drawn to are those that emphasize these
>features without going over the top.  To me the best comparisom to show
>this is the F and the Midget.  Both are very small cars so you are limited
>to how many styling gimmicks you can employ.
>
>If you were to draw a rectangle around a Midget, I expect that you would
>find that the difference between the final shape and the rectangle is
>fairly minimal.  The fact that the designers could get som much character
>into such a simple ship is really quite an achievement.  In the front, the
>Midget fenders draw attention to the wheels while grill lets you know where
>the engine is on the Midget.  On the F, the wheels are stuck into cutouts
>of the jelly bean with no emphasis and the grill, meant to remind us of the
>rubber bumper B's (why these, I wonder?) is not a strong statement.  Unless
>you knew, you could only guess where the engine is.  At the rear, the
>fenders on the Midget again draw attention to the wheels without looking
>like tail fins while the F hides the engine and again treats the wheels
>like an intrusion, not a design feature.  Because of this, the F comes off
>more as an appliance to me than a sports car.  It is a decent looking car
>but it does not hit any of my buttons.
>
>Here is a list of cars that, in my opinion, look good and not so good.
>
>Very nice:
>MGA (surprise!)- excellent flow and good mix of large radii and sharp
>transitions to develop tension.  Grill could use a little more muscle (too
>square, chrome) but very nice.
>
>Porsche Boxter- an excellent job of combining modern design with
>traditional sports car cues.  Too bad it's German.
>
>Austin Healey 100/3000 more muscular than an MGA but still nice.  Lose the
>hoodscoop, though.
>
>Triumph TR-6-  Really good looking for a grain truck masquerading as a
>sports car.
>
>AC Ace / Cobra 289  A good compromise between litheness and muscle.
>
>Nice but nondescript:
>
>MGB-  a wonderful front but fat in the middle.  OK from the back.  Has aged
>well.
>
>Miata-  Pleasant but too slick for its own good
>
>MGF  nice.  Maybe too nice.  No grit.
>
>Over the top- caracature of the original concept:
>
> 427 Cobra-  although sometimes too much is just enough
>
>Triumph TR-2-  cheap and looks it
>
>Damlier SP 250-  Aesthetics of a camel
>
>BMW Z-3  the more I see this car the uglier it gets.  And these are the
>people who own MG now!  May the saints perserve us.  The new Mini is pretty
>tasty however and I have seen some ZO7 concepts that are striking so maybe
>they fired the Z-3 guy.
>
>I am sure that other have different favorites and that is OK.  Opinions are
>like armpits.  Everyone has a couple and most of them stink.
>
>Regards,
>Bill Eastman
>61 MGA



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