so Im sitting here watching barrett jackson from scottsdale az. and they just rolled a 1960 2dr Chrysler new yorker. and i called my wife in here and told her to look at it and she was amazed she couldn't believe how "pretty" it was.

why cant auto makers make cars "prettier"? for the most part to me they all look about the same ie. the new camaro, mustang, challenger. yes they have there differences but nothing like back then. look at a shoe box chevy and a bubble top ford each company had there own designers and style.

idk just thinking out loud.

 

i wish... i've noticed lately every car of the same "size" looks almost alike. sometimes from a distance i see a new camry and think the front end looks very similar to the new fusion.

 

I saw a new Malibu today and thought it was a Volvo at first. Too many safety restrictions to make them unique?

 

i think thats it. ^^^

 

there are still some very sweet concept cars out there, but they get diluted alot before they get to production.

safety restrictions probably do put the car companies in a bit of a box....

 

look at the GMC 1500 and the chevy 1500... look almost identical... you think they'd try to make something different people will like and buy from them, but they're all the same anymore

 

What's really amazing to me about the mid-50's through mid-60's cars is how each model was uniquely different from the preceding year -- different body panels, front clips, rear clips, completely different interiors, etc. Think of all the tooling that was set-up for a one year run and then the wheel was completely reinvented again! Think of all the unique interior pieces that were designed and fabricated for one model year! And the auto manufacturers of the era were extremely profitable in spite of it!

Now most manufacturers hardly change a model during a five year production run and they can barely squeak a profit out of it.......

 

There was much less government regulation of the auto industry in the 50's to mid '60's.

Conforming to a few million pages of government regulations adds a little something to the overhead, lol.

Do you want stylish, affordable cars and a thriving auto industry, or do you want the cars the government wants the makers to build? Looks like the government made that decision for us a few decades ago. If there is anyone left living in Detroit, we can ask them how that is working out...

 

That was back when the auto worker actually EARNED what he was paid. Union took care of that. Now the plant is filled with robots and 2 guys who turn the lights and the radio on and off. They're "slow learners" (yes the auto managers are, but that's not who I was talking about)