QUOTE:...""maybe its nostalgia for the good old days where cars from the 60-70s onwards were individually styled, ""

In the 60's and 70's people also used to say 'all modern cars look the same, just tin boxes, not like the old days!'

But in the 'old days' they were talking about, which were probably the 1930's, nearly all cars looked like shiny black bowler hats. What they probably meant is that each make of car had a distinguishing radiator grille on the front that was used across the range.

But even in the 1920's, a Bentley 3-Litre looked very similar to the Vauxhall 30/98 - but the Vauxhall had its trademark scooped out indentations down the side of its radiator and bonnet.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 30/03/2010 at 12:00

I want to walk into a showroom and buy a brand new V8 Ford Pilot - just for cruising around town, you understand ;-)

Oh.. would want it galvanizing though...

Actually, why did they not do that - when surely they could have? I can remember galvanized buckets in that era.

And baths... cough...

edit.. oh, just remembered the KA

Edited by oilrag on 30/03/2010 at 12:58

Auntie Nellie had a Ford Anglia in the 60`s and was really sold on the inward sloping rear window. Mind you, she was in her own 60`s then and had only the charabang era as a baseline to style.

Perhaps personal `style` is internalized as a kid - that`s what happens when you buy one of those little pocket car books on the school trip to Richmond.

That said - don`t you think the possible future indy car design - with enclosed wheels - a rear upright fin and looking like like Craig Breedloves whatsit , looks great?

At least we don't see as much badge engineering as we used to - although there are exceptions like the Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 / Citroen C1. It has been replaced by 'platform sharing' where the different brands at least have different styling.