Landmarks in car styling (picture heavy)

[Formula Autos]

I don't want this to be an MSN style "cor!-look at that car" supercar ogling exercise. What I was thinking was which are the cars that, over the years have heavily influenced the everyday family/shopping cars that we here on Autoshite love? Which are the ones that have moved the styling of relatively mundane motors forward, and created the benchmark for others to follow?

 

I have avoided anything pre-war as Autoshite, for me, only exists in the post-war period.

 

My choices are also limited to UK market cars, because they're what I know.

 

Anyhow, my suggestions for game-changing car styling:

 

1. Mk 1 Ford Consul. Pretty much aping American styling of the era, and somehow still quite bland, this is arguably the template for 'modern' looking saloons until the late '50s

 

2. Citroen DS. A predictable choice, yes. It was YEARS ahead of anything else available at the time though.

 

3. Vauxhall Viva HB. Again, influenced by cars over the pond, but this time on a smaller scale. The muscle car look for Europe, and pre-dated Escort, Cortina, and all the other big selling 'coke bottle' European cars of the late '60s/early '70s.

 

4. NSU Ro80. Wouldn't look out of place amongst '80s cars, and it was launched in '68.

 

5. Renault 5. Big hatchback. Smart styling. Self coloured plastic bumpers. That pretty much describes every supermini until the mid '90s. The 5 did it first though. Arguably more modern looking than the Fiesta and Metro that followed some years later.

 

6. Vauxhall Chevette. Aero-look in a cohesive package. Arguably more modern looking than its bluff-fronted Opel twin.

 

7. Talbot Horizon. Arguably a refinement of the Golf concept, this was pretty much how all small family hatches looked by the mid '80s.

 

8. Fiat Uno. Moved the supermini on styling and practicality wise.

 

9. Rover R8 200. A fully resolved piece of styling, entirely of its time.

 

10. VW Passat B5. Proper, ungimmicky, grown-up styling. Arguably a refinement of all VAG had been producing since the Audi 100 of '82, in one package. All other (successful) similar sized European cars after this look like the Passat was an influence in their design.

 

I've no doubt missed many other landmarks though.

[lovejoy]

WTF !! That Citroen's got BALLS !! interesting post, Dennis

[autofive]

dont know about car styling - but my own landmarks in motoring history (motors a lusted after when only 3 and a bit feet high) include;

 

when i was about 6 a bloke in the next street had one of these, all wood and leather and shiny chrome - i wanted one

 

a female relative had one of these in about 1977 until it met a hedgebank and ditch, and she replaced it with a mk1 Capri

Think i still have the outer wheel trims somewhere (not shown on this car, i was always taught it was the only was to distinguish between and cooper and cooper S) Hers was a 1966 car with the sliding windows, strap pull doors etc, floor starter and drove and handled great - i loved it

 

i used to go a few hillclimbs and sprint events as a kid - and a friend of the family had one of these. pure innovation, he sold it pre-1980, but in the late 1990s he built a 2cv copy which he still owns

 

i also had a speeding-crush on the 37 manx norton, very innovative bike

saw one race (on film) in the manx senior - sounded great and moved beautifully

 

some time later i visited "Modelauto" in Pudsey (is that shop still open? do they still do the magazine?) and bought a book called "The Chevy Spotters Guide". I saw the '55 Chevy Nomad and it blew me away - i even bought a 1:16 scale monogram kit of a nomad

 

and the only one of my early landmark motors i have managed to own so far:

the 2.8 Mk2 Granada - just has it all, power, presence and handling, heres my old money-pit Ghia X

[Negative Creep]

Consider how dismal the last Escorts looked and how fresh this still looks. Will be on lists like this in 20 years time

[catsinthewelder]

You can really see where Ford (and Vauxhall) got the wheel arch style though looking at that Passat.

 

It's a great post but you missed the great early nineties dirge of jelly mould cars starting with the fully acceptable

 

Through the dull but worthy

 

To the point where we needed a change

[Split_Pin]

I think the original Ford Sierra defined how almost all other 80's cars were going to look.

 

The Puma and the Cougar introduced their 'New Edge' design, combining curves and sharp folds. Again, this set the trend for the next 10 years, imo.

[Lukas]

All I can say, and always do , when it comes to the Sierra is:

 

[Alexg]

I always thought the styling of these were ahead of their time

 

[boobydoo]

I think this was about 8 years ahead of its time...a thoroughly 'modern '80s look' in the mid seventies.

 

Was this the first car with no roof-edge drip rails ?

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

[Rusty Pelican]

Heres something really wierd , available to buy in 1973 and still a few about , always thought this was well ahead of its time , looked like it should be on Thunderbirds or the like

 

 

[Richard]

I always thought the styling of these were ahead of their time

 

 

Bindun, and better

 

[Volksy]

 

First car with flush glass apparently.

[Cavcraft]

+1 on the Calibra and I'd also add the Capri.

 

 

Apologies for saying so but the next person to mention the Passat B5 is going to get a jiffy bag full of cat-with-eye-infection faeces through the post.

[Split_Pin]

The Fiat 127 was a trendsetter in that it was the first supermini. Im not sure why Fiat felt the need to break everyone in gently by releasing the saloon version first, even though it had the same profile as the eventual hatch. The Renault 16 is another trend setter imo.

[Richard]

Im not sure why Fiat felt the need to break everyone in gently by releasing the saloon version first, even though it had the same profile as the eventual hatch.

 

Peugeot did the same thing with the 104 didn't they?

[RedSparrow]

I always thought the BL Princess was pretty ground breaking, especially after the rather staid 1800/2200

[barrett]

I'd have to agree about the Sierra, it really was something totally different when it was launched. The renner 14 is not one I'd thought about being a 'landmark' before but it really was ahead fo it's time styling wise.

 

How about the Renault 4 - 2 box 5 door 5 seater with a high roofline - a description that sums up the Golf+ class of pointless cars for pensioners

[Albert Ross]

The original 4 had a different profile though........... didn't it?

 

Sorry, I was thinking of the R3... and realised I got it confused with the Ami.

[M'coli]

I always thought the styling of these were ahead of their time

 

 

Bindun, and better

 

*-A-hem.-*

[eddyramrod]

If we're talking about the 55 Nomad...

The story of this one, as much as I knew anyway, was told in Classic American magazine a couple of years ago. It was left in a garage to hibernate for many years, and almost as soon as it was dragged out by the builders, was torched by local scrotes. I still want to talk to these chaps...

 

Meanwhile, how about the first UK mass-market family hatchback? This one is mine (yes, that's me with it). Apart from the RWD* layout it could survive in production today. Austin A40, introduced 1958 (mine was made in 66). Styling by a bloke who did lots of Ferraris and the like, Pininfarina.

 

*RWD appears to be illegal now except in Munich. What's the matter, don't car designers tow caravans?

[shite_meister]

Can't belive that the SD1 hasn't been mentioned, ahead of its time? yeah, a Ferrari rip-off? sure, imagine a stuffy car maker launching a car that to all intents and purposes looked like a four-door version of an Italian supercar, imagine that happening today, of course they fucked it up in the traditional BL way but even into the early-mid eighties it was still a desirable looking smoker...with V8 POWARRRRR

 

 

Of course it was a technical back-step compared to the P6, a vastly under-rated car that had some sublime qualities not least the ride quality which was vastly superior to the SD1 in my personal experience.

 

Citroens were always well on form, whether it was the DS, the CX or XM or the smaller stuff like the Ami, it seemed all you needed to come up with another winning Citroen was to be on some exotic substances.

[Mash]

Got me thinking about firsts in terms of car styling. For example, I believe the Humber Super Snipe was the first British car to have four headlamps, which leads me on to my next wondering: which was the first British or European car to have rectangular headlamps?

 

The ones that come to mind would be Viva HB and Renault 16 but can anyone think of earlier examples?

[Louise2cv]

Wasn't the Ami 6 first for rectangle headlamps? Or am I making that up?

[eddyramrod]

Now there's an interesting question! Two candidates that leap to mind are the Renault 10 and Citroen Ami. One might also consider the early-60s Mercedes S-class, with their upright shaped lamps that magically turned into stacked round ones for the US market. I'm fairly sure some or even all of these predate the Viva and R16, but only "fairly sure."

[Louise2cv]

According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) its the Ami 6 and Ford Taunus... maybe.

[Mash]

According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) its the Ami 6 and Ford Taunus... maybe.

 

Indeed so, just had a look myself. 1961 Taunus and Ami, though since the Ford's are more oval I'm going with the Ami as the winner

[Charlie Croker]

I think the original 1984 Renault Espace is the most radically styled car ever. I mean even small hatchbacks have the same tall/ long windscreen/short bonnet style as well as being the first proper peaple carrier.

[Mash]

I think the original 1984 Renault Espace is the most radically styled car ever. I mean even small hatchbacks have the same tall/ long windscreen/short bonnet style as well as being the first proper peaple carrier.

 

I agree, definitely the first to be specifically designed for the purpose rather than a big estate. I do think Nissan missed out on this with the original Prairie (albeit not as radical looking) and they could have got a bit of a jump on Renault if they'd offered it with the seven seat option here that it had in the domestic and some other markets. As it was, the Prairie ended up being just a tall car that you could get a chest of drawers in if you wanted to and the Espace went on to greater things.

[warren t claim]

I think the original 1984 Renault Espace is the most radically styled car ever. I mean even small hatchbacks have the same tall/ long windscreen/short bonnet style as well as being the first proper peaple carrier.

 

I agree, definitely the first to be specifically designed for the purpose rather than a big estate. I do think Nissan missed out on this with the original Prairie (albeit not as radical looking) and they could have got a bit of a jump on Renault if they'd offered it with the seven seat option here that it had in the domestic and some other markets. As it was, the Prairie ended up being just a tall car that you could get a chest of drawers in if you wanted to and the Espace went on to greater things.

 

Can I nominate my former car? The Dodge Caravan. Pre dated the Matra Espace IIRC.