We've had a thread on ugly rears and ugly fronts. Following on from this what good-looking cars can you think of that are spoiled by one stylist's slip of the pen? Here are some I can think of:
Mercedes A-class - odd rear window/C-pillar shape (forthcoming replacment looks better.
Alfa Romeo 156 - offset number plate looks like a trade plate.
Citroen C2 - design spoiled by silly side window styling.
Early 90's BMW 3 series - (when BMW still made good looking cars!)- oddly sculpted sill panel looked like it has been dented by driving over a high kerb!
Cheers, Sofa Spud
|
Any car with black matt plastic door handles. I mean, how much can painting door handles cost? Latest example is the Peugeot 407 - a silver model really caught my attention today with its bold front, but the handles totally spoiled it. Looked like a 1982 Passat from the side.
Actually, VAG are serial offenders. The Skoda Fabia VRS is a current example - shiny colour-coded bumper and skirts, shiny colour-coded mirrors, pretty alloys ... all ruined by black matt door handles. Criminal.
|
|
A class? Good looking? I'll have a pint of whatever you are drinking.
|
Nissan 350Z. lovely looking motor. But why has it had doorhandles from a car 10x the size attached to it?
And why are they bright silver?
|
|
|
Certainly the A-Class is unusual looking, but I like its overall shape, even if the styling detail is a bit odd - especially the awkward back window treatment and the exaggerated teardrop headlights. The new A-class looks a lot neater, but why have Mercedes decided to adopt an upswept styling line on the sides of their cars reminiscent of the Triumph TR7?
Cheers, SS
|
|
|
|
|
Alfa Romeo 156 - offset number plate looks like a trade plate.
Outrageous suggestion. It adds to the quirkiness. Or something.
|
|
|
Alfa Romeo 156 - offset number plate looks like a trade plate.
To look like a trade plate it would have to be wedged between the dash and the screen, preferably in a manner designed to rip open the passenger airbag in a crash. The rear one would need to either be slung over the wash wipe or hung from the tailgate, both methods ensuring maximum scratching to the rear of your car.
|
|
p.s. Alfa intend to carry this design through to the 158 as a "heritage" feature.
|
But who first thought of putting the number plate there? Saw a Mitsubishi Evolution yesterday with the plate on the corner of the front bumper.
I gather it's placed there to help get some air into the radiator. Surely a design fault? (no, that's not me having a dig at ND's car for a change)
|
But Dave - it's an Evo...AN EVO!
Adam
|
|
|
But who first thought of putting the number plate there? Saw a Mitsubishi Evolution yesterday with the plate on the corner of the front bumper. I gather it's placed there to help get some air into the radiator. Surely a design fault?
Far from it. It shows good engineering design in that they aren't letting a styling convention get in the way of providing the best engineering solution.
With the 156 there is an element of styling and an element of cooling need. With the 158 it would appear to be more of a styling exercise.
Let's face it, the 407 manages to mount the plate centrally AND have a grille that could swallow a small south american country, so if that's the alternative I'll settle for the asymetrical approach, ta.
|
|
|
|
|
