[PDSides]

Rather than wade through the auto art, I decided to post remarks here sans pics. With few exceptions I am nauseated by the styling of these cars. Has there been an original, practical idea to come out of a major auto styling studio in the past decade? What happened to "enduring style" or "instant classic" form in automobiles? I know that there is only so much you can do with a box on four wheels but options do exist, options that don't have to challenge the senses. Not to pick on Subaru, but honestly, a front-end that is a cross between Alfa Romeo and Bugatti, with a touch of BMW and Pontiac is downright ugly. At least the Aztec was original in its ugliness! What's with the massive front-end "look of aggression" as some would have us believe? What kind of aero drag numbers do these cars pull? Look at all the swoopy sheet metal creases running here and there. A Wal-Mart shopping cart could total such a car! A day or so ago I was flipping through a collection of old car magazines and had to stop and catch my breath at the sight of the then-new Volvo P-1800, a true classic design. Simple, practical, pleasing to the eye. Then there was the ever-classic Porsche, distinctive, recognizable, admirable. We who love the SVX are fortunate, a car with style that fits its purpose, easily one of the best designs to come along in the past 20 years. Was it just luck? Will someone get lucky again? Will anyone notice?
Preston