Worst era for automotive styling

[Ghoste]

I'm sure most of us here like the supercar era for styling but is there an era you just can't get excited about?  For me it seems to be the jellybean era of the 90's.  There were some great looking cars from that time too but most of the mainstream sellers seemed to go for that rounded off Taurus look and it just seems so bland to me.  Some of the stuff right before and after WWII doesn't do much for me either but I'm not sure what label to put on the styling theme of the period, the austerity styling?  Brass era is great, coachbuilding classics from the 20s are great, I love the art deco stuff from the 30's, the glitzy 50's stuff (hmm, a natural reaction to the end of the war AND the austerity look?) but I just can't warm up to the jellybeans.

[Dino]

It went downhill in the sixties but plenty great looking cars left.  For me the 70's and 80's produced some of the ugliest cars ever and since then there has not been that much designed that speaks to me.

[bakerhillpins]

Yea, I have to agree with Dino on that one..   In general I think the 80s were a style nightmare, and that is coming from someone who isn't a huge plad fan.

[cdr]

now

[bobs66440]

The mid-late 70's 

[Mike DC]

                 

If we're judging on pure styling alone, and we're not giving automatic extra credit to old cars just for having more steel & less plastic? 


Then I'll take '82 or '92 over 1962.  

Everything in the early 1960s that looked tolerable was either a carryover from the tailfin era, or foreshadowing the muscle era.  Nothing uniquely 1961-63 looks decent to me.

 

[Robert96]

Ever since the end of the seventies things have been kinda blah. There are some exceptions though.

[Ghoste]

Oh yeah, exceptions from each era for good and bad.  I'm talking about the predominant themes that were fashionable during each era though.

[Dino]

                 

If we're judging on pure styling alone, and we're not giving automatic extra credit to old cars just for having more steel & less plastic? 


Then I'll take '82 or '92 over 1962.  

Everything in the early 1960s that looked tolerable was either a carryover from the tailfin era, or foreshadowing the muscle era.  Nothing uniquely 1961-63 looks decent to me.

 

I totally agree, that's why I said it started in the sixties.  Just compare any brand from the late 50's with the early 60's models.  

'82 brought the Delorean here so points for that.  

[Mytur Binsdirti]

For me the 70's and 80's produced some of the ugliest cars ever and since then there has not been that much designed that speaks to me.

I'll agree with that, but I'd also say that most of the cars from the 40's through the early 60's were bulbously hideous.

[Indygenerallee]

late 70's-mid 80's

[Cooter]

IMO, it all began downhill when the headlights became part of the hoods. Fenders were "Sculpted" to look like there was some "Design" when in fact, there was little.

Like around 1994 or so. Ever since, they have been going downhill. Like those hideously designed "Boxes" from the Import world, WTF??

[Lennard]

Yea, I have to agree with Dino on that one..   In general I think the 80s were a style nightmare, and that is coming from someone who isn't a huge plad fan.

Here's my 80's style nightmare and I love it! 466 big block with 500+ hp.

[b5blue]

Late 50's-early 60's, 73 up book shelf bumper-smog motor and anything hamster turd shaped. The ugly award goes hands down to mid 70's Chevelle in my book! 

[F8-4life]

Ugly is relative, but here are my thoughts..

Lots of good cars throughout the 1930s, 40's and 50's. Styling in a decade is roughly split into two "eras" - the first half  resembles the last half of the previous decade. Meaning cars in the early 1950's resemble the ones in late 1940s. There are some exceptions to this.

In 1955 everything was changing and by '57 the dealers had rocketships on the lot! The era of the tailfin is by far one of the best hands down.  Lasted roughly 10 years, only in full swing 4 years sadly.

the '61-63 point is so spot on its funny, the early 1960s seemed a bit lost, almost like they were trying to find were to go next after the tailfin late 50's excess styling era. The compact cars dont help. Weirdly '64 Doesnt seem lumped up in that group maybe because of the new mustangs and chevelles.

1965-75 Had some of the greats no more needs said on that!

Speaking very generally the mid 1970's and 1980's still had things of value, as far as styling. But one could argue that anything good in that era was just the leftover runoff from the greatness of the earlier (glory) decades of the 1950's and 60's I mean you cant go from a 1970 chevelle straight to a 1990 taurus...Of course the 70s and 80s had plenty of sour designs but even some of those still had good lines.

In the late 1980's all the good looking (reletivly, remember it the 80's) body styles were getting dated and once things turned rounded and plastic the soul of the car was lost in a matter of speak. In other words there are cars, and then their are "cars".  There was also a important shift in american society.... the american car as a machine of "fun", now turns into to a machine of nescessity. I could go on but I'm rambling

[Fred]

I'm thinking now. For the simple reason that everything looks the same, you can hardly tell one from the other.

[Alaskan_TA]

Now.

[stripedelete]

IMO, the the k-car through the x-car was the bottom, followed by the late 40's - early 50's.  

Styling in the late 80's - early 90's was carried by the imports until the pickups and suv's got in the game. (IMO)  

[myk]

Anything before the 60's...

[A383Wing]

I say the 90's...everything then kinda looked like a used bar of soap

Bryan

[TheGhost]

late 70's-mid 80's

Yup

[Scaregrabber]

80's. 74 Challenger and Charger were okay, Pontiac T/A was okay, actually the Dodge Magnum was an okay looking car. But in the 80's everything was bad. In the 90's things started coming around again a bit.

Sheldon

[hatersaurusrex]

You can't be serious.  Early 60's?

Listen, the 80's easily had the squarest and most boring cars, but square and boring isn't anywhere near as bad as the exquisite tackiness that was late 70's.  Every car from Detroit looked like a 350 lb painted whore wearing shoulder pads and smoking a camel non-filter.  Easily the tackiest era for cars ever.   Oddly, overseas some of the best cars are from that era (Datsun's finest hour)

Seriously, how can you say the early 60's was worse?  The 62 Continental, the Corvair (hate if you want, but those cars were slick), and a few others are  some of the best looking cars ever.   I challenge you to find me anything American from 75-80 that anyone would call sexy.  I think part of your hate for the early 60's is that you guys have laser focus on Chrysler, and Mopars were maybe at their peak of disgusting.   '62 Dodge?  Yeah.   I quit right there.

My vote for tackiest bodystyle ever? The '77 Thunderbird.    You can't tell me those early 60's cars or any swoopy 40's and 50's mobile comes close to rivaling this thing in terms of 'how fast it makes me puke':

[Steve P.]

Hey,,,,,, I had that exact car.... White with red top and red leather interior.. Very nice and comfortable car... FREE made it that much better!!!!!    Ok, I put a motor in it, but I got that in trade for a trailer I was going to sell dirt cheap!! So almost free..... 

My .02 is, after 1974, WHAT STYLE??  Especially today. I guess there is style, but every car on the road that costs less than a LAMBO, looks the same to me...

[hatersaurusrex]

Oh, and by 'anything' I'm not counting things designed in a previous era like the '68-81 'Vette'.   It has to be something that was like 'NEW FOR 1976 - THE SUPER DISGUSTING MONTE CARLO - YOU HATE IT NOW, BUT WAIT TILL YOU DRIVE IT!!!!'