The Best And Worst Car Designers/countries

[LaoPo]

Delage was one of the greatest French car manufacturers ever.....

The style, grandeur, finesse and beauty......Comme La Femme......

1939 Delage D8-120 Chapron Cabriolet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delage

LaoPo

[Jingjok]

Here's a challenge for you all:

"1924 4-litre Swiftmobile, with the old type high point bevel transmission (for which 1922 was a good year). Spares parts are not needed, since the company went out of business because they were too good."

I wonder if anyone else knows what I'm talking about here

[LaoPo]

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_131727-Made-f...PHPSESSID=7a3...

A friend of mine has 2 Bentley's from the '20's. I recognized the style.

LaoPo

[solent01]

I applaud your subtle choice of colour: is that Arancio Borealis?

Do you want to bring your Gallardo to Singapore for a rally next April: Singapore-Malaysia-Phuket? It will be great fun. I've just signed up myself, and am only the second punter to do so, so am looking to encourage others who have a link with Thailand.

The organiser is arranging bulk shipping of the cars from UK. I'll be driving my old Countach which I recently imported into Malaysia.

Oh my, a fellow connoisseur, yes indeed it is, I didn't name the true colour as I thought it would be lost on the average poster.

If I still own my Gallardo then, yes 100%, however I am looking at purchasing an Ascari A10, in which case my Gallardo will be no more, I'm sure the Gallardo is by far the better car for everyday use, but I am looking for something a little more "hardcore".

And your a fellow Countach owner, this is my old "Bull" a fantastic car, if on the open road, but getting some what dated these days though. A classic all the same.

We were visiting an old friend who had a beautiful 500 for sale, but we couldn't reach a price that was good for the pair of us..... when I mentioned my old Countach in the corner, he showed me the old Harvard I sold him, I imported this back from South Africa (one of five, but only three managed to get airbourne again) and rebuilt, (we took it for a spin or two). They are fantastic old birds.

Edited April 26, 2008 by solent01

[solent01]

Oh dear, seems I need to learn about posting pictures though, they are ment to be within the text, not at the end, oh well, never mind.

[pop3]

40 years ago you guys in the good ol US of A were driving around in cars like this 1968 Firebird. in those glorious days you really knew how to build a car.

40 years on your driving round in the same old compact s--t as the rest of us in Europe, shame on you guy's.

[dave_boo]

40 years ago you guys in the good ol US of A were driving around in cars like this 1968 Firebird. in those glorious days you really knew how to build a car.

40 years on your driving round in the same old compact s--t as the rest of us in Europe, shame on you guy's.

I guess you've never heard of the Cadillac CTS?

[LaoPo]

..that hurts in the eyes....

LaoPo

[Jingjok]

I applaud your subtle choice of colour: is that Arancio Borealis?

Do you want to bring your Gallardo to Singapore for a rally next April: Singapore-Malaysia-Phuket? It will be great fun. I've just signed up myself, and am only the second punter to do so, so am looking to encourage others who have a link with Thailand.

The organiser is arranging bulk shipping of the cars from UK. I'll be driving my old Countach which I recently imported into Malaysia.

Oh my, a fellow connoisseur, yes indeed it is, I didn't name the true colour as I thought it would be lost on the average poster.

If I still own my Gallardo then, yes 100%, however I am looking at purchasing an Ascari A10, in which case my Gallardo will be no more, I'm sure the Gallardo is by far the better car for everyday use, but I am looking for something a little more "hardcore".

Well Solent, it appears you have found it. That’s so exotic I had to look it up

What an extreme car! If the Gallardo has gone, then I’m sure there would be no objection to your bringing the Ascari! If you’re serious, PM me and I’ll send details of the rally.

And your a fellow Countach owner, this is my old "Bull" a fantastic car, if on the open road, but getting some what dated these days though. A classic all the same.

Sure they are getting dated, but then so am I

I believe the Countach to still be the definitive supercar. It draws crowds whenever I take it out. I usually let people sit in it to take pictures (especially if they are pretty females )

The Countach was of course the archetypical poster car of the seventies, but many guys have never seen a real one beyond their teenage bedroom wall.

To me I admit it's a middle-age-crisis thing: hanging onto rapidly fading youth with one's fingernails... but it beats a male menoporsche anyway

Is yours an anniversary? Here are some more pics for those who share my enthusiasm for this ridiculous vehicle.

We were visiting an old friend who had a beautiful 500 for sale, but we couldn't reach a price that was good for the pair of us..... when I mentioned my old Countach in the corner, he showed me the old Harvard I sold him, I imported this back from South Africa (one of five, but only three managed to get airbourne again) and rebuilt, (we took it for a spin or two). They are fantastic old birds.

Plank wings I know very little about, I’m not even sure how they fly without the wings going round. I was ab-initio rotary years ago, and never moved on. But my immediate neighbour in UK has a strip from which assorted lunatics fly Stearman aeroplanes which I think might be similar?

The MD500 is well out of my league, and I don’t have much turbine time. I’m a Robbo man myself:

But this toy was sold last year, when I discovered there was no way it could be flown by me in Thailand. I was going to bring it over after I left UK - the Thai import tax is only 1%, but there’s no was a foreigner can fly a helicopter here. There’s not even a route to convert a CAA/JAA/FAA licence. Most unsatisfactory: I miss the machine.

Oh well, I’d better shut up before I’m accused of either deviating from the topic, or being insufferably flash on-line, or both. And we wouldn’t want that, would I?

Although I’m sure there are plenty of precedents for both offences.

If ever you are in Phuket or KL, PM me. Cheers.

[Edit : Added missing rubbish]

Edited April 27, 2008 by Jingjok

[endure]

Provable flash is fine

[wilko]

Are you talking "style" or "design" here?

[Jingjok]

Provable flash is fine

It might be fine in the Motors section, but I suspect nowhere else?

[welsh1]

By accident I ran into this:

10 Cars that Lose Value Fast:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/29/resale-va...mp;boxes=custom

Well, no wonder because these are absolute disgusting designed cars.

QUESTION:

1. Which country designs the most beautiful cars

and:

2. Which country designs the most disgusting cars

1. Italy

2. USA

Anybody ?

PS: I'm neither Italian nor American....

LaoPo

there are so many nice cars out there but this as to be the best one for me

[LaoPo]

That's not a car...that's an oversized tin of sardines with an engine

LaoPo

[djinn]

And this one wins the most ugly car of the world.Even the interior is

It is a Weber made in Switzerland.....if they find any customer

[PeaceBlondie]

the problem I have with most US "designs" is that they aren't really designs...they're styling.

It's revealing to look down the history of mechanical inventions connected with the motor vehicle....from memory the only 2 significant American contributions were the automatic gearbox and winking indicators.

Most of the mechanicals are also 19th century in origin which means most of us are rolling around on a concept that is 2 centuries old! and some vehicles make you acutely aware of that too!

Granted, Europeans invented lots of things. But Kettering invented the electric starter and was hailed as a humanitarian for saving lives. Ford adapted the assembly line to automobile production. Both men left charitable foundations based on their fortunes. I will bet the list goes on and on.

[solent01]

After a week in Spain, having great fun, I'm sorry to say the A10 is not to be, it's a fantastic machine, but it's best left on the track, however the McLaren Merc that my brother borrowed for the ride down was fantastic, so much so I started thinking about buying one myself. But I am now a 50% share holder of a Zonda, it goes like stink, but easy to drive for a run to the thai take away

Edited August 14, 2008 by solent01

[BlackArtemis]

Sorry, despite how nice an R8 or AMG 65 black is I woould trade them up in a heart beat for some detroit iron.

Mustang Fastbacks, Gen 1-2 Camaros, Dodge Demons, Cudas, GTOs, hel_l go back further, get some choopped lead sleds, 32 ford rat rods or a nice 65 Lincoln conti vert with suicide doors.

Back home I have a 02 Mustang GT just waiting for me. I'm torn between throwing on a blower and beefing up the rear or having my dad's friends help me build something classic. :/

[LaoPo]

Sorry, despite how nice an R8 or AMG 65 black is I woould trade them up in a heart beat for some detroit iron.

Mustang Fastbacks, Gen 1-2 Camaros, Dodge Demons, Cudas, GTOs, hel_l go back further, get some choopped lead sleds, 32 ford rat rods or a nice 65 Lincoln conti vert with suicide doors.

Back home I have a 02 Mustang GT just waiting for me. I'm torn between throwing on a blower and beefing up the rear or having my dad's friends help me build something classic. :/

You're right if you're talking about American cars, being Detroit Iron...

But this thread is about DESIGN and that's something American car builders do not understand. The devastating situation 'Detroit' is in shows that, unfortunately.

BIG is no longer beautiful, small(er) and smarter is.

LaoPo