Ugly Cars... and those who love them.

[RICHARDO]

The Group B rally beasts qualify right? They are ugly but in a very non-ugly way, they are what you call "ugly but functional". The Delta S4 is the definition of this. The only car in GT4 with both a turbocharger and a supercharger, and weighing in at 850kg, coupled with roughly 450 hp, gives it great potental on both tarmac and the rough stuff. But I warn you, like any Group B, it takes great skill and cajones to drive fast. (like driving at Citta Di Aria )


Good Luck 👍

 

[FoolKiller]

I love doing this. I occasionally grab a car because of how it looks and don't even pay attention to the stats on it. Then when I have friends come over I show them my big pimpin' cars.

 

[Xtreme Drifter]

I like the way the old car handles, mainly the compact cars like the ae86 or the BMW 2002 turbo. They always want the rear sliding a little, when you are going fast (Without drift settings).

 

[Talon Lardner]

How dare you call a car ugly just because it's boxy and/or old!

I'm just kidding, but really, who taught you what you know about cars? That's a very "average american suburbanite" outlook to have -- thinking that appreciating old, outdated cars is some sort of "guilty pleasure."

I'll give you a tip -- older cars may not be "beautiful," but you can still call them "handsome." 👍

Yeah, good point, and I'm the first to admit I barely know anything about cars.

Though I guess you could call some of those beasts Handsome, though I think being ugly is far from a bad thing, it actually has it's uses from time to time. but I didn't think of it as being a guilty pleasure to me... only that it sometimes seems from playing with my firends and on these forums that I am in the rare for perferring low horsepower, older model races.

 

[RICHARDO]

Then do a older model, high horsepower race. Now thats fun! Peugeot 205 Evo 2 VS Toyota 7 at the Nurburgring, have fun. 👍

 

[Moglet]

I love really old Japanese cars, some of them are so funky! I especially like the Isuzu Bellett 1600 GT-R, from '69. You can just throw the thing into pretty much any corner and it'll go round it! Makes a nice noise, too.

 

[Wolfe]

Ahem, E-Type. That is a beautiful car, and a word shouldn't be said against it.

xjr-9

Not everyone would agree, which is why I made no exceptions in that statement.

For the record, though, I agree with you. 👍

Yeah, good point, and I'm the first to admit I barely know anything about cars.

Though I guess you could call some of those beasts Handsome, though I think being ugly is far from a bad thing, it actually has it's uses from time to time. but I didn't think of it as being a guilty pleasure to me... only that it sometimes seems from playing with my firends and on these forums that I am in the rare for perferring low horsepower, older model races.

Don't worry, you're certainly not in the rare. I still wouldn't call most of the cars in the historic showroom "ugly," but to each his own...

 

[Xtreme Drifter]

Sometimes, a car be ugly and old can be a weapon, mainly when you are about to race with a friend, and he thinks he will kick you because you're using a old car, and you let him have a royal kick by a huge difference.

 

[iLex]

Sometimes, a car be ugly and old can be a weapon, mainly when you are about to race with a friend, and he thinks he will kick you because you're using a old car, and you let him have a royal kick by a huge difference.

You are very right. I quite easily kicked the butts of a Mercedes CLK and a Beamer M coupe with my volvo 240 'red label'. It looked great!

 

[bAtesy]

I like the Lancia Stratos, really weird looking car. The Volvo made me laugh when I saw it in the listings. I think I had a minor orgasm when I saw it, bought it, pimped it and raced it. Now it's gathering dust in my huge garage.

 

[panjandrum]

Ahem, E-Type. That is a beautiful car, and a word shouldn't be said against it.

xjr-9

Agreed! Same with a lot of the truly older cars in the game. The Ghia, the Cobra, the 54' Gullwing, etc. Absolutely beautiful cars. Some of the newer cars are also quite attractive. Automobile manufacturer's have finally begun to build some truly interesting cars again, after a long period of building mostly boring undistinguished designs.

Most of the boxy cars are not really all that old, and, I would guess that most of us here who actually had to live through that couple of decades where almost every car was an ugly box or an ugly wedge, would NOT agree there there is anything attractive about most of them. We're talking about the blackest period in automobile design.

There has been an upswing in the younger crowd buying these early/mid 70's - early/mid 90's vehicles and hopping them up. I thought it was a hoot, a riot even, and a sign of a good sense of humor in the people doing this. You know "hey, look how incredibly ugly this car is." Now I'm beginning to wonder if, like Talon Lardner , many of these kids actually like those designs.

Well, to each his/her own!

 

[Wolfe]

Agreed! Same with a lot of the truly older cars in the game. The Ghia, the Cobra, the 54' Gullwing, etc. Absolutely beautiful cars. Some of the newer cars are also quite attractive. Automobile manufacturer's have finally begun to build some truly interesting cars again, after a long period of building mostly boring undistinguished designs.

A decade isn't that long. Car designs were only really boring in the 90's, and that's only with the more "ordinary" models. Sportier cars still looked great.

Most of the boxy cars are not really all that old, and, I would guess that most of us here who actually had to live through that couple of decades where almost every car was an ugly box or an ugly wedge, would NOT agree there there is anything attractive about most of them. We're talking about the blackest period in automobile design.

I completely and whole-heartedly disagree. The 80's were a great time for automotive design, and the 90's weren't bad at all for fans of sporty cars.

There has been an upswing in the younger crowd buying these early/mid 70's - early/mid 90's vehicles and hopping them up. I thought it was a hoot, a riot even, and a sign of a good sense of humor in the people doing this. You know "hey, look how incredibly ugly this car is." Now I'm beginning to wonder if, like Talon Lardner , many of these kids actually like those designs.

Well, to each his/her own!

The younger crowd doesn't have that kind of sense of humor. I assure you, most of them like the way their cars look.

I have no clue how anyone can hate the car designs of 1975-1995 as you do, but as you said, to each his/her own...I just have a feeling that you're in the minority here.

 

[Metar]

I love oldies. Actually, that's what made me buy GT4 - oldies. Me and my brother were walking down the street, when he pointed at a GT4 poster in a computer store - with a Fiat 500 on it. So we looked and searched around the internet, and I saw those huge lists. S600, Alfas, Lancia Stratos - they were (and still are) among my favorite cars.
I just love taking my Stratos for a spin at Deep Forest, or an Alfa to Citta Di Aria (a la the licence test). It's just fun.
Me, my brother, and my sister, we all have a certain oldie we'd like to restore - my brother with a Fiat 500, my sister a VW Transporter (Hippy Van) or Bug, and me, I'd like a 2CV or Peugeot 504.

 

[no tcs needed]

I like the Volvo 240, the Isuzus and the Triumph despite their ugliness.

 

[no tcs needed]

I like the Volvo 240, the Isuzus and the Triumph despite their ugliness. Just because they're ugly doesn't mean they're not cool.

Edit: Sorry about the double post.

 

[bAtesy]

Was walking to Tescos today and because of this thread I saw a Volva 240 and thought "what if I put a stage 2 turbo in that?" lol.

 

[Fireball27]

I have no clue how anyone can hate the car designs of 1975-1995 as you do, but as you said, to each his/her own...I just have a feeling that you're in the minority here.

No, you're wrong Well kinda. Sports cars have always look good, no matter what decade it is, and that will probably always be true. However if we talk about your run of the mill family sedans and such... then I mean lets face it: Say we've got a car thats been around for a long time... and you compare its original version and its current incarnation to its 80s version. I think in almost every example you'd find that the eighties version is by far the ugliest, and i think most people would agree.

Take a look at the Ford Thunderbird for example:

The first time around: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1957_Ford_Thunderbird.jpg

late 60s, early 70s (still looking good):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1967_Green_Ford_Thunderbird_Fordor.jpg

early 80s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tbird_1980.jpg

mid to late 80s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ford_Thunderbird_Turbo_Coupe_1987.jpg

Now (better, but not as good as the original):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Modern_Ford_Thunderbird.jpg

Now sit there and tell me you like the 3rd and 4th one best.

 

[RICHARDO]

No, you're wrong Well kinda. Sports cars have always look good, no matter what decade it is, and that will probably always be true. However if we talk about your run of the mill family sedans and such... then I mean lets face it: Say we've got a car thats been around for a long time... and you compare its original version and its current incarnation to its 80s version. I think in almost every example you'd find that the eighties version is by far the ugliest, and i think most people would agree.

Take a look at the Ford Thunderbird for example:

The first time around: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1957_Ford_Thunderbird.jpg

late 60s, early 70s (still looking good):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1967_Green_Ford_Thunderbird_Fordor.jpg

early 80s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tbird_1980.jpg

mid to late 80s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ford_Thunderbird_Turbo_Coupe_1987.jpg

Now (better, but not as good as the original):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Modern_Ford_Thunderbird.jpg

Now sit there and tell me you like the 3rd and 4th one best.

I actually like how the early eighties one looks, and the late eighties one isn't too shabby either, looks like the Fox-body Mustang of the period. Besides, the the Thunderbird was never a great sportscar to begin with. The Corvette always killed it.

 

[Fireball27]

I actually like how the early eighties one looks, and the late eighties one isn't too shabby either, looks like the Fox-body Mustang of the period. Besides, the the Thunderbird was never a great sportscar to begin with. The Corvette always killed it.

The Thunderbird was a sports car?!? Nobody ever told me this

 

[RICHARDO]

The Thunderbird was a sports car?!? Nobody ever told me this

Because the older ones drove like a old Lincoln Continental. (which, ironically, it shared parts with ) But Ford did call it a sports car, which was a not so brilliant move on their part.

 

[panjandrum]

No, you're wrong Well kinda. Sports cars have always look good, no matter what decade it is, and that will probably always be true. However if we talk about your run of the mill family sedans and such... then I mean lets face it: Say we've got a car thats been around for a long time... and you compare its original version and its current incarnation to its 80s version. I think in almost every example you'd find that the eighties version is by far the ugliest, and i think most people would agree.

Take a look at the Ford Thunderbird for example:

The first time around: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1957_Ford_Thunderbird.jpg

late 60s, early 70s (still looking good):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1967_Green_Ford_Thunderbird_Fordor.jpg

early 80s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tbird_1980.jpg

mid to late 80s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ford_Thunderbird_Turbo_Coupe_1987.jpg

Now (better, but not as good as the original):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Modern_Ford_Thunderbird.jpg

Now sit there and tell me you like the 3rd and 4th one best.

Thank you! This is an *excellent* example of exactly my point. It is one thing to love the cars *despite* their appearance, but another thing altogether to actually and honestly believe that (for example), those 80s Thunderbirds are anything other than purely BLAH. They were produced to be as cheap as possible to manufacture and to make the biggest possible amount of money, at the expense of the consumer. They are uninspired cost-cutter crap that nearly everyone who lived through the era disliked.

Those boxy things are good for a gag, there are some very funny ones around here that people have even gone so far as to put fully hydraulic suspensions on, so they can make them hop. But I'm still thinking that most of these kids do know they are ugly, they just like them anyway, and probably do have a sense of humor about it (I certainly hope so!!!) Remember what it was like to be a teenager? I would have definitely thought it was funny in my teens to take a truly hideous car and do that to it.

Still, there is no true black and white when it comes to taste. I suppose some people really do like those things, but I expect it is the vast minority.

Also, when it comes to taste, it is important to know your own strengths and weaknesses. For example, I like horrible cheap, sweet, fruity wines. But, at least I *know* I have terrible taste in wine. In beer on the other hand, I have a pretty discerning palate. This car issue is a little like that. People can like many different cars, but I would suggest that a person who actually *likes* the looks of the middle-year Thunderbirds (as an example), more than the older models and the current model, might simply have bad taste when it comes to cars. That's not a crime, it might just be a fact of life, like my bad taste in wines....

 

[Wolfe]

Well duh, of course the Thunderbird, or anything american for that matter, is the perfect car for you guys to make your point. For the record, though, I think the early 80's one is hardcore, easily on par with the first two, and tons better than the new one. Even the late 80's one is better than the new one.

As for "ordinary" cars that looked awesome in the 80's, any Volkswagen works, any Audi works, any BMW works, the Toyota Corolla, and Toyota's premium sedans/coupes (found in Japan) work, any of the larger Nissan sedans (mostly Japan-only) work, most European hatchbacks work...there are many "ordinary" cars that I think looked hardcore in the 80's.

And then there are the 80's sportscars and "sporty cars," which looked even better...

My bottom line is this. If you don't think this car looks awesome, you'll won't understand where I'm coming from and we simply have different tastes:

 

[Fireball27]

Eh I guess its all gray like panjandrum said. Although I will admit that certain cars from the eighties do look "hardcore"... I wouldn't say beautiful, but they're not nessesarily all ugly ('85 Monte for example). I'd have to say though, for the most part, i think the only good looking cars made in the eighties were the ones designed in the 70s.

 

[GT4_Rule]

I like the late 80's and early 90's Thunderbird...

 

[Korndawg]

I think that Audi looks pretty sweet:tup: i love the old style (I don't know what year(s) probably 70's?) BMW's

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

My first car was a used 1978 Audi Fox (80/4000) back in '84... but motorcycles were my main passion at the time:

 

[Metar]

Just remmember - even if you find them hideous today (and I don't find the hideous), they come from a different time. At that time, straight lines and boxy shapes were the "trend" in car-designing. Me, I like it. Perhaps not each and every design of it, but, as always, there are beautifull ones. Many.

 

[darkdragoon7]

AE86 all the way for me 👍

 

[Metar]

Both the Corolla and the Sprinter are from that styling-era too...

 

[CkDevil]

Maybe the old Golf GTI looks a bit ugly, bit i really love it