VOTE: Semi-Final #1 Best Looking 1960s F1 Car

[Liquid]

1966-1969 Eagle T1G vs 1967-1968 Honda RA300

1966-1969 Eagle T1G

Engines: 3.0L Coventry-Climax I4, 3.0L Weslake V12
Noted Drivers: Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren

1967-1968 Honda RA300

Engine: 3.0L Honda V12
Driver: John Surtees

 

[Dotini]

You say the RA300 is a '67-'68 Honda.

I say it is a revised '66 Lola T90 offset Indy car. Lola Cars officially called it a T130 Lola.

Lola mechanics prepare the Ford V8 T90 prior to flying it to America. Note the fuel cells and fillers have not yet been fitted.
(The Lola Archive)

A smiling Roger Ward poses alongside the Indianapolis grandstands. Ward's car is powered by the 2.8 litre supercharged Offenhauser engine.
(The Lola Archive)


1967 Lola T130 'Hondola'


The "Hondola" Honda RA300 and RA301[edit]
In 1967, Lola assisted Honda Racing and John Surtees with the design of their F1 car. The overweight chassis design by the engine-specialists from Honda was abandoned, and a 1966 Lola Indianapolis monocoque (Lola T90) used as the basis for a Honda-engined car. The resultant Honda RA300 was called the "Lola T130" by Lola Cars, unofficially called the "Hondola" by the press, and was sufficiently light and powerful to win the 1967 Italian Grand Prix.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Cars

http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/history/types/t90/t90.htm

 

[Dolph Drago]

This is a tough one. I love the tangled, dark exhaust pipes of the Honda. However, the nose of the Eagle looks fantastic, especially when viewed from the side.

 

[Dotini]

This is a tough one. I love the tangled, dark exhaust pipes of the Honda. However, the nose of the Eagle looks fantastic, especially when viewed from the side.

Tut tut. Body shape and livery are in the OP as the criteria of "good-looking". Engine, tires and exhaust system are not mentioned.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Tut tut. Body shape and livery are in the OP as the criteria of "good-looking". Engine, tires and exhaust system are not mentioned.

I would consider the exhaust system as part of the body shape. If they simply put a cover over it, I wouldn't like it as much. What say you, @Liquid?

 

[Nessy]

I really like the design of the Honda, but I love the livery of the Eagle. Take both liveries away, and both cars look less appealing. Which brings me to the engines. Honda wins it for me, as the most complete aesthetic package (body, livery, engine).

 

[Liquid]

It's your opinion. Aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I love both of these cars but the Honda just edges it for me.

 

[Ryk]

Pete Wilkins' exhaust on that delicate Weslake V12 is just amazing, The Honda's Snake pit ... well.

 

[Dotini]

WAY too many people are voting for the Honda (really a Lola).

It raced only 3 times before being replaced by the RA301. It never qualified above mid-pack. Luckily, it led one lap of one race. It was a "bitsa" - pieces of this car and that car hastily thrown together to mitigate a disastrous season. The base car, the Lola T90, was seen far more often on the Indycar circuit than in GP racing. It was really an Indy car, and only barely eligible for our contest. And here we are about to vote it the best looking F1 car of the 60's! Shocking! That's a travesty of what historians, journalists and enthusiasts of the sport would generally agree to, IMO. I respectfully urge folks who voted for the Hondola to reconsider and potentially change their votes.

 

[UnkaD]

Relax. It was allowed to compete, so why can we not consider it? Doesn't matter how many races or how well it did. It was present, and this is only a competition for aesthetic appeal. It's personal taste. Besides, it's not leading in the votes, as of this post, so I see no reason to complain.

 

[Hun200kmh]

Yeah, don't make it a relevant thing. This Honda winning a Gtplanet beauty contest isn't similar in dramatic value to Donald Trump becoming President of a somewhat big country of planet Earth

 

[TenEightyOne]

WAY too many people are voting for the Honda (really a Lola).

It raced only 3 times before being replaced by the RA301. It never qualified above mid-pack. Luckily, it led one lap of one race. It was a "bitsa" - pieces of this car and that car hastily thrown together to mitigate a disastrous season. The base car, the Lola T90, was seen far more often on the Indycar circuit than in GP racing. It was really an Indy car, and only barely eligible for our contest. And here we are about to vote it the best looking F1 car of the 60's! Shocking! That's a travesty of what historians, journalists and enthusiasts of the sport would generally agree to, IMO. I respectfully urge folks who voted for the Hondola to reconsider and potentially change their votes.

Yada yada. Raced? Check. Is beautiful? Check. Gets my vote for being more beautiful than the Eagle? Check.

This is purely a beauty contest after all - as shallow as it gets

 

[Tired Tyres]

WAY too many people are voting for the Honda (really a Lola).

It raced only 3 times before being replaced by the RA301. It never qualified above mid-pack. Luckily, it led one lap of one race. It was a "bitsa" - pieces of this car and that car hastily thrown together to mitigate a disastrous season. The base car, the Lola T90, was seen far more often on the Indycar circuit than in GP racing. It was really an Indy car, and only barely eligible for our contest. And here we are about to vote it the best looking F1 car of the 60's! Shocking! That's a travesty of what historians, journalists and enthusiasts of the sport would generally agree to, IMO. I respectfully urge folks who voted for the Hondola to reconsider and potentially change their votes.

What does that have to do with people thinking it LOOKS BETTER?

 

[Furinkazen]

WAY too many people are voting for the Honda (really a Lola).

It raced only 3 times before being replaced by the RA301. It never qualified above mid-pack. Luckily, it led one lap of one race. It was a "bitsa" - pieces of this car and that car hastily thrown together to mitigate a disastrous season. The base car, the Lola T90, was seen far more often on the Indycar circuit than in GP racing. It was really an Indy car, and only barely eligible for our contest. And here we are about to vote it the best looking F1 car of the 60's! Shocking! That's a travesty of what historians, journalists and enthusiasts of the sport would generally agree to, IMO. I respectfully urge folks who voted for the Hondola to reconsider and potentially change their votes.

What does that have to do with people thinking it LOOKS BETTER?

I'm pretty sure Dotini does this on purpose, not just on this thread.

Honda for me, especially with that unique cylinder / exhaust arrangement.

 

[axletramp]

This is a tough call. They are both beautiful, but for me the Honda has a more edgy approach. I like edgy, so it gets my vote.

 

[Dotini]

This is purely a beauty contest after all - as shallow as it gets

This Honda winning a Gtplanet beauty contest

...people thinking it LOOKS BETTER?

The Hondola winning a beauty contest is like Frankenstein's monster winning a beauty contest. From the big Indy Car tub to the phony scoop above the nose to the grotesque, bulky exhaust system looming high in the air above the rear, the Hondola is an abortion - a beast, not a beauty. And if you've ever seen a Lola close up, then you know it does not compare to Eagle in detailed craftsmanship. The design is flawed and so is the execution.

The judgement of beauty ought to be respectable, respected, and commensurate with the values and standards of beauty expressed by a broad range of judges. Racing historians, writers and journalists all have the highest regard for the Eagle. The Hondola is seldom mentioned except for its unlikely origins, lucky win and quick fade into obscurity.

To vote the Hondola as more beautiful than the Eagle might be no more than a simple preference for red over blue. But to vote it despite (or worse, for) the girth of its tub and bulkiness/non-aerodynamic placement of exhaust system would run directly counter to generally accepted standards of beauty. It'd be like voting Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) as more beautiful than the Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke). You can do it, but who will then take you seriously?

 

[GTRacer22]

Are we not allowed to have our own opinions of what is beautiful in our own eyes?

 

[axletramp]

Well, I'm glad we individually find beauty in different forms. The world would be a very dull place should everything have to conform. I find Gwendoline Christie stunningly attractive, but her beauty is different from Emilie Clarke's, that's how beauty works. The Honda is more aesthetically pleasing than the Eagle, for me.

 

[Dotini]

Are we not allowed to have our own opinions of what is beautiful in our own eyes?

Of course you are!

I'm simply attempting to lay out and clarify what are normally considered standards of beauty and its judgement. It should be more than emotion or guesswork. Artistry requires discipline and training.

 

[Tired Tyres]

The Hondola winning a beauty contest is like Frankenstein's monster winning a beauty contest. From the big Indy Car tub to the phony scoop above the nose to the grotesque, bulky exhaust system looming high in the air above the rear, the Hondola is an abortion - a beast, not a beauty. And if you've ever seen a Lola close up, then you know it does not compare to Eagle in detailed craftsmanship. The design is flawed and so is the execution.

The judgement of beauty ought to be respectable, respected, and commensurate with the values and standards of beauty expressed by a broad range of judges. Racing historians, writers and journalists all have the highest regard for the Eagle. The Hondola is seldom mentioned except for its unlikely origins, lucky win and quick fade into obscurity.

To vote the Hondola as more beautiful than the Eagle might be no more than a simple preference for red over blue. But to vote it despite (or worse, for) the girth of its tub and bulkiness/non-aerodynamic placement of exhaust system would run directly counter to generally accepted standards of beauty. It'd be like voting Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) as more beautiful than the Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke). You can do it, but who will then take you seriously?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The R300 looks better to me. Your eyes differ from mine clearly.

 

[Ryk]

One thing for sure, both are no BRM P115, look at those pictures and those V12 boring engines - pathetic.

I Vote Gwendoline.

 

[Liquid]

At least we're getting some discussion about the aesthetics. That was the whole point about starting these threads; success is irrelevant, which car is straight-up better looking? Vanity be damned.

 

[Panoz]

@Liquid.

If the voting ends in a tie, will both cars move into the finals or will you do a sudden death vote to determined the winner?

 

[Liquid]

If the voting ends in a tie, will both cars move into the finals or will you do a sudden death vote to determined the winner?

Sudden death. That's how the Honda beat the Matra MS11 to make it to the semis in the first place.

 

[lxmmy]

Voted for the Honda. Adore the mad exhaust arrangement on it.

 

[ButtKick]

I personally voted for the Eagle at first because it is stunning with that front end and the overall stance of the car.

However I have decided to change my vote to the Honda. I love the livery, But mainly I love how you can see that big, beautiful engine and it's wild exhaust. Not to mention those wheels which compliment the car beautifully.

To me though, This was the hardest decision so far.
I think the Honda and the Eagle are beautiful, Easily two of the better looking 60's F1 cars.

Although I really wish the Match ups had been different.
I wish it had been Honda vs Ferrari Sharknose, and Lotus 49 vs the Eagle.

It would of been much easier choices for me then. Hahah

 

[Dotini]

Gwendoline Christie stunningly attractive

I Vote Gwendoline.

I begin to see the error of my ways.

My mistake has been in equating lithe, lean and efficient with good looks.

Taking a closer look at Lola, I now see her broad tub as wide hips and provocatively protruding buttocks, her phony hood scoop as surgically enlarged lips, and her massive exhaust system as giant, torso-obscuring breasts. Accordingly, I have switched my vote to Lola.

 

[Liquid]

You certainly do have a way with words, Steve.

 

[Hun200kmh]

I'm glad I voted for the Eagle, now that the Honda is suddenly the Kardashian F1. Eww...

 

[The87Dodge]

Eagle for me.