Car design evolves alongside the technology that’s under the metal. Each era of car design can usually be defined by a type of style. The cars of today are often angry blobs while trucks, crossovers, and SUVs have lots of sharp edges, bulging bodywork, and hoods taller than the Sears Tower. As styling evolves, many cues get lost along the way. What styling cues would you love to see make a comeback?
If you haven’t noticed, I’m a huge fan of past car design. Sure, all of my cars are modern rides, but I drool over what used to be. I love classic British motorcycle design and I live for the aircraft carrier deck-length metal and the sharp fins of the 1950s. I adore how the country was so obsessed with the jet age that cars got afterburner-style taillights and the model names made references to rockets, jets, and space.
I mean, just take a look at what a modern Chevrolet Impala looks like:
And what you used to be able to get:
You know what? I’ll take that cute dress, too. It’s amazing how far some nameplates have come from their origins. It’s also really neat how the modern car tries to nod to the past, just look at the beltline in the rear there. But, I bet they could have gone a step further; add a bit of space.
The 1950s traits of huge fins, dazzling lights, miles of chrome, and bold colors capture every bit of my heart. Some of this stuff, like massive fins, might not work well in the modern day. But I’d love to see that space-age enthusiasm again. Give us cars that look like they were formed at Mach 1 and with lights that look ready to blast you off into space. Oh, and please give us bold colors without ripping us off for them!
Another era I love is the 1930s and early 1940s, when automakers experimented with streamlining and touches we would call Art Deco today.
Cars looked like teardrops flowing through the wind and they were adorned with elaborate, but classy brightwork. Automakers even put in a huge effort in the cab with relatively intricate door panels and dashboards that were as functional as they were beautiful.
I have no idea how any of this stuff could be implemented in the modern day. I suppose the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a good example of a modern streamliner. I’d love to see Art Deco with a modern twist.
How about you? What’s a design era or some styling cues that you’d love to see on a modern car?
(Topshot: GM)
Badges that look like pieces of jewelry. Even if they’re just shiny plastic, the attention to detail would be nice.
I miss the three-pointed star Mercedes hood ornaments.
Oh, and amber turn signals.
Cars with fenders that are bolted on so that if you have a minor fender bender the body shop just unbolts & replaces the fender, not half the car! Oh, Lake Pipes, please. With cut-outs 🙂
colorful upholstery patterns/colors! a feel like the late 80s and early 90s was a high point for interesting patterns and material choices. from the bordello red velvet luxo style of the big sedans and minivans to the Japanese stitching and color patterns that looked so good in the sport compact cars.
You have obviously never seen the red and gold lamay upholstery that Ford used in 1962. So gorgeous.
Plaid interiors, love them too.
Damn, I think I gave almost everyone a like and now I’m not sure what to add! Fun interior design like ’50s US cars had with actual gauges that had visual depth, switches, of course, colors. And good cloth with interesting textures.
Oh, narrower consoles so everything doesn’t feel like a Hummer H1 and comfortable damn seats! I’m 5’11” 175 lbs with a 32″ waist, I should not feel cramped and constricted in seats because of stupid seat bottom bolsters that almost nobody needs even on performance cars, never mind more standard fair. Where TF is everyone sliding when the door is 8″ thick and the center console could seat 7 and most people corner like a fawn walking on a frozen pond? And use cushions that don’t turn to stone after 2 hours.
I’m 5’8″ and 145lbs and I’ve been in cars that made me feel cramped, somehow. Many of those were large SUVs. Center consoles are getting out of control, though admittedly, they’ve been like that for a while now.
“How do you fit in that tiny Miata without feeling cramped??”
Easy, it was built before interiors crowded around you with vast expanses of amorphous plastic blobs, so it actually feels open and airy and doesn’t make you feel like you need an SUV to get some elbow room… which you wouldn’t get anyway because the SUVs are still somehow cramped.
Admit that if you are over 6’ tall, ducking down behind the windshield header is difficult unless you remove the foam from the driver’s seat
I had a couple of early ’80s Subarus and they were small and with seats light enough that I could have chucked them across the yard farther than a discus distance record, I drove that thing from north of Boston to Detroit and Hampton, VA a bunch of times and it never felt cramped thanks to thin doors and tiny center console and the seats were pretty comfortable until about 10 hours. My Legacy—narrower than my GR86—felt very roomy with its small center console (that still fit everything I needed) and the seats were good for crossing the country non-stop without any seat-induced fatigue. I also drove it like I was had a death wish and never felt tossed around from insufficient bolsters (of course, even with decent tires, it probably didn’t hold more than low 0.8 gs at best, but most people don’t even hit that even if their cars easily can). With all the stupid advancements few to nobody asked for, WTF happened to seats, the single thing we interact with every single time we use the car?
Actual Bumpers – preferably metal and chromed.
Hardtop coupes. Even Mercedes-Benz has eliminated theirs.
Station Wagons with “wood” on the sides.
For that matter – Wood trim inside too.
And while we’re at it – Bodyside moldings. Because doors still hit doors and other stuff.
And 15-16″ wheels with tires that have some sidewall. Because they’re lighter than larger wheels, give a better ride, and are less susceptible to curbing.
And make those wheels smoother and more aerodynamic – There’s no need for such open wheels as nowadays.
Amen on larger sidewall tires. Not everything needs to be on rubber bands…
I remember everyone’s collective disappointment when the new Wagoneer debuted with no wood grain side paneling options, when everyone figured it was supposed to capture nostalgia for the iconic 80s model almost always depicted with woodgrain on the sides. That would’ve made it feel fun, unique, and special in its market segment, but no, they delivered a boring generic huge SUV instead.
Agreed – we thought we were getting a cool update to the classic 1960’s design – not a Canyonero.
Sedans that are more boxy and upright. Not advocating for everything to look like a 1976 Cadillac Seville again, but it would be nice to have a sedan with more upright rear glass and an actual trunklid.
Now days in pursuit of aerodynamics(to meet CAFE) its turned all our sedans into a hatchback shape. Except instead of a useful hatch, you get a mail slot sized trunk opening.
The C3 & C4 Audis were pretty much the perfect balance between upright styling and aerodynamics.
The number of times that I actually get to drive faster than say, 60KM/H really makes me irritated by the aggressive aerodynamic crap we have to put up with. It’s really not relevant when so many other factors would make driving easier and safer. How about just plain old weight reduction? Remember when they had ‘eco’ versions of cars with de-tuned fuel sipping engines and shitty tires? I’d rather go for a Colin Chapman edition. Screw the aero, lose the bloat.
Big windows and slim pillars.
Dammit, came here to post literally this. I just came back from driving in my co-worker’s 2000 Impreza 2.5RS and it was immediately noticeable how much more outward visibility there is compared to newer cars.
Yup, I hate looking out of coin slots. Remember, visibility *is* a safety feature!
UTES!!! Or at least wagons with removable cargo tops. And make them boxy for both space efficiency and aesthetic.
But- but- the brodozers with beds less useful and less used than a Daihatsu Hijet!!
Pillarless hardtops and coupe-versions of common cars!
yes yes yes. It’s simply the greatest look for any car
Yes!
With the CUV’ing of modern cars, one design style that could realistically make a comeback is the look of the sedans of the late 40’s, especially as the front fenders were being integrated more into a singular front end.
When the original Infiniti FX came out, I thought it was reminiscent of that 40s-50s era, and I still think it is one of the best looking CUVs made.
That said, what I’d really like to see is a modern dual-cowl phaeton ala Duesenberg. Hey, Bishop! I’m beggin ya! Let’s see your take on a R-R Cullinan or Caddy Escalade turned dual-cowl drop-top!
Regular cab compact pickup trucks with long beds. (7 or 8 feet in length)
Good call. Lots of contractors would flock to them.
Real two-tone paint schemes, and not just the occasional contrasting roofs we get today. So many cars now have hard lines on the lower half that would be perfect for a second (or, dare I dream, even a third) color, but no, that would be fun, and cost a little more, and harder to work into production, and effect resale value…
I hear the resale value thing a lot, where people buy a car in black/white/silver/beige thinking that’ll help the resale value. But does it really impact it that much? I mean if you’re trading in a five year old Civic, for example, are they really going to give you less money if it’s red or blue? In my experience, folks looking at regular used cars aren’t making color their #1 priority.
There are some published numbers out there showing that the common wisdom of boring colors for resale reasons is wrong and that colors tend to hold value better, which makes sense when 90% of cars are white, black, or something in between.
I hear it a lot too. Resale value has never factored into any purchase I’ve ever made. I find the entire concept bizarre. Buying what I want and not worrying what someone else will think a decade from now? No, somehow I’m the crazy one.
I bought 3 cars I said I would never buy in my effort to avoid a soulless CVT (my wife insisted on some sort of automatic). A black car, a German car and a VW, all conveniently packaged in a GTI DSG. I’d had 3 black cars in the past, I already own a BMW and friends had referred to VW as “Hitler’s revenge. The black color was the last consideration on my list.
Yeah, orange and yellow are actually the paint colors with the highest resale value. On average they sell for two to three grand more than an equivalent silver, black, or white car, presumably because people who want colors have fewer options and are willing to pay more to get their unicorn.
Greyscale cars are just far more common because the average person is likely to be unoffended by them even if they’re not enthusiastic about them. It’s the dealerships ordering swaths of greyscale cars causing the problem, but it makes sense why they do so. It’s just easier to sell most people a car with a neutral color they’re “meh” about than an exciting color that’s not their taste.
Then they get a handful of colorful cars to spice up the street view of the lot, and put huge markups on them knowing that some enthusiast somewhere will pay more for something less boring…
I can say when shopping for a BMW E36 M3, I really wanted a yellow one, unfortunately Dakar Yellow ones command about a $5k premium on a comparatively similar car. The other great colors on those cars also command a premium like Techno Violet and Hell Rot. I ended up in an Alpine White one, which is actually not all that common of a color for one, but it was at least very cheap.
Dagmars! I’d like me a set of really big Dagmars!!
I’ve heard they can be purchased in the aftermarket. 😉
Yeah, but they are not nearly as good as the factory ones.
A large percentage of the population don’t care if they are aftermarket or OEM, as long as they are there.
True. I can’t argue your point. But a nice, large, stock set of Dagmars is best. Which is why Cadillac is the one to have.
This comment is extremely on point, based on username.
I don’t quite see it yet, so I’ll say it: contrast trim. Think front to back beltline trim.
One of the reasons everything (but esp. SUVs and trucks) look so blob-like these days is there’s not a lot to visually break up the increasingly large areas of sheet metal. Even molded panels don’t help too much, b/c as soon as you’re a little bit away, all you see is a single color.
Horizontal trim – whether chrome from the 50s – 70s, or 80s – 90s plastic – made cars look like what they are, machines put together from various pieces. It seems (at least to me) more optically pleasing.
Even the legendary Taurus, father of the whole organic ethos thing, had it.
BMW in the 90s was on point with their black plastic belt line trim. I couldn’t agree more.
In the same bucket is excellent and fun 80s and 90s style graphics packages. I miss splash graphics and hockey stick lines.
My ’10 Ford Focus has a factory hood stripe b/c exactly that. Found it online from a guy who clearly bought out stock from Ford b/c nobody wanted them.
Round glass headlights that you can replace for ten bucks.
..that aren’t dangerously bright to oncoming traffic.
And without having to remove half the front of the car.
Fins! I’ve always loved the fins from the 50’s
Rear windows you can actually see out of?
The lede image is a good example, I’d love to see a return of the “longer, lower, wider” this design philosophy led to some of the most interesting and distinctive cars that were produced. There hasn’t been a proper big coupe/sedan in decades and car design is worse off as a result. A car that is a big boat that is sleek, has tons of power, and devours highway miles. The only way to get a car remotely like described is going with an ultra luxury car.
Low hoodlines that allow for decent visibility and don’t obliterate pedestrians are an underrated design feature that we’ve seem to have lost.
I’ve been really pleasantly surprised with what Hyundai has done with the Elantra in that regard. It even, at a glance, looks like it has pop-up headlights. Wow.
Autopian commenters in the 1950’s:
God I’m so sick of tail fins. Every freaking car has them and they’ve gotten so obnoxiously big.
Autopian commenters in the 2020’s:
Bring back tailfins! Ban floating roofs and giant grills!
Autopian commenters in the 2090’s:
Bring back giant grills and floating roofs!
Separate headlights and turn signals. I know the modules are more cost effective, but they are harder to see, especially with overkill DRLs
How about headlights that don’t cost multiple thousands of dollars to replace and turn to opaque eyes in the sun.
I know you mentioned it, but I’m going to echo tailfins again, they just look freaking cool.
The Lexus UX sortof did a baby one, it’s a stretch
https://images.hgmsites.net/hug/2019-lexus-ux_100647241_h.jpg
Just tack on “white wall tires” to the end of your column and I’m covered. Also, I need to be careful loading this page when I’m at my desk on my lunch break – I may have made inappropriate noises upon viewing that ’59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz lead pic.
Dagnabitt, nobody seems to make a decent buggy whip these days. By gum.
No kidding, last year I won a Doctor’s Surrey in a charity auction for the school that was built around 1900. Didn’t come with a buggy whip.
Next time you replace your tires, you could always just buy whitewalls… just sayin’…
Oh, they’re on several of my cars, but some sizes just don’t seem to be available anymore. It is nice to see quite a few of the old designs available again – my ’67 Sedan deVille had a set of really old thin double-white-walls on it when I got and didn’t think those would ever be back in production. Low and behold, Coker has ’em in stock!
Shark gills.
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https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Chevrolet-Corvette-Stingray-6n.jpg