I often fantasise about getting a Citroën DS20, putting a modern engine in it, and modern electronics, and making it efficient and safe etc etc.

I often fantasise about getting a Citroën DS20, putting a modern engine in it, and modern electronics, and making it efficient and safe etc etc.

Me too, but with a Tatra T87. It seems that Tatra themselves may be coming round to my way of thinking.

Watch that — it should reduce the romance of old, beautiful cars by 99%.

Muteboy, you’ve brought up a great point that I always bring up when people diss current cars for sameness. People compare all old cars to the cars of just the current generation. But if you compare contemporary cars of any generation, say compare all cars available new in 1932, then they’re strikingly similar. The average person looking at the picture you suggested wouldn’t be able to tell some of the cars apart, despite being various different models. Most of them have the same pontoon fenders and pointed hood.

I do agree, though, that many classic design cues should be updated and used nowadays. People bag on retro cars as being a cheap way out, but retro done right is a wonderful thing. Anything to help ease the bar-of-soap malaise that some cars have been trapped in. Ooh, look! This bar of soap has headlights that go further back!

There’s plenty of innovation in car design right now. Not much from U.S. manufacturers, but let’s move on. I love me some old cars, but nostalgia is for chumps.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/09/volkswagen-l1-concept/

The C4 was, before we even started seriously looking around, our first pick. I didn’t want to buy a car just because it looked good, though, I also wanted something that met our needs. Fortunately, living in the EU, we are fairly spoiled for choice when it comes to good-looking, safe and inexpensive cars: Alfa Romeo 159, VW Golf, Peugeot 308, spaceship-shape Honda Civic, SEAT Leon, Audi A3… even the Toyota Auris and Ford Focus cars aren’t *that* boring or ugly.

Unfortunately, if you live in the US, you don’t get the Alfa, nor the Peugeot, no new-shape Civic, no SEAT and I don’t think you have access to the Auris and I believe the same is for the Ford Focus hatchback. Oh and, at least according to Audi’s web site, they sell some boring and ugly wagon version of the A3 but not the decent-looking hatch version of their A3.

So you’re kind of stuck with the Malibu or a Toyota Camry, I’m afraid.

oh my. I’ve not seen those before. oh my.

Him: Hey dollface, great wheels you’ve got there.

Her: Get your f***ing foot of my f***ing car before I drive over you!

What a fascinating photo. She’s got her hand behind her head for a ‘come hither’ attempt. He’s got his bloody foot on the top of the door of her car. Jesus. They’d cut it off where I come from…and I’m not talking about his foot.

LOL