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Speaking of ugly

And PLEASE take no offense if anyone here has anyone of these. I love an old BMW Isetta, so taste is very personal!

If there is any question about bias in the automotive journalism world, you need not look past my sore spot, the dogpile on the Pontiac Aztek as the worlds ugliest car by the auto press, while they turn a blind eye to these abominations, which I think are some of the ugliest cars ever made.

A) The Nissan Murano, or what I like to call, the Moron-o. Let's see, let's take a Gremlin rear window treatment, the front of an old Chrysler Airflow, and make every other line more uncomplimentary as the last. Styling criticism from the auto journals? (sound of crickets)

B) For those interested in comedy, a quasi-SUV from Honda arrived at our shores with extra packing material on the fenders. Oh no, wait, it's SUPPOSED to be that way. Recommendation to owners: Keep extra towels on it and alot of soap covering up the "styling", as in the picture.

C) Infiniti FX 45. You're supposed to pay alot of money for this one, because it has a leather interior and it has Infiniti on it. I love the completely out of proportion wheels, wheel wells, windows, etc. Is there one line on this vehicle pleasing? To me, it looks like a turgid boil.

D) Finally, my favorite. Toyota put a box on wheels, and people buy it! Yes, this is what is supposed to stand out. People used to buy Corvettes to stand out, now you are supposed to buy something like this. My Duolit toaster is cooler. But supposedly you can get a good set of speakers for it. I find it interesting when you visit their site, that you have to dig into a buried PDF file to discover that the engine has about 100 horsepower and 100 lb feet of torque. Imagine being on the freeways with that front end and that engine. Fun, huh!
 
Ugly?

Kevin, i'm with you except on the fx45. I drooled on one! Unfortunattly the closest infinity dealer is about 50-60 minutes away. Which is fine for a purchase but if service is needed then it could be a problem.
 
cybrvanr

Funny you say you friend compaired the 3series with a caddy. We went from a caddy to a 3series conv. and back to a caddy. We test drove the 3 back in 02' and purchased one on the slow boat from germany. It was suppose to have a few options that was on the test car and it did not. I discovered it 6 weeks later. Needless to say it when the summer was over so was my desire to drive the car. So I told DH to move some !@#$% out of the garage and make room for a barge!
 
Micro cars

I went to a museum in Massachusetts that featured a collection of micro cars. Everything from Citroens to the Isetta to everything else. Those little things made the VW Bug look like a luxury car.

There's even the Thundersley Invacar, one of the first cars buit for people in wheelchairs. It had a sliding seat and hand controls.
 
micro cars

Hi Jason

Was this the museum?

The particular car I have linked to, a NSU Prinz, is the same model as one my Mum had when I was a kid. She was given the car by an old German lady who had given up driving. The car needed some work and parts were very hard to find so my parents abandoned the project and sold the car "as is". I'd love to find one now...

Chris.

http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/nsu-prinz-rhd.html
 
those little cars look like minaturized versions of Chevy Corvairs!!! In fact, they are mechanically similar. What year did those come out. Looks like Chevy directly copied the design, and then "super-sized" it! Corvairs came out in 1960 I believe
 
I dream of an NSU Ro80

Hi Chris/Luis

I dream about finding an Ro80 in moderate condition. I went for a ride in one at a car show our in outback queensland and for a car designed in 64 and built in 69, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference from a modern car.

The original ones had a two cylinder Wankel engine at 1000cc with a 3 speed semi auto transmission. You shifted like in a manual (minus the clutch) but there is no direct linkage between the shifter and the transmission/engine. Its all done with electronics (This is 1964 remember) The changes are perfectly smooth and instant, which for an Auto of any age is amazing.

The Biggest failing of the car was the Rotary engine,(Rotor tips wearing, and High fuel consumption in the oil crisis) and combined with the generous warranty that was offered before the Wankel was perfected it sent NSU out of business by about 1976. NSU was sucked up by Audi and for a few years the body was used as an Audi.

If only NSU had waited until Mazda had perfected the Wankel engine it would've been an amazing car today.

Regards

Nathan

http://www.ro80.nl/
 
ro80

I LOVE Ro80s too. I have never been in one but love the looks and the engineering, in theory at least.
I would have great difficulty getting permission to own one but I can dream. Good news is they are dirt cheap to buy, there was one advertised down here recently for $800 in good working condition. I tried to find it just now and post a link but I can't find it.

The Gearshift was directly connected to the gearbox just like a normal manual transmission, but the CLUTCH was electrically operated, by pressure on the gear lever. I used to drive a 1973 Citroen GS 1220 Convertisseur, which had the same transmission system. Simca used them too. My Cit was fabulous to drive, that clutchless manual was fun to use and easy in city traffic. My sister liked my Cit so much she bought one too, though hers was a manual trans. Another car on my list of classics for future ownership...Though a P76 in possibly on top of that list... don't laugh I am a P76 tragic, I had one in the eighties, loved it though it was only a 6, the V8 is the best of them...

Chris.

http://www.leylandp76.com/
 
Newer cars are safer

While I love my vintage cars,I think a person would be much better off in an crash with a newer car. The old cars had heavy gauge steet bodys,however they also had very dangerous dashboards. Look at the 61 Olds dash here. How would you like to smack your face into this steeting wheel,instead of an airbag? And look at the metal radio knobs,and other metal switches. Looks very painful to me. The first car I owned with an air bag was my 1976 Olds 98. The Cadillac that I drive every day has duel front air bags plus side air bags on all four doors. I have never had an air bag deploy,but think we are better off with them,than without.
 
This one looks even worse,smack your face on this??

How many teeth would you loose on the steering wheel of a 1955 Cadillac? How about that pot metal horn ring? It could gouge your eyes pretty well if it broke.
 
DUHHHHH!!

Sorry,those should have been posted in the "air bag" thread. :(
 
I agree and disagree

I like padded dashes, improved safety glass, improved safer seats, crumple zones, roll bars, better suspension to avoid accidents, better lights, ABS, better tires--and I think we can even do better with seat belts. (racing car drivers have accidents all the time, and no air bags).

I don't agree with airbags, never have (see other thread!). But passive safety items as mentioned above, you got me 100% on board.

Rick, my 1961 Pontiac Bonneville Safari does not have SEAT BELTS! As you can imagine, my brakes are going to be gone through top to bottom, and new (vintage in look only) seat belts are going to be installed before I take my family for a ride in it!
 
Hi Kevin! My Olds does not have seat belts,and never did. the 55 Cadillac has aftermarket lap belts. The problem with adding seat belts in the old cars,is that you only have a lap belt. No shoulder harness. If you are in a crash,you will remain in the car,but your upper body will be thrashed about the interior of the car anyway.
 
Hey back Rick!

I know what you mean, and just a lap belt can "squeeze your insides" pretty good in a collision. But, it's vintage. A good reason why I don't do many silly manuevers with them, esp with kids in the car. I think back on our original Bonneville Station Wagon when I was a kid. I rode in the very back of the wagon (no seats, nice carpeting on top of a comforter...had a whole play area there) at 75mph down the road. I would then pop over the seats to hang out with my sister, or pop over the next seats to cruise with my mom and dad down the freeway, have some lemonade and some snacks off the "beverage bar"!

Believe it or not, the 69 Cadillac has shoulder belts, as does my 1968 Charger...both manual type that you snug up yourself.

I was in a friends Dodge way back that did not have seatbelts. We took off quickly and lost control in the rain slicked street, and hit the middle island hard. We were not injured at all, but I ended up in the back seat, and he somehow went over the console into the passenger seat. Neither of us know how that happened or how we didn't hit each other in the middle. Car and motion dynamics are wierd!

Is the Olds and Cad wrapped up for winter, or do you keep them ready to run on sunny or more pleasant winter days?
 
Did you ever do this in a vintage car?

A truck ran a red light at about 40 MPH at a very busy intersection.,Although I tried to stop,it was too late,and I hit the truck at about 35 MPH.We met almost "corner to corner" The impact popped the drivers door open,and I was ejected from the car. When I came to I was looking up at the bottom of the drivers door. The driver of the truck did not have insurance,so my insurance company paid my medical bills.
This was my 1963 Oldsmobile convertible. It had factory lap belts,however I never wore them. The photo was taken at the impound lot.
 
The truck that ran the light

This GMC truck got the worse end of it. The frame was broken on the right side at the firewall. This photo was taken at the same impound lot.
 
So what happened to me?

I was released from the hospital the next day,however my neck and upper back hurt for about a year.

What happened to my 63 Olds convertible? Well... The frame was not bent,so...The car had to be fixed! I only had P.L.P.D. insurance on the car,as I was a poor college student at the time. So I had to fix the Olds myself,even though the accident was NOT my fault!! I bought a fender off a dark blue car,another off a beige car,and a white hood off another car. (at the junkyards) The inner fenders and bumper and grill came off another car.I also overhauled the engine while the car was that far apart anyway. While the Olds was down for repairs,I rode my motorcycle. The following Spring I had the whole car repainted,and drove it until 1980. Sold it after that.

BTW: The 61 Olds and the 55 Cadillac are put away for the Winter. They won't be on the road again until Spring.
 

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