Most Beautiful Cars

[Peterfurlan]

Just got a hold of the July issue of Hemmings Classic Car magazine. Nice
article by Jim Richardson about the most beautiful cars made. These are his
choices 1934 Packard 12 roadster, 1936 Cord 810, 1953 Studebaker Starliner
coupe, 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II, 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe,
1971-1973 boattail Buick Riviera, 1987 Cadillac Allante and last but not least
the 2000 Ford Thunderbird. The following is what he had to say.

The last car on my list is the 2000 Ford Thunderbird. It's a front engine rear
wheel drive convertible that captures the elegant sportiness of the classic
T-Birds of the fifties, but it's not a retro car. The trouble is, it was to ex-
pensive for what you got, because it did not have many of the luxury features
people have grown to expect. But that doesn't take away from its styling.

I know this is just one mans opinion but we have been grouped into some pretty good company. We just might have a classic on our hands.

[DavidA]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

Can't argue with his choices except the Boattail Rivieras. I think the '63-65s are much nicer than the boats.

[V8 Cat]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

I think the '63-65s are much nicer than the boats.

David,
I agree with you.

[David M 7173]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

The cars he picked are the same as mine except the Crown Vic is missing. When I bought my T-Bird I thought that one day it would be considered a classic but I will be long gone by then.
David

[FritsB]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

Nice list, but I would add a few European cars as well.
The Jaguar E-type (series 1), Austin Healy MKIII, Mercedes 540K (1936), Bugatti 57S Atlantic 1936

There is so many beautiful cars made over the years.

[merlot4]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

Sigh, all beauties for certain, but I would add the Lamborghini Miura to the list.

[Bill Brown]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster is missing.

[EllisonCal]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

Nice list, but I would add a few European cars as well.
The Jaguar E-type (series 1), Austin Healy MKIII, Mercedes 540K (1936), Bugatti 57S Atlantic 1936

There is so many beautiful cars made over the years.

Frits, I totally agree with you. Some of the best looking classics of the '30s came out of France and Germany. The Delages and Delahays (sp?) come to mind as well. The most recent issue of Autoweek (August 30, 2010) has a white 1933 Delage on the cover. It won Best of Show at the most recent Pebble Beach Concours d'elegance. It won over Duesenbergs, Bentleys and 168 others.

P.S.
The 1961 Jaguar XKE (IMHO) was and is still one of the sexiest roadsters ever built. It was such a shock, following the 1960 XK-150, that it looked like it came from another planet. I had just graduated from high school and there was a Jaguar dealer across the street from my school. At lunchtime we had our noses stuck to the showroom's glass windows to get a better look at it!
Cal

[rpatton3]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

I will have to agree on the 1961 E-type. It rocked the work in 1961 and it is still very recognizable and incorrectly called an XKE. It had the race-proven engine, four wheel disc brakes, IRS and the most beautiful styling to hit the planet.

My sister has had three and currently has a 1974 V-12 automatic with 14K MILES.

[lasuvidaboy]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

I've always thought that the TBird will become a classic. One problem w/the car when it first came out was of course the sticker price AND the premium many Ford dealers placed on the car. I have a neighbor that has always loved my TBird but she complained that the local Ford dealer was charging $53,000 for them! She ended up buying a Mercedes instead but still tells me that if I sell my car, she is 1st in line! The Ford dealers made a major error w/those charges and turned-off many potential buyers. Some people thought our beautiful cars (as equipped) did'nt have all the bells and whistles OR an interior to justify a $38,000 price tag let alone a $52K price. By 2005 I saw some $10,000.00 discounts on a few brand-new TBirds left on my dealer's lot but those prices (according to my salesman) generally were on certain colors that were harder to move.

[Leroy]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

And yet there are those on this forum that want to argue that these cars are not Classics, I don't get it? Leroy

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[DudleyM]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

Unfortunately the car was late introduced, priced too high, underpowered in 2002, and had a few other problems that made it not popular with the media, consequently not getting good reviews.

[Salprint]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

I always felt that the '53 Studebaker was way ahead of its time. Nice looking car. My brother and I put a Pontiac engine in one once. And we took the old pushbutton automatic out a an old dodge and put the pushbutton panel on the floor where the gear shift would go. Was a nice little car.

[ScottyNeutron]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

The most recent issue of Autoweek (August 30, 2010) has a white 1933 Delage on the cover. It won Best of Show at the most recent Pebble Beach Concours d'elegance. It won over Duesenbergs, Bentleys and 168 others.

Here are a couple of pics I took of that Delage at Pebble Beach a couple of weeks ago. It is absolutely amazing in person. The interior is unbelievably timeless and elegant. Also here is a Red Delahaye from 2006, with a windshield that lowers into the cowl. Our T-Birds are nice, but these are handbuilt bodies (coachwork on factory chassis). They are one - of - a kinds:

[Rondor]

Re: Most Beautiful Cars

I was talking to a buddy ( my age ) the other day about this rhread. He reminded me how poor the reviews were in '55 when the bird came out and how a few years later every one thought the Edsel would be THE car.Since I had several friends who had 55, 56, and 57 birds in the late 50's I recall how poorly the were built. About 10 years later you couldn't find one and .<BAMM> INSTANT CLASSIC.