Innovative? Revolutionary? Iconic? Sure. But beautiful? That's just - eeeewwww.
Not because the DS is the polar opposite, the ugliest car in the world, but because it could be so attractive, if only.
That's like saying that Meryl Streep is the most beautiful woman in the world. Sure, she's attractive, but only in her own, um... unique, distinctive... um... Okay, fine I'll come out and say it - goofy-looking way.
Now I feel bad for saying it, because I really do like the DS and Meryl both a lot, but it's true.
Trying to choose the most beautiful anything, be that a car or a babe, is an exercise in futility. We are all simply throbbing, pulsing bundles of incognate emotional inertia, flowing from the first experiences in the womb, to our latest scarring psychotrauma. We have less precision in controlling these emotions, than the pilot of a fully loaded 747 jumbo jet. Why parade our prejudices so publicly, like a burlesque? Never never.
I'm thinking the Ford Tempo is the most beautiful car out there. Hang in there for a second. For me, its the look of innovation, forward thinking, doing what you know is right even though all your competitors are still offering rear-drive boxes with gutless small block V8's. The Tempo's very design is all about thinking outside the box. Every inch of that car was designed for aerodynamic efficiency and style. Its mocked today as an ugly car, but people forget easily. Look at the Tempo's predecessor; the Fairmont. The Tempo was truly a revolution for the American auto industry. Ok, yes, Europe and Japan were offering similarly style cars before then, but they were still just niche brands. We're talking American mainstream family sedan. We take advantage of what Tempo introduced today, and yet it gets no credit. Even so, Tempo wasn't just looks. Diesel and gas engine options, manual and automatic transmissions, MPFI standard, fully independent suspension standard, AWD, etc. Yeah, it was successful. Over 500,000 sold in the first twelve months on sale propelled it right into the five-best seller spot. It stayed there until its discontinuation after Ford let it die on the vine. Either way, it was and is the most successful Ford Motor Company compact ever to go on sale in the U.S.
@Ford Tempo Fanatic: Okay, man- I'm still not buying what you're selling, but your stubborn enthusiasm is truly heartwarming; so you've earned a heart-clicky from me.
(For a guy who's so passionate about the f'crissake Tempo, that's gotta be a big thrill, right?)
@Slantsick, Ethel's love-child: Some say I like Tempos too much. Some people also say I am crazy. Why? Because I dream of Atomic Super Men... and Atomic Monsters...
@Ford Tempo Fanatic: Easy there, buddy! We're here to help, you don't have to be scared. I'm just worried that you're not getting enough oxygen to the brain there. You may think you're making more sense the faster you talk, but you're really just a hair away from putting yourself in a faint. And then, there's no telling what MarywithanM might do.
@Van Sarockin: Naw.. i'm with him on the Tempo thing.
Best $300 I ever spent on a car.. sure it was in my highschool days and mobility meant everything, but it was a good reliable beater with a plethoria of parts available from any wrecker for a mere $20. broken window switch.. no problem, just bolt on a whole new door.. $20.. dead strut.. no problem.. a whole new strut, suspension arms, knuckle and axle off a wrecker, $20 out the door..
There is beauty in cheap mass transportation. some of them still exist on the road today.
Yes, but you've got to give the kid credit....he is dedicated, and with that kind of dedication, I have no doubt that he not only takes good care of his car, but can see some kind of beauty in all cars.
@pauljones: Oh, I have loads of respect for him. And good there, too. But I chide friends who are still Star Wars, too. It's for their own good. They'll thank me later. I'm sure...eventually.
@Tanshanomi: I am truly honored kind sir! That poem truly encapsulates the spirit of the Ford Tempo enthusiasts. Yes, enthusiasts. There are more then one!
@Van Sarockin: Yeah, but with Tempo, you get the hot babes! I jest. Speaking of Tempos, I am off to go find a junk yard specimen with a salvageable engine block heater. It got cold again and the old gal won't catch, and I've had the suspicion the heater is to blame.
@Ford Tempo Fanatic: For me, its the look of innovation, forward thinking, doing what you know is right even though all your competitors are still offering rear-drive boxes with gutless small block V8's
Except for GM and Chrylsler, who were both already offering FWD family cars before the Tempo, and the GM ones had a V6 available.
@PHIL: The Citation? Its not just about being FWD. Its about standard multiple port electronic fuel injection, available All Wheel Drive, and multiple body styles, transmission options, and engines. Yes, the Tempo and Topaz offered two gas-powered four cylinders, a diesel four cylinder, and a 3.0L V6, but does that make it class-leading? No. Its the 43MPG that the Mazda-sourced diesel achieves, and the 0-60MPH time of 7.8 seconds that the Tempo GLS (with standard Mazda-tuned, Taurus SHO sourced MTX-IV five speed manual with overdrive) with standard Vulcan V6 sprints to. While GM, Chrysler offers front-drive economy cars, it was Ford that made them appealing. Appealing with a sleek, modern aerodynamic design where every angle was designed for maximum efficiency. Amenities abound in Tempo, with four way power front leather bucket seats and available Ford Premium Sound System with standard trunk-mounted external amplifier. At Ford, Quality is Job 1. While the Cadillac Cimarron boasts poorly fitted trim, Tempo's solid dashboard with wood and chrome accents is firmly fitted to the vehicle. No cheap plastics here, and Ford can boast that Tempo was an American made, American designed car. Built at the most efficient American assembly plant; Kansas City Assembly of Kansas City, Missouri. Chevrolet can boast of the slight upper hand in power (10HP over the Tempo's HSC I4), but does that make it better? The real question here is, which one gives you standard AWD? Which one achieves up to 43MPG? Which one gives you alternative fuel choices and multiple powertrain setups? Actually, Cavalier sort of offered that stuff. Tempo is better anyway people!
Interesting to see that the Buick Rivera made the list.. surpised that some other american classics didn't make the list. The citroen is quirky.. not beautiful, it has a certain "je ne sais quoi" about it that.. in my books it's nicer than a zimmerman, but not much more than that.
Two notables I find missing in their list.
Like a Auburn boat tail speedster..
or perhaps a Duesenburg Vert..
Perhaps they considered the Cord 810/812 as enough of this design genre..
I don't have a problem with the top 10, or the DS claiming the top spot. It's a good looking car. The nominee list is a bit nuts. 2 Maserati's, and the BEST they can do is the Boomerang and the Khamsin? I can think of 3 A6 variants, off the top of my head, that are more than worthy of consideration. My personal favorites are the A6GCS by Pininfarina and the Zagato A6 And no love for the Peugeot 402 Decapotable either
@SCROGGZILLA!!: Thank you for IDing the last car for me, dude.. I was watching an old movie the other night, set partially in Paris, and the leading man was a cabbie who drove one of these.
@layabout now with V8 power: Agreed. I've always liked the 289, though, which splits the stylistic difference between the lithe AC Ace and the monstrous 427. Somehow, the 289's narrower body and wire wheels are more appealing to me than the ultra-aggressive 427.
If I was going for an Alpine, I'd stick with the ones based on Renaults. But the Sunbeam is sweet. I used to walk by one every day on the way to high school. It was under a tarp and I never saw it being moved or worked on. Too bad. I considered offering a pitiful sum to the owner, but knew it would probably absorb more time, money, skill and hard to source parts than I could ever hope to provide.
Old Morgan's might be the most Jalop cars - wood framed, air cooled engines, three wheeled...
"by a 20-strong panel of judges comprised of the most influential people in the automotive industry including Giorgetto Giugaro, Ian Callum, Paul Bracq, Marcell Gandini and Gordon Murray."
02/10/09
Not because the DS is the polar opposite, the ugliest car in the world, but because it could be so attractive, if only.
That's like saying that Meryl Streep is the most beautiful woman in the world. Sure, she's attractive, but only in her own, um... unique, distinctive... um... Okay, fine I'll come out and say it - goofy-looking way.
Now I feel bad for saying it, because I really do like the DS and Meryl both a lot, but it's true.
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02/10/09
They are just wrong on this. As interesting as the Citroen is, it's not a beauty, and the out of proportion rear end is just off-putting.
Although Jay Leno was rocking one of these -- a 1970 I think--as captured by the entertainment photojournalists on TMZ or somewhere.
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(For a guy who's so passionate about the f'crissake Tempo, that's gotta be a big thrill, right?)
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Best $300 I ever spent on a car.. sure it was in my highschool days and mobility meant everything, but it was a good reliable beater with a plethoria of parts available from any wrecker for a mere $20. broken window switch.. no problem, just bolt on a whole new door.. $20.. dead strut.. no problem.. a whole new strut, suspension arms, knuckle and axle off a wrecker, $20 out the door..
There is beauty in cheap mass transportation. some of them still exist on the road today.
02/10/09
However, your Ford Tempo fixation....is troubling.
02/10/09
There's a place in the world for the Ford Tempo Fan
With his working class Ford and its styling, so bland
He refuses to bend, he refuses to stop,
But He's always at home 'cause his car's in the shop.
And he's proud of those doors and the drip rails they hid,
As he struggles to educate racer-crazed kids
And he likes to be known as the Ford Tempo fan.
Give a moment or two to the Ford Tempo fan,
With his foot to the floor as he passes a van.
The car of his dreams is so misunderstood,
If you wanted a two-liter diesel, you could.
So he still drives a car we all found a real bore,
Despite all-wheel-drive and those cool aero doors
And he likes to be known as the Ford Tempo fan.
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Yes, but you've got to give the kid credit....he is dedicated, and with that kind of dedication, I have no doubt that he not only takes good care of his car, but can see some kind of beauty in all cars.
Is that not the essence of Jalopnikness?
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Except for GM and Chrylsler, who were both already offering FWD family cars before the Tempo, and the GM ones had a V6 available.
Ehh, I'm more of a Topaz guy anyway.
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Two notables I find missing in their list.
Like a Auburn boat tail speedster..
or perhaps a Duesenburg Vert..
Perhaps they considered the Cord 810/812 as enough of this design genre..
02/10/09
I love the Auburn Speedster, but that Duesenberg is sex on wheels. I need me one of those.
02/10/09
Yes, of course. And Scroggzilla's Maserati's.
Why do people still do these polls anyway?
Surely, the definitive answer to this and any other question of automotive taste and opinion is to be found right here?
02/10/09
@pauljones: Replying to WheatKing but couldn't see the reply button under the pics.
Oh, fine, I see how it is. :p
02/10/09
Now, don't flounce.
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If I was going for an Alpine, I'd stick with the ones based on Renaults. But the Sunbeam is sweet. I used to walk by one every day on the way to high school. It was under a tarp and I never saw it being moved or worked on. Too bad. I considered offering a pitiful sum to the owner, but knew it would probably absorb more time, money, skill and hard to source parts than I could ever hope to provide.
Old Morgan's might be the most Jalop cars - wood framed, air cooled engines, three wheeled...
02/10/09
Where's Chris Bangle ?!?
Oh yeah right, pursuing new career objectives...
02/10/09
In a dark place.
02/10/09
I was respectfully waiting 'til I got through all the comments before mentioning that he wasn't on the list.
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Now there's a Photoshop project.
02/10/09
And where the heck is the Shelby Cobra on the list?
02/10/09
Screw the E-Type and the Cobra, where the hell was the '63 Stingray?
02/10/09
The Cobra might be considered more 'handsome'.
Unless you're thinking raw-boned Amazonian beauty, of course.
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I'd be happier bragging about it and not doing it, if it's all the same to you.
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