Ugly Cars

[Hocus Eye.]

Wow, this has stirred up a few currents. Thanks everyone for your input to this aspect of the ugly cars debate. The conclusion I come to is that you need a different design for a slower city car than for a high speed motorway car. But there is more to it than that.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Sharp flat rears like the Alfa were terrible at causing drag and spinning eddies out not just for following cars but for the car itself. The air is rushing over the top and bottom surfaces and hits the flat end and eddies behind the number plate region which increases drag dramatically. Like an airplane wing you want the air flows to match or dissipate not stop suddenly. Modern rounded cars will be better.

well, the Kammback cars claimed reduced drag for being chopped off.

Also, drag coefficient is the drag non-dimensionalized by dividing drag by a bunch of stuff, including frontal area, this tends to favour cars with a larger frontal area, that are long and can be more curvy, than little short cars that are actually more efficient

 

[pseudonarcissus]

we seem to have a lot of the fake Chinese Mini Coopers driving around, which are dreadful

 

[DownwardDog]

A fine example of the peculiarly British speciality of low volume, low quality, hideous cars with pretensions of high performance.

Argyll Turbo GT.

 

[Roadkill]

A fine example of the peculiarly British speciality of low volume, low quality, hideous cars with pretensions of high performance.

Argyll Turbo GT.

That's just plain bizarre. It looks as if it's been stretched on the rack and then squashed for good measure.

 

[bigbry]

IMO these are hideous

 

[blairsh]

IMO these are hideous

Agreed. The Mini (not the original) was an abomination and that one is worse.

 

[Roadkill]

Yup. The 'New Mini' (which isn't a Mini) is an excrescence at the best of times, and that version is worse.

 

[ViolentPanda]

That's just plain bizarre. It looks as if it's been stretched on the rack and then squashed for good measure.

It looks like the designer modelled it on a chisel-toe slip-on shoe.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

That's just plain bizarre. It looks as if it's been stretched on the rack and then squashed for good measure.

Wrong sized wheels.

 

[denniseagle]

Yup. The 'New Mini' (which isn't a Mini) is an excrescence at the best of times, and that version is worse.

Parked my Astra estate next to a mini one 4x4 it towered over my Astra and was almost the same length how can they justify using the name mini ? Issigonis must be spinning in his grave at what they have done to his creation.

 

[bi0boy]

Bentley SUV

It looks like a Dinky toy designed to kill pedestrians.

 

[porp]

Think mauvais just won. The x6 is one seriously revolting car.

Mauvais double wins with the Rodius (Rhodius?).

 

[nogojones]

Bentley SUV

It looks like a Dinky toy designed to kill pedestrians.

Looks like a big Morris Maxi

 

[Roadkill]

Looks like a big Morris Maxi

More like an Austin Maestro on steroids.

That was a hideous car if ever there was one too...

 

[mao]

 

[weltweit]

More like an Austin Maestro on steroids.

That was a hideous car if ever there was one too...

My dad had a couple of Maestros, one was a white MG and it was quite quick. He sufferred from terminal patriotism and would only buy British. Over the years this became harder and harder for him.

 

[DownwardDog]

That was a hideous car if ever there was one too...

And even today they are still being badly made by communists! Only now in China not the Midlands.

The FAW Lubao. Do not want.

 

[Roadkill]

And even today they are still being badly made by communists! Only now in China not the Midlands.

The FAW Lubao. Do not want.

That's only half Maestro though. The front end is arguably worse - Montego!

 

[not-bono-ever]

they stopped making this in 2005 apparently

the Iranian produced Paykan (formerly known as the Hillman Hunter ) pickup

 

[Cid]

Thing is, whatever you think of the looks, it's tardis-like inside - enormous amount of space for the length. Excellent bit of design in many ways, I'd drive one just to piss off people like you.

I've got my uncle's old one now, great car - if a bit er... fiaty in the details.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I am very undecided about this...

 

[SpookyFrank]

I am very undecided about this...

I can see what they were trying to do, but they failed miserably.

 

[weltweit]

What is it?

 

[Stanley Edwards]

What is it?

Skoda Roomster. Saw one on the street today. Whilst it looks wrong in many ways, I'm not so sure that it is just unconventional in its beauty. A bit like myself.

 

[weltweit]

Skoda Roomster. Saw one on the street today. Whilst it looks wrong in many ways, I'm not so sure that it is just unconventional in its beauty. A bit like myself.

It isn't conventionally ugly.. I think that the windscreen is less deep than the side windows is a bit odd.

 

[dessiato]

And:

 

[snadge]

What is that?

It actually looks awesome in a Captain Scarlet type of way.

 

[dessiato]

What is that?

It actually looks awesome in a Captain Scarlet type of way.

Silva Saluki. IIRC the back was even more ugly. It had gullwing doors I think.

 

[snadge]

Silva Saluki. IIRC the back was even more ugly. It had gullwing doors I think.

Nah by that picture it has conventional doors, is it fast?