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Looking to the future of classic cars.

Started by e.mason, October 01, 2017, 06:28:27 PM

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e.mason

Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 27, 2017, 09:22:25 AM
Opinions some folks, usually older generations, have about modern cars of a given era looking too much alike are nothing new.  Dating back to at least to at least the 1930s (and probably before) and every decade since there have been numerous articles written about cars looking too much alike, there has been ad copy stating that cars look too much alike, etc.   This sentiment has been around for a very very long time and will continue to be around into the future.

Just a few quotes from sample ads referencing look-alike cars:
1930s â€" "If you are tired of cars that all look alike...if you want to ride with genuine pride-you’ll buy a Pontiac"
1940s â€" "Today when so many cars look alike...It’s refreshing to drive a Graham"
1950s â€" "For the man who is fed up with paying too much for look-alike cars"
1960s â€" "So why settle for look-alike, drive-alike cars when you can get..."
1960s â€" "Now let's get away from the look-alike, drive-alike, first-cousin cars with..."
1960s â€" "Have you noticed how many 1966 cars look alike?"

Newspaper and magazine articles over the many decades about look-alike cars have been even more plentiful.

These types of opinions are about as old as the classic car hobby itself.

I have to respectfully disagree with cars of the 50's and 60's looking alike.  It has often been stated that in the past.  One could tell the make and year of a car a block away.  A 1959 Cadillac a look-alike car?  I think not.  The increase of federal regulations concerning gas mileage, gave us the "jelly bean" look.

I seems to me, that the lack of colors, in todays car market, has superseded the complaint of lack of diversity in appearance.  What I find most appalling. Most 2017 are only available in two standard colors, with a extra charge for different colors.  Among the choices, the most expensive is white!
Eric Mason

Big Apple Caddy

Not everyone feels that cars from the 50s and 60s look alike just as not everyone feels that today's cars all look alike.  What I was trying to get across is that the "look alike" sentiment dates back many many decades and that it's not unusual for people who connect most with cars of the past, people who tend to be older, not to connect with modern cars of any given era whether it be during the 40s, 50s, 60s or today.  I have read a variety of articles from the 1950s and 60s, for example, quoting everyday people, retired designers/engineers, auto experts, etc. that cars of that time looked too much alike.

Just a few article titles/headlines from the 1950s and 1960s included: "Cars Look More Alike", "All Cars Look Alike to TV Critic", "Why Do All Cars Look Alike?", "Why U.S. Cars Look Alike", "Cars Look Alike Under The Lights Of Parking Lot","'55 Cars Look Alike, Designer Complains", "More Cars Look Alike."

If the Internet and forums like this existed in the 1950s and 60s, posts back then about cars looking alike would've existed similar to those today.

This is not about whether or not the opinions today or then are or were right or wrong, they're opinions.  The point is that opinions that cars look too much alike have been around decade after decade after decade and are not something new or unique to today.

64\/54Cadillacking

Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 27, 2017, 12:43:06 PM
Not everyone feels that cars from the 50s and 60s look alike just as not everyone feels that today's cars all look alike.  What I was trying to get across is that the "look alike" sentiment dates back many many decades and that it's not unusual for people who connect most with cars of the past, people who tend to be older, not to connect with modern cars of any given era whether it be during the 40s, 50s, 60s or today.  I have read a variety of articles from the 1950s and 60s, for example, quoting everyday people, retired designers/engineers, auto experts, etc. that cars of that time looked too much alike.

Just a few article titles/headlines from the 1950s and 1960s included: "Cars Look More Alike", "All Cars Look Alike to TV Critic", "Why Do All Cars Look Alike?", "Why U.S. Cars Look Alike", "Cars Look Alike Under The Lights Of Parking Lot","'55 Cars Look Alike, Designer Complains", "More Cars Look Alike."

If the Internet and forums like this existed in the 1950s and 60s, posts back then about cars looking alike would've existed similar to those today.

This is not about whether or not the opinions today or then are or were right or wrong, they're opinions.  The point is that opinions that cars look too much alike have been around decade after decade after decade and are not something new or unique to today.

Yeah but flash forward today, and for the most part modern vehicles pretty much all look the same minus some minor cues here and there. Overall they lack of any shapes, besides for just one which is very “round”and “bland” compared to cars from the the 50’s-70’s with tail fins and chrome galore!!

There was no mistaking a 60’s or 70’s Cadillac from a similar year Lincoln. Extremely different in terms of styling including interior design and the overall feeling of each cars.

Today you can barely tell a difference, interiors mostly look alike, and feel the same as far as materials and colors go. Styling is much more restrained since the rules and government regulations has forced automakers to build cars to look even more the same.

The industry has done better lately at adding creases and creating sharper looking cars, but if you look at the overall shapes, they really haven’t changed much since the 90’s.

I believe the only modern cars that defy this rule is the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Chargers. At least they have some squared off angles that adds an aggressive stance and creates a unique character that you can spot a 100 feet away. But for the 95% of everything else on road now, they truly do stand out and have been one of better styled cars this past decade.

The reality is, opinions aside, facts aside, that cars used to be much more distinctive and way more expressive in styling and design compared to today.

The 60’s probably being the best decade for uniqueness in design. There was a big difference in looks going from a mustang, to a GTO, to a Camaro, to a Corvette. Each of those cars got their unique styling traits because it was an era when there was less to zero restrictions when it came to artistic expressions.

Imagine those cars being created in 2017? They probably would all look so similar that hardly anyone could tell a difference between them all.
Currently Rides:
1964 Sedan Deville
1954 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special
1979 Lincoln Mark V Cartier Designer Series
2007 Lexus LS 460L (extended wheelbase edition)

Previous Rides:
1987 Brougham D' Elegance
1994 Fleetwood Bro
1972 Sedan Deville
1968 Coupe Deville
1961 Lincoln Continental
1993 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
1978 Lincoln Continental ( R.I.P.) 1978-2024 😞

6262

#83
Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 27, 2017, 12:43:06 PM
Not everyone feels that cars from the 50s and 60s look alike just as not everyone feels that today's cars all look alike.  What I was trying to get across is that the "look alike" sentiment dates back many many decades and that it's not unusual for people who connect most with cars of the past, people who tend to be older, not to connect with modern cars of any given era whether it be during the 40s, 50s, 60s or today.  I have read a variety of articles from the 1950s and 60s, for example, quoting everyday people, retired designers/engineers, auto experts, etc. that cars of that time looked too much alike.

Just a few article titles/headlines from the 1950s and 1960s included: "Cars Look More Alike", "All Cars Look Alike to TV Critic", "Why Do All Cars Look Alike?", "Why U.S. Cars Look Alike", "Cars Look Alike Under The Lights Of Parking Lot","'55 Cars Look Alike, Designer Complains", "More Cars Look Alike."

If the Internet and forums like this existed in the 1950s and 60s, posts back then about cars looking alike would've existed similar to those today.

This is not about whether or not the opinions today or then are or were right or wrong, they're opinions.  The point is that opinions that cars look too much alike have been around decade after decade after decade and are not something new or unique to today.

I totally agree with you. I am pretty sure that back in the 1950s the guys from the horseless-carriage-club had exactly the same sentiments about the then-new cars like most of us today about today's cars. I only care for classic American cars. No other interest in cars at all. But I have to accept that others prefer any modern car over the (in their eyes) ridicolous barges of the past. There is nothing wrong with that as long as I can indulge in my hobby.

Here is a very readworthy article from the Time Magazin from '58. Owners complain how bad the contemporary cars are. The journalist complains the numerous mistakes of the industry. Best of all is the caption "Look-alikes" under the picture of seven '58 cars from seven different brands. We know it better. It will be the same in 2078 when classic car enthusiasts judge the '18 model year. As Big Apple Caddy has said it is all about personal opinions and preferences.

http://www.imperialclub.com/~imperialclub/Articles/58Time/index.htm
1962 Cadillac Series 62
1965 Pontiac Bonneville

Steve Passmore

Whilst I can except them complaining about 1958 cars looking alike, the article then make comparisons with the 1930s shapes and there's a huge difference. That's the trouble with today's styles. I recently sent a 1993 car to the breakers which didn't look out of place on today's roads, nearly 25 years later. While each car maker followed a style pattern back then, they at least saw differences over the years. Everyone could distinguish a 55 from a 58. and the difference between the 30s and 50s was massive.  now, you can go for years without knowing what year a car is.
Steve

Present
1937 60 convertible coupe
1941 62 convertible coupe
1941 62 coupe

Previous
1936 70 Sport coupe
1937 85 series V12 sedan
1938 60 coupe
1938 50 coupe
1939 60S
1940 62 coupe
1941 62 convertible coupe x2
1941 61 coupe
1941 61 sedan x2
1941 62 sedan x2
1947 62 sedan
1959 62 coupe

Big Apple Caddy

Quote from: 64CaddieLacky on November 27, 2017, 02:24:39 PM
Yeah but flash forward today, and for the most part modern vehicles pretty much all look the same minus some minor cues here and there.

Not everyone feels that today's cars all look alike just as not everyone back in the 50s, 60s, etc felt that those new cars looked alike.  The simple point is that sentiments about "look alike" cars are not new or unique to today and have been around for decade after decade after decade.  There was no Internet or forums like this decades ago to share these opinions but numerous print articles from back in the 50s, 60s, etc have quotes from people making the same types of "all cars look alike" comments that some people do today.   There will be some people making the same types of "all cars look alike" comments in the future about those moderns cars too!

"Back in the 1900s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1910s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1920s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1930s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1940s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1950s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1960s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1970s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1980s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1990s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 2000s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 2010s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 2020s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."

.......and so on and so on.......

64\/54Cadillacking

Quote from: e.mason on November 28, 2017, 09:50:47 AM
All GM cars back in the 50's, while sharing some styling features i.e. windshields, flattop roofs, fins etc.  They all had their own distinctive styling, that made it easy to tell one make from another.  I fail to see how someone can say that a 58 Chevy Impala looks like a 58 Buick Limited.

Agreed.
Currently Rides:
1964 Sedan Deville
1954 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special
1979 Lincoln Mark V Cartier Designer Series
2007 Lexus LS 460L (extended wheelbase edition)

Previous Rides:
1987 Brougham D' Elegance
1994 Fleetwood Bro
1972 Sedan Deville
1968 Coupe Deville
1961 Lincoln Continental
1993 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
1978 Lincoln Continental ( R.I.P.) 1978-2024 😞

David Greenburg

Agreed, although you picked a pretty extreme example.  There is nothing else on this planet that looks like a ‘58 Limited!
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

64\/54Cadillacking

Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 28, 2017, 09:02:21 AM
Not everyone feels that today's cars all look alike just as not everyone back in the 50s, 60s, etc felt that those new cars looked alike.  The simple point is that sentiments about "look alike" cars are not new or unique to today and have been around for decade after decade after decade.  There was no Internet or forums like this decades ago to share these opinions but numerous print articles from back in the 50s, 60s, etc have quotes from people making the same types of "all cars look alike" comments that some people do today.   There will be some people making the same types of "all cars look alike" comments in the future about those moderns cars too!

"Back in the 1900s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1910s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1920s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1930s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1940s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1950s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1960s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1970s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1980s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 1990s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 2000s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 2010s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."
"Back in the 2020s when I was a kid I could easily tell cars apart but today's models all look alike....."

.......and so on and so on.......

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s and I’ll be the first to tell you that cars from that era were ugly as sin. I can’t remember one car that honestly stood out to me. The only cars that were at least classy looking and had character was the Cadillac Brougham and the Lincoln Town Car. Pretty much everything else that was made was either horrible in quality/performance and or didn’t stand out. The downsizing truly ruined American cas far cars being impressive and grandiose like how they were prior to the 80’s.

It’s really not hard to see that. It doesn’t take opinions either, its just a fact. I’m sure most here would agree.

Like how maybe 95% of the people here would rather own a 55 or a 65 Cadillac vs a 85 or a 95 Cadillac for collector purposes. Hands down the older ones win in every sense and are by far much more impressive and stylish cars. There no denying that.
Currently Rides:
1964 Sedan Deville
1954 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special
1979 Lincoln Mark V Cartier Designer Series
2007 Lexus LS 460L (extended wheelbase edition)

Previous Rides:
1987 Brougham D' Elegance
1994 Fleetwood Bro
1972 Sedan Deville
1968 Coupe Deville
1961 Lincoln Continental
1993 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
1978 Lincoln Continental ( R.I.P.) 1978-2024 😞

59-in-pieces

I wasn't going to comment after 5 pages.
But, damn the torpedoes.

I for one think that there has been only one design tool required - OR USED - by any of the car companies (not vans, trucks, suv's - just 2 & 4 door cars) since perhaps the 80's - and that design tool was the business end of a SPOON.

I THINK WE NEED A CONTEST.
There must be a clever Photo Shop type person who can silhouette in black (side view) a typical car from each of the years from the eighties - and on.
And with or without identifying the silhouettes by year - each member who would like to debunk the contention of "all cars look alike" can take a go at it to identify the manufacturer - one from another and the body styles.

Who would win - should be by the most identified manufacturers and body types.

Are there any takers on the opposite side of the look alike aisle.
Have fun,
Steve B.
S. Butcher

Big Apple Caddy

Quote from: e.mason on November 28, 2017, 09:50:47 AM
All GM cars back in the 50's, while sharing some styling features i.e. windshields, flattop roofs, fins etc.  They all had their own distinctive styling, that made it easy to tell one make from another.  I fail to see how someone can say that a 58 Chevy Impala looks like a 58 Buick Limited.

And I fail to see how someone can't distinguish between a Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse today.  To me, the two '58s you posted look more similar to each other than the current Impala and LaCrosse do or LaCrosse and XTS do, etc.   Some will agree, some won't.   It's all opinion and one largely based on things like when one grew up or the era of vehicles one connects with.  There are always exceptions but older people and/or those more into classics tend to hold the "look alike" viewpoint about modern cars the most.

The simple fact is that people in the 1950s DID have opinions that new cars of that time looked too much alike.   Numerous newspaper and magazine articles of the time were written about or included statements to that effect.   People have also had those opinions about new cars before the 1950s as well as those after the 1950s.   That’s really the only "fact" here.

jdemerson

For the most part, I agree with Mr. Langley that there's an awful lot of subjectivity in this area. And, yes, people have, over the decades, always complained about the styling of cars compared with their predecessors. Has anything built since ever surpassed a 1931 Cadillac for style?   :)

But I do think that in 1957 it was a lot easier to distinguish Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth (the big three) than it is in 2017 to distinguish Camry, Accord, and Altima (three big-seller mid-sized family sedans today). And there was a lot more variation (and choice) in paint colors on 1957 Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Imperials than on 2017 Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Audis. There are many reasons for such changes, but they don't serve the interests of individuality in our cars.

John Emerson
1952 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan  6219X
John Emerson
Middlebury, Vermont
CLC member #26790
1952 Series 6219X
http://bit.ly/21AGnvn

e.mason

Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 28, 2017, 01:13:48 PM
And I fail to see how someone can't distinguish between a Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse today.  To me, the two '58s you posted look more similar to each other than the current Impala and LaCrosse do or LaCrosse and XTS do, etc.   Some will agree, some won't.   It's all opinion and one largely based on things like when one grew up or the era of vehicles one connects with.  There are always exceptions but older people and/or those more into classics tend to hold the "look alike" viewpoint about modern cars the most.

The simple fact is that people in the 1950s DID have opinions that new cars of that time looked too much alike.   Numerous newspaper and magazine articles of the time were written about or included statements to that effect.   People have also had those opinions about new cars before the 1950s as well as those after the 1950s.   That’s really the only "fact" here.

Granted that all of GM designs came from the creativity of Harley Earl, and as previously stated, share quite a few styling features.  As someone that was already greatly interested in cars in the 50's.  There was never a question as to what year and make a car was.  I might even suggest that we were sort of influenced by what make a car was, as to how much it was better to own a Buick then a Chevy.  A Cadillac?  They were for individuals that have "arrived".  That's why most Cadillacs of that era were bought by the older and more influential of the era.

I think it was easier to spot a Buick from a Chevy back then, then it is today.  Actually I think GM has done a great job of incorporating some retro looks to its Chevys and Buicks.  Even to the point of bring back the names of Chevys of the past.  Impala and Malibu.  Not to forget the great looking retro looking Camaros.  I wonder how many buyers think of Chevy's today as the buyers of yesterday, when Chevy was the working mans car.

Like others here have stated.  I still think Cadillac is trying to find it self.  Same for Lincoln.  I think both Lincoln and Cadillac don't rule the roost, like in years gone by.  Besides having competition from imports for the luxury car market.  Many non luxury makes and models, offer enough "luxury" options as standard equipment to satisfy the majority of buyers.
Eric Mason

Big Apple Caddy

Sticking with the 1950s or specifically the 1958 reference from above, here are portions of just a few published articles, letters, etc from exactly that year:

"Auto sales are down because a car is no longer a symbol of prestige.  For a long time folks would rather own a big car and live in a small house.   It was a symbol of success.  But now, because almost all cars look alike an auto is accepted as a utility â€" to go to the store, to work or a friend’s house."
---
"Over-all, all new cars do look much alike, barring differences in front and rear lighting systems and radiator grilles.  They have low silhouettes; all use an increasing amount of glass and most of them have flaring fenders."
---
"One of the old-timers on the staff says all those new little foreign cars look alike to him.  “As a matter of fact," he adds, "I gave up trying to tell those big American cars apart about five years ago."
---
U.S. Designers Critical of Automobile Styling â€" "Most of the panel believe that cars look too much alike and that there should be distinctions other than price and size."


Again, these weren't written last year or ten years ago.  These were all written nearly sixty years ago in 1958 but could've been written pretty much any year or decade and that's really been my main point.  The "look alike" opinions are not new or unique to today or any particular decade.  These opinions have been around for ages and will continue to be around into the future.

The Tassie Devil(le)

The reason all cars look the same now is guaranteed by a number of facts.
(1)   All cars have to meet the federally mandated requirements.
(2)   All cars are designed by computers, after the programmers have fed in the above-requirements.
(3)   All Computers are built by computer designers, and have the same components within.
(4)   All cars are built by computer controlled robots, on computer-controlled assembly lines.

Now, as for colour.
(1)   Fashion designers tell the car companies what the future colours will be.
(2)   The shape of the above-designed cars do not successfully allow themselves to be painted in two or triple tone.

Finally, all cars have to undergo crash testing, and therefore to obtain the required results for frontal, rollover, side and rear impact, plus be pedestrian friendly, they all have to have virtually the same shape and collapsibility or non-collapsibility  as each other when hitting a block of steel, wall or post.

Back in the early days of motoring, that is the first 75 years of motoring, the designers had virtually a free hand, and only had to allow for human occupation, and ability for the factory to build their design.

The thing about the horse and cart was that the horse design stayed the same for thousands of years, and the design of what they could safely pull, couldn't vary that much.

Bruce. >:D

'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

e.mason

#95
Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 28, 2017, 07:02:44 PM
Sticking with the 1950s or specifically the 1958 reference from above, here are portions of just a few published articles, letters, etc from exactly that year:

"Auto sales are down because a car is no longer a symbol of prestige.  For a long time folks would rather own a big car and live in a small house.   It was a symbol of success.  But now, because almost all cars look alike an auto is accepted as a utility â€" to go to the store, to work or a friend’s house."
---
"Over-all, all new cars do look much alike, barring differences in front and rear lighting systems and radiator grilles.  They have low silhouettes; all use an increasing amount of glass and most of them have flaring fenders."
---
"One of the old-timers on the staff says all those new little foreign cars look alike to him.  “As a matter of fact," he adds, "I gave up trying to tell those big American cars apart about five years ago."
---
U.S. Designers Critical of Automobile Styling â€" "Most of the panel believe that cars look too much alike and that there should be distinctions other than price and size."


Again, these weren't written last year or ten years ago.  These were all written nearly sixty years ago in 1958 but could've been written pretty much any year or decade and that's really been my main point.  The "look alike" opinions are not new or unique to today or any particular decade.  These opinions have been around for ages and will continue to be around into the future.

He forgot to add that adding to the look alike styling, was that all the cars had 4 tires, bumpers and gas filler. Auto sales down in 1958 because they lost their prestige?  Really?  I think not.  this was a time when every teenager in the country wanted a car of one type or another.  The author failed to mention that the country was in a recession in 1958.
Eric Mason

jdemerson

This has been a fun post, and I hope we all don't take ourselves and our opinions too seriously. "To each his/her own!"

I try not to be a gloom and doom person. I think there are a lot of great new 2018 cars our there: Cadillac CT6 Platinum, Cadillac ATS-V Coupe, Lincoln Navigator, Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Corvette Z06, Dodge Challenger Hemi, Chrysler 300, Porsche Cayman GS, Porsche 911 S and GT3, Mercedes Benz E-Class.  No two of these make cars look very much alike, to my eye. And several of them come in bright and interesting colors if you want them (though rarely are those colors sitting on dealer lots).  All but  a couple of these will be sought by collectors 50 years from now. I haven't the faintest idea how they will be restored, but I'm betting that they will be, somehow.

I love the 50s and 60s cars. I'd rather have most of the ones on the list above than many 1970s cars. For me the 1980s cars aren't on the map. But all this is very subjective, as Big Apple Caddy reminds us.

Cheers!
John Emerson
John Emerson
Middlebury, Vermont
CLC member #26790
1952 Series 6219X
http://bit.ly/21AGnvn

Big Apple Caddy

Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) on November 28, 2017, 07:25:58 PM
The reason all cars look the same now is guaranteed by a number of facts.
(1)   All cars have to meet the federally mandated requirements.
(2)   All cars are designed by computers, after the programmers have fed in the above-requirements.
(3)   All Computers are built by computer designers, and have the same components within.
(4)   All cars are built by computer controlled robots, on computer-controlled assembly lines.

Yet manufacturers are still able to have unique design for their models.  I really don't think large sednas like the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, Genesis G90, Jaguar XJ ,Leuxs LS, Lincoln Continental, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes S-Class, etc. look all that much alike besides the fact of being sedans.  No more so than cars of other decades may have.  I really don't think the sports coupes like the Audi R8, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Ferrari 488, Ford Mustang, Nissan 370Z, etc look all that much alike besides the fact of being coupes.  No more so than cars of other decades may have.

Yes, some consider these cars "look alike" but some people have felt that away about modern cars from all of the other decades too.  Similar automotive design "themes" have been common with each era/decade.  If forums like this had existed decades ago, discussions, complaints, debates, etc about modern cars looking too much alike would've been going on back then as well.

Big Apple Caddy

Quote from: e.mason on November 28, 2017, 09:14:12 PM
He forgot to add that adding to the look alike styling, was that all the cars had 4 tires, bumpers and gas filler. Auto sales down in 1958 because they lost their prestige?  Really?  I think not.  this was a time when ever teenager in the country wanted a car of one type or another.  The author failed to mention that the country was in a recession in 1958.

This individual's OPINION (all of these "look alike" comments are really just opinions, afterall) in 1958 was that "almost all cars look alike."   An opinion held by others that year, that decade and every other decade.  Some others back then agreed with the “look alike” comment, and some others no doubt didn't.  Just like opinions people have today about today’s cars.  This debate has been around for ages and one never "resolved" given the subjectivity.

e.mason

Quote from: Big Apple Caddy on November 29, 2017, 08:44:38 AM
This individual's OPINION (all of these "look alike" comments are really just opinions, afterall) in 1958 was that "almost all cars look alike."   An opinion held by others that year, that decade and every other decade.  Some others back then agreed with the “look alike” comment, and some others no doubt didn't.  Just like opinions people have today about today’s cars.  This debate has been around for ages and one never "resolved" given the subjectivity.

Opinions are just that. Opinions.  Nothing more and not to be taken as fact.
Eric Mason