Featured Art & Inspiration DISFUNCTION AT ITS BEST- UGLY DESIGNS

As a Kaiser owner (by accident it isn't a car I ever went out of my eay to own) I kind of like them and a 1951 two door like your photo was rare when it was new. I think it was on par with any other make in 1951 and better then quite a few, the only awkward part is the top of the door where it meets the roof but the Eddie Munster "hair line" just begs for scallops as does the basic body style.

 

That is a Barris car? I need bleach for my eyes.
I'm assuming he did this as a senior not in his prime like all this famous cars?
If it was done back in the day I would imagine the guy got laughed at that drove it.

 

My take is on these cars that are on topic vehicles. I am good with them all, all of them were different looking and some were a bit awkward in their era but all are a damn sight better then the modern CUVs that drive and look like toasters with less style.
A 1958 Edsel shouldn't have had a vertical grill during the era of longer lower wider but outside of that it's not a terrible car looks wise, a 1949/1950/1951 Nash bathtub again isn't a terrible looking car It just needs to be lowered on the ground and shaved (I personally like the four-door ambassador from 49 or 50), somebody mentioned The Rambler era AMC's and I have to say the 58 through 1961 cars are great looking cars especially the midsize and ambassadors and their styling is pretty spot-on for those 3 years. The Americans not so much as they were just a rehash of the bathtub era nash but with wheel wells cut into them, they weren't ugly but They were pretty outdated when the rest of the world was building rocket ships they were art deco but they sold well. the 49-50-51 mopars were designed without any risk involved (although I have to admit I really like the business coupes and always have since I sold my first one 35 years ago when I was 10 or 11 years old), If it wasn't for Virgil Exner Mopar probably wouldn't be around today he took mopars from ultra conservative to wild in just a year or two and by 1961 arguably he took his wild looking cars and turned them kind of ugly then somebody had the bright idea just to shave the tilfin off them but leave the overall body style which made an ugly car even worse, then the redesigner that thought in 1961 through 63 mopar was a good idea hopefully lost his job and never found work again because those cars are pretty wild looking when compared to GM pickupd Ford. The 37 ford I don't think it's a terrible looking car If it's shaved and cleaned up a bit and it should have came as a three-window as an option.
As for the 57 Chevrolet I don't hate the car that being said everyone has one It has always been considered a cool car I don't think it ever went through a ghetto phase even in the 1970s when it was 20ish years old people liked it when other from 1950s cars were getting smashed like crazy for their atomic age styling. I think my biggest pet peeve with a 1957 Chevy is you can't do anything different to them it's already been done and personally if I had to choose a 1957 GM it would be an Oldsmobile or Buick.
The 1957 Ford I never understood the headlights The design style is great just the headlights are terrible The car looks surprised.
My ulgy car choices are mainly off topic late cars with only a few exceptions for early cars like I can't get into the Tucker It's like having three nipples It's just not right and I don't think I could do the BMW isetta the car is just wrong although it definitely was a fitting car for Steve urkel to drive 30 years ago m on ABC's show family matters.
The rest are wind tunnel era cars, The nissan cube is just terrible with its asymmetrical rear window. the the brand new Corvette looks like something a child with design and it just screams mid life crisis machine with hints of "I couldn't afford a Ferrari so I bought this ugly abomination..." Is it fast of course it is because it's so damn ugly nobody needs to be seen in it. Then last is the Tesla sedans and weird looking half SUV half sedan thing All the Teslas have the same design styling other than the cyber truck. I think if you Asked the designers to draw a mundane sedan and they are going to draw you a modern Tesla, about the only thing that's innovative is the flush door handle and it's kind of stupid when you think about it and shaving it would have been a better option. I am not going to attack the cybertruck believe it or not, I think it's outlandish and kind of ugly and it looks like a bear-proof dumpster at a national park but at least it took styling risks and like it or hate it it was a striking design kind of like all the other cars we are talking about...

I have one malese era off topic vehicle but it's a little closer to the era we all are fond of What about the mid-1970s "Big Bird" Thunderbird, What were the Ford styling engineers thinking, it has awkward windows, awkward bumpers It's like personal luxury barfed on a leisure suit with shoulder pads, most of the cars from that era have big clunky square bumpers and it doesn't make any sense, They could have had a stylized bumper that flowed with the body style of the car They did it in 1973 with the Lincoln Continentals front bumper They could have did it with all the other cars but instead the design language of the era gave everything rectangle box bumpers with Chrome plating and buck teeth.
Anyways I could go on and on I guess my point is like everyone else has said beauty is in the eye of the beholder I prefer vehicles that take risks and they have a little bit of controversial styling today most vehicles don't have that and they think that technology makes up for mundane. A 1962 Plymouth may not be everybody's cup of tea but at least you could tell it was a 62 Plymouth and not a 62 Buick or a 1962 Toyota Crown.

 

I agree.
That's why I decided to Willify my grill.

 

I tried to distract your eyes by hiding the ugly under flames.

 

my favorite car pontiac vedoro green econoline straight axle big block 4 speed 4.57 detroit lockeer only car i owned for three years

 

Here is another design that through every idea from everywhere all at once.
Gentleman- the 1958 Lincoln!

 

Vlad the Impala

I love the weird stuff! up to and including the Ami 6. I love how it looks like an anglerfish wearing horn-rimmed spectacles.

 

The 1960 Ford was so bad looking Dad put off buying a new car until the 1961's came out. Look at the shape of the tail lights, does that shape have a name, it was used all over the car in one way or another. TODAY you can't look at any car in front of you and not see that shape! The 1960 Ford revenge.

 

Just like you guys the cars that I could not get my mind around and like my taste have changed and through the years I love them. But seeing that we are all gear heads we do not have a problem with changing them around to make them fit our taste better.

 

quit calling me ugly

 

Something I notice just the other day as I was sitting at a traffic light was three smaller SUVs all white from three different manufacturers that I had to look for badging to determine what they were. The styling was so close and so subtle I couldn’t believe it.
I think it is humorous that the 57 Ford has been determined to be ugly and the 57 Chevy to be well, when in 57 the Ford outsold the Chevy.
I think it’s funny how tastes have changed over time, at one time the more individual looked with chrome, colors and style the better way. Now safe looking like your competitors is the way to go.

 

Girl I dated in JC had one I loved that car !!

 

OK; I'll bite. What was it? Front view, & interior before starting? & how'd it turn out?
Marcus...

 

Looks to be a 39 -40 Merc with a 50 Chevy hardtop, cowl and windshield. I put it here because it was ugly.

 

Jail bar ford trucks are awesome
I’d take one over a 56

 

Yep, it reminds me of a catfish.

 

You're right @squirrel .... I take back my "ugly" comment in favor of your "boring" description. That car is an example of form following function, which is always correct in my book. It actually looks like it would be at home on the streets of Moscow!

 

The Custom line (300) is much better proportioned than the Fairlane line (500)IMHO.

 

The '60 Ford is a prime example of how the photographic angle (or camera location) can completely change the overall appearance of a car.... From that slightly elevated rear 1/4 angle it looks a little awkward, but from a low angle (that accentuates its low lines) it looks entirely different, and much better IMHO.
I Do agree that the '61 was a much more refined design.....

 

I'd drive that but I like this one more.

 

All of this just goes to prove the old axiom "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

 

AKA "Jockstrap Ford"

 

I enjoy that Chrysler Dodge & Plymouth have always been a little different. A lot of mechanical innovations. Different styling, also. Thing is, the styling often seemed a little too different. Sometimes obviously and blatantly... and it might bug the shit out of me. In other instances, it's more subtle. So it only subtly bugs the shit out of me. LOL

 

I'm gonna go with the classic.

 

I thought it was: Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.

 

Just cause the front seats folded flat into a bed, right? Come on, admit it!

 

Have I got a story for you. Goes like…
Across the club/bar floor, .
Across from her after the walk over, .

 

I know this is going to be wildly unpopular, but I have never liked the Hirohata.


The angle of back of the quarter window and side edge of the rear window match and make the C-post look weird, and the taillights look like blisters hanging out in space and don't match the angle or flow of the quarter panels.


I will also say I respect the car for what it is and its history, and I am sure Sam Barris wasn't giving any thought or care as to whether a 43 year old guy in 2025 from upstate NY was going to like it.

 

GOOD THREAD!!!!!!!!