Michael Furman Presents: The Second Most Beautiful Car in the World
Car designers are not the best people to choose the most beautiful car in the world (MBCITW). Carmaking is a collaborative art and car designers work within a . . . Wait. Did I say art? Business. Making cars is a business. Anyone who ascends to the pinnacle of a car company’s design department did so as much by their political savvy as their aesthetic sensibilities. As a result, you’d be hard pressed to find a more pretentious group of people. Their every word is weighed, calculated and delivered to strengthen their reputation for intelligence and good taste. So, anyway, I decided to call photographer Michael Furman to get his take on this hot topic. Michael has snapped thousands of cars from every era. “There are plenty of gorgeous women in the world,” Michael opines. “With most of them, the feeling you get when you first see them eventually wanes. Only the most beautiful get more beautiful over time.” The 1938 Bentley Embiricos [above] is Michael’s second choice for MBCITW. His first? The 1938 Alfa Romeo 2900D MM. Which he’s photographing next week, and will share with us soon thereafter. [Question: should we ask other industry types to name their MBCITW and make this into a series?]
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Iconic sports cars of the 1950's - people tend to think of the Corvette and the original T- Bird, but for me,the Kaiser Darrin was one of the most beautiful mass-produced sports cars built in America. http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Kaiser/1954_Kaiser_Darrin_104-d1.jpg And staying with the 1950's, The Citroen DS, which debuted in 1955. Compared to just about any mass-produced car, this was light years ahead of it's time, and when production was ceased 20 years later it still was one of the most attractive styles on the road. http://www.citroengallery.com/gallery.php?page=dsdetail And I'll throw in the 1963 Studebaker Avanti, and the 1950 Studebaker Champion. http://www.automotivehistoryonline.com/studebaker1963.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Studebaker-champion-convertible-1950.jpg I am a huge fan of marques no longer in production, names such as Hudson, Kaiser, Studebaker, Packard, Nash, Cord, Essex, etc., especially those that survived into the 1950's. These companies made some of the most interesting cars during the post-war boom, but sadly none survived past 1966, with the exception of the Nash/Hudson/Willys/Kaiser bastard child AMC, which still lives on as the Jeep division of Chrysler.
Monty, Nothing personal, but the Kaiser Darrin is hideous. To be fair, not as hideous as the Daimler SP250: http://www.dloc.org.uk/images/cars/daimler_sp250.m.jpeg
@Dynamic88 We'll agree to disagree! I guess this would be summed up with the axiom: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Seriously, to me the Darrin is a uniquely styled roadster, the likes of which America doesn't produce much of. I love it.
1972 Chevy Pickup