The first Barracuda generation was produced model years 1964-1966, the final third generation car ended production in 1974. The first two Barracuda generation models were reworked Plymouth Valiants, the Valiant being Plymouth's compact line.
Aug 4, 2016
Plymouth's 1st-Generation Barracuda
April 1964 saw the introduction of the first so-called "pony car," a relatively inexpensive, sporty, compact (by American standards) automobile No, it wasn't the Ford Mustang, whose name gave rise to the pony car label. It was actually the Plymouth Barracuda (Wikipedia entry here). The far more successful -- in terms of sales -- Mustang was introduced two weeks later.
The first Barracuda generation was produced model years 1964-1966, the final third generation car ended production in 1974. The first two Barracuda generation models were reworked Plymouth Valiants, the Valiant being Plymouth's compact line.
Gallery
Here is a two-door 1964 Plymouth Valiant, the basis for first-generation Barracudas.
And this is a 1964 Barracuda. It has a different grille and the V-slash on the front fender is tighter. The major difference has to do with the passenger greenhouse aft of the windshield and wing-vents. The trunk and other rear-end details were changed as well.
Here is general view of a first-generation Barracuda that shows the grille design better.
This side view is a sales photo of a 1965 Barracuda Formula S "performance" variation. Barracuda's most distinctive feature is the huge backlight (styling jargon) or rear window. In profile, it doesn't seem particularly massive.
But from any other angle aft of dead center, the backlight looks quite large. Moreover, it seems heavy looking, something of a surprise for an area of glass; one would ordinarily expect glass to lend visual lightness. In fact, when seen in person, Barracudas looked a lot heavier than competing Mustangs, perhaps a factor in their relative sales performances.
Barracuda rear seat backs could be folded down to increase hauling capacity. This photo that seems to be from Motor Trend magazine shows the small trunk lid that nevertheless allowed shallow objects to be loaded.
The first Barracuda generation was produced model years 1964-1966, the final third generation car ended production in 1974. The first two Barracuda generation models were reworked Plymouth Valiants, the Valiant being Plymouth's compact line.
Aug 1, 2016
Honda's Prettiest Preludes
Honda's Prelude was a sporty line produced 1978-2001. A Wikipedia entry about Preludes is here. That article mentions that there were five generations of Preludes. The second (1983-87) and third (1988-91) generation Preludes are those that interest me.
Those Preludes were very attractive coupés in an angular variation of the so-called "three-box" style. Besides having distinct, nearly flat body surfaces, these cars had plenty of glass area -- their greenhouses being a little less than 40 percent of their total body height.
The overall visual effect of these Preludes was that of lightness and grace, something lacking in prior and later generation Preludes.
Second and third generation Preludes have a very similar appearance, even though the third generation cars were slightly longer and details differed subtly. In the paired mages below, second generation Preludes are shown first, third generation cars below.
Gallery
The second generation Prelude has a character line running near the top of the fender, and the third generation Prelude lacks this.
Third generation Preludes have lower hoods. They also lack a grille above the bumper, though below-bumper treatment is similar for both cars. The third generation car's appearance is cleaner from this point of view.
The third generation car has a slightly longer greenhouse. Also, the windshield and backlight are raked a bit more. Differences in hood height are also apparent, the third generation car having a more pointed nose.
The main difference in these rear quarter views is the subtle spoiler-like sculpting around the top of the trunk. C-pillars are thinner, making the greenhouse even airier.
Those Preludes were very attractive coupés in an angular variation of the so-called "three-box" style. Besides having distinct, nearly flat body surfaces, these cars had plenty of glass area -- their greenhouses being a little less than 40 percent of their total body height.
The overall visual effect of these Preludes was that of lightness and grace, something lacking in prior and later generation Preludes.
Second and third generation Preludes have a very similar appearance, even though the third generation cars were slightly longer and details differed subtly. In the paired mages below, second generation Preludes are shown first, third generation cars below.
Jul 28, 2016
1940-1941 Packards: Tradition's Last Stand
Packard was America's leading luxury automobile brand before, during (especially), and for a while after the 1920s. All premium brands were hit hard by the Great Depression of the 1930s, but Packard was able to survive. In part, this was because it added a more mid-range model, the One-Twenty, in 1935 and then went further mid-range with its Packard Six (later 110). The price the company paid for its survival into the 1940s was a lessening of the brand's prestige.
While becoming more competitive with Buick than with Cadillac, Packard made sure to retain its highly distinctive grille design on all its models from the lowly Six to its luxury V-12 line (dropped after the 1939 model year).
But a price had to be paid here too. While competing brands began to feature more streamlined looking front ends and horizontal rather than vertical grill formats, Packard's retention of traditional details made its cars increasingly old-fashioned looking. Finally in the spring of 1941 Packard introduced its non-traditional Clipper whose body became the standard for all 1942 model year Packards.
The images below show some 1940 and 1941 pre-Clipper Packards along with competing Buicks that were far more up-to-date styling-wise.
Gallery
1940 Packard One-Twenty Sport Sedan - Barrett-Jackson photo
The body shown here dates from the 1938 model year. Due to Packard's styling conservatism, the area from the front axle line aft is no more advanced than the same parts of General Motors' 1935 Pontiacs and LaSalles.
1940 Buick
The body on this Buick was new for 1940. The grille's layout is becoming horizontal, and door hinges are now hidden by body panels, as is the running board. Its overall appearance is sleeker than the Packard's in the previous photo. The most out-of-date feature is the positioning of the headlights; they are not quite fully integrated into the front fenders. GM was slow to follow other brands in this regard even though it otherwise was the auto industry style leader in those days. The 1940 Packard has exposed running boards and free-standing headlights, not to mention exposed door hinges and that tall grille.
1941 Buick
Buick's 1941 facelift finally integrated headlights into the fenders.
1941 Packard One-Twenty Sedan - Auctions America photo
Meanwhile, Packard had its own facelift that gave the old body style better front-end integration. The front fenders were restyled and the catwalk raised to blend with them. Headlight integration is about on par with the 1940 Buick, nevertheless a significant modernization from the previous Packard. Speed stripes on the fenders are in line with current styling fashions. The rest of the body looks old-fashioned compared to the Buick.
1941 Packard One-Twenty Sedan - Vaultcars sales photo
The extreme rear part of this Packard is not far out of line from 1939-40 competing brand styling. But by 1941 several other makes were featuring streamlined-looking "fastback" designs.
1941 Packard One-Sixty Touring Sedan - sales photo
Here is a side view of a Packard One-Sixty, a luxury level Packard. Despite the various old-fashioned (for 1941) details, I can see that a car such as shown here would appeal to a rich, conservative clientele not quite ready to buy a more trendy '41 Cadillac.
While becoming more competitive with Buick than with Cadillac, Packard made sure to retain its highly distinctive grille design on all its models from the lowly Six to its luxury V-12 line (dropped after the 1939 model year).
But a price had to be paid here too. While competing brands began to feature more streamlined looking front ends and horizontal rather than vertical grill formats, Packard's retention of traditional details made its cars increasingly old-fashioned looking. Finally in the spring of 1941 Packard introduced its non-traditional Clipper whose body became the standard for all 1942 model year Packards.
The images below show some 1940 and 1941 pre-Clipper Packards along with competing Buicks that were far more up-to-date styling-wise.
The body shown here dates from the 1938 model year. Due to Packard's styling conservatism, the area from the front axle line aft is no more advanced than the same parts of General Motors' 1935 Pontiacs and LaSalles.
The body on this Buick was new for 1940. The grille's layout is becoming horizontal, and door hinges are now hidden by body panels, as is the running board. Its overall appearance is sleeker than the Packard's in the previous photo. The most out-of-date feature is the positioning of the headlights; they are not quite fully integrated into the front fenders. GM was slow to follow other brands in this regard even though it otherwise was the auto industry style leader in those days.
Buick's 1941 facelift finally integrated headlights into the fenders.
Meanwhile, Packard had its own facelift that gave the old body style better front-end integration. The front fenders were restyled and the catwalk raised to blend with them. Headlight integration is about on par with the 1940 Buick, nevertheless a significant modernization from the previous Packard. Speed stripes on the fenders are in line with current styling fashions. The rest of the body looks old-fashioned compared to the Buick.
The extreme rear part of this Packard is not far out of line from 1939-40 competing brand styling. But by 1941 several other makes were featuring streamlined-looking "fastback" designs.
Here is a side view of a Packard One-Sixty, a luxury level Packard. Despite the various old-fashioned (for 1941) details, I can see that a car such as shown here would appeal to a rich, conservative clientele not quite ready to buy a more trendy '41 Cadillac.
Jul 25, 2016
Toyota Prius Evolution: From Plain to Rococo
Toyota's Prius was the first successful (in the marketplace) hybrid-powered car in America. As of now, it has gone through four design generations, the first of which I treated here.
The first Priuses were stubby and nondescript. They might be considered a proof-of-concept design rather than a car more closely tailored to the automobile market.
It was the second-generation Prius that defined the brand. Its body was given thorough wind tunnel testing that resulted in a basic shape that remains little changed. What has changed over time are secondary, ornamental details. The most recent Prius is a victim of Toyota's recent new styling policy moving from bland to ostentatious appearance for its various car and SUV models.
The comparative-image sets below have the second-generation (2004) Prius at the top followed by third generation (2010) and current (2016) generation examples.
Gallery
First-generation Prius
As I mentioned in the post linked above, the nose of the car is poorly related to the rest of the body.
Front Quarter Views
The second-generation Prius was a simple, clean design. It was followed by a design with details giving the car a stronger wedge-shaped look than its basic shape actually warrented. This can be seen in the treatment of the side windows and the character crease below their sills. Current Priuses are decorated by fashionable spikes and other angular treatments of light assemblies, air openings and sheet metal in general. One result is a return to the first-generation Prius' defect of the front end not being very well related to the rest of the car, a problem not found in generations two and three.
Side Views
Profiles of Priuses have changed subtly over the last three generations. The second-generation car had a lower hood line and no aerodynamic spoiler at the rear. The hood was raised for the third-generation car, probably in response to European regulations. The current Prius has a rear spoiler as well as the Euro hood line. Another difference is the roof curve. Second and fourth generation cars have the roof peaking near the driver's head, whereas the third-generation cars have the high point noticeably farther aft.
Rear Quarter Views
Rear styling of second and third generation Priuses can be characterized as basically functional, though the second-generation car is more successful in this regard. Current Priuses have highly contrived rear-end detailing. The spiky tail light assemblies seem to dictate the body sculpting rather than the reverse. So far as I am concerned, Prius styling is now a fashionable mess.
The first Priuses were stubby and nondescript. They might be considered a proof-of-concept design rather than a car more closely tailored to the automobile market.
It was the second-generation Prius that defined the brand. Its body was given thorough wind tunnel testing that resulted in a basic shape that remains little changed. What has changed over time are secondary, ornamental details. The most recent Prius is a victim of Toyota's recent new styling policy moving from bland to ostentatious appearance for its various car and SUV models.
The comparative-image sets below have the second-generation (2004) Prius at the top followed by third generation (2010) and current (2016) generation examples.
As I mentioned in the post linked above, the nose of the car is poorly related to the rest of the body.
Front Quarter Views
The second-generation Prius was a simple, clean design. It was followed by a design with details giving the car a stronger wedge-shaped look than its basic shape actually warrented. This can be seen in the treatment of the side windows and the character crease below their sills. Current Priuses are decorated by fashionable spikes and other angular treatments of light assemblies, air openings and sheet metal in general. One result is a return to the first-generation Prius' defect of the front end not being very well related to the rest of the car, a problem not found in generations two and three.
Side Views
Profiles of Priuses have changed subtly over the last three generations. The second-generation car had a lower hood line and no aerodynamic spoiler at the rear. The hood was raised for the third-generation car, probably in response to European regulations. The current Prius has a rear spoiler as well as the Euro hood line. Another difference is the roof curve. Second and fourth generation cars have the roof peaking near the driver's head, whereas the third-generation cars have the high point noticeably farther aft.
Rear Quarter Views
Rear styling of second and third generation Priuses can be characterized as basically functional, though the second-generation car is more successful in this regard. Current Priuses have highly contrived rear-end detailing. The spiky tail light assemblies seem to dictate the body sculpting rather than the reverse. So far as I am concerned, Prius styling is now a fashionable mess.
Jul 21, 2016
Cute: Giugiaro's Fiat 850 Spider
The Fiat 850 line (produced 1964-73) was comprised of its basic sedan, a sporty coupe and a convertible called the Spider ("Speeder"). The latter's body was a Bertone design and product, the designer being the now-famed Giorgetto Giugiaro who worked at Bertone early in his career.
The 850 Spider was small and underpowered, an impractical car for long-distance touring due to lack of luggage space. On the other hand, it was nicely styled. Being a tiny car, Giugiaro chose, consciously or otherwise, to have it look cute rather than pretentious. He also was able to avoid being forced to decorate a cheap concept such as was the case of the Austin-Healey Sprite I wrote about here.
Gallery
To set the scene, here is a 1967 850 Spider's sales photo.
I don't know the source of this phantom illustration, though it looks like it was scanned from a book or magazine. The Spider had plenty of overhang at the front, something common on front-wheel drive cars. But the Spider's motor was in the rear and the frontal space was occupied by the spare tire and a small trunk. This overhang, not present on other 850s, allowed Giugiaro to craft a longer, more graceful shape.
The Spider's graceful lines are apparent in this publicity photo. An important detail is the headlight design which enhanced the cute appearance of the car. The bumpers are quite flimsy by today's standards, but necessary for the design theme. Note the subtle character fold along the side.
Rear view of a Spider for sale. There are two lids at the rear, the forward one for the top and the other for engine access. This shows how the character fold ties into the tail light ensemble. The wire wheels on the slightly too-small wheels are probably not stock.
Part-way into the Spider's production run the headlight design was altered, probably due to government regulation in the USA and perhaps elsewhere. This detail change largely destroyed the "cuteness" of Giugiaro's design.
The 850 Spider was small and underpowered, an impractical car for long-distance touring due to lack of luggage space. On the other hand, it was nicely styled. Being a tiny car, Giugiaro chose, consciously or otherwise, to have it look cute rather than pretentious. He also was able to avoid being forced to decorate a cheap concept such as was the case of the Austin-Healey Sprite I wrote about here.
Jul 18, 2016
Nissan's Fad-Filled Maxima
According to this source, Nissan's Maxima brand has been around since 1981 and is now in its eighth version that was introduced for the 2016 model year.
Styling for the new Maxima was previewed by a 2014 concept car that I wrote about here regarding its visually disconnected roof that I and design critic Robert Cumberford approved of at the time. Now that the design has reached production I'm beginning to worry that the "floating roof" (as Cumberford referred to it) might be yet another styling cliché on its way, because Nissan is using the same motif on its 2016 Murano (I posted on it here), and some think like it can be seen on the 2016 Lexus RX.
As for the Maxima's overall styling, it's yet another fussy, over-decorated example of current styling fashion. In recent years, Maximas have been face-lifted Nissan Altimas. Sometimes the alterations are improvements, other times not. For 2016, my vote is for the "not" side.
Gallery
Front three-quarter view of a 2016 Nissan Maxima.
And here is a 2016 Nissan Altima for comparison. The cars share a front-end theme, though details differ. Note that they also share front fenders as far back as the the front door cut line, a nice way to save a few yen on tooling costs. Thereafter, the side sculpting differs. The Maxima features more elaborate sculpting on and aft of the rear door.
Now for some views featuring side and rear design. This photo emphasizes sleekness. That said, I find the nib-shape belt line shape in the zone above the rear wheels too massive. It seems to be an attempt at a new Nissan brand identifier as it is also found on the 2016 Nissan Murano crossover SUV.
The rear is less fussy than the front and sides, though the notch on the outer side of the tail light assembly adds to the unnecessary busyness found elsewhere.
The black divider between the roof and sides seems smaller that it needs to be, though it does fit into the scheme introduced by the "nib" feature mentioned above. I would try eliminating or considerably shrinking the nib and reworking the trunk lid while incorporating a larger (but not too large!) black separation feature.
Styling for the new Maxima was previewed by a 2014 concept car that I wrote about here regarding its visually disconnected roof that I and design critic Robert Cumberford approved of at the time. Now that the design has reached production I'm beginning to worry that the "floating roof" (as Cumberford referred to it) might be yet another styling cliché on its way, because Nissan is using the same motif on its 2016 Murano (I posted on it here), and some think like it can be seen on the 2016 Lexus RX.
As for the Maxima's overall styling, it's yet another fussy, over-decorated example of current styling fashion. In recent years, Maximas have been face-lifted Nissan Altimas. Sometimes the alterations are improvements, other times not. For 2016, my vote is for the "not" side.
Jul 14, 2016
Ford Société Anonyme Française's Comète
The Comète was produced 1951-54 by Ford Société Anonyme Française, its body built by Metallon Facel. It was passed on to Simca when Ford SAF was folded in 1954. I find it interesting that Simca had a similar-looking car at about the same time called the Simca Sport that I wrote about here. It seems that the Simca Sport body was also farmed out to Facel.
The best I can find for now regarding Comète's styling is a short passage by René Bellu in Automobilia Hors-Serie No. 20 "Touts les voitures française 1952, Salon 1951." Bellu stated:
Les origines de cette jolie voiture remontent au début de 1951, lorsque François Lehideux a envisagé d'ajouter un coach luxueux à sa gamme des Vedette pour lesquelles il n'éproue pas une grande sympathie. Le projet initial vient de Turin, plus exactment de Farina qui a soumis des plans à Poissy au printemps avant que la fabrication des premiers prototypes soit confiée à Jean Daninos. La préparation des Comète d'avant-série devait s'effectuer avec une extrême discrétion, ceci à la demande expresse de M. Lehideux qui souhaitait, bien sûr, provoquer la plus grande surprise possible lors de la présentation officielle mais qui voulait surtout se prémunir d'eventuelles pressions de la direction américainne de Ford; pour cette raison, même les cadres supérieurs de Poissy ignoraient l'existence de la future Comète.
Outre sa silhouette élegante et ses proportions judicieuses, la Comète se singularise par sa forme « ponton » que Farina a parfaitement maîtrisée. Sa présentation intérieure cossue et la grand soin de la finition s'ajoutent à l'esthétique pour hisser la Comète parmi les voitures françaises les plus séduisants... pour un prix somme toute très raisonnable.
It seems that the Simca Sport was styled by Pinin Farina. And the Farina mentioned by Bellu is almost certainly Pinin and not Stabilimenti Farina, a coachbuilder that ceased doing business in 1953. So these two similar cars whose bodies were built by the same firm apparently had styling from the same source. Was there any coordination? Or did the Simca Sport's existence inspire the relevant people at Ford SAF? The cabriolet version of the Sport was introduced at the 1948 Salon de Paris and the coupe the following year. The Comète was revealed to the press 17 August 1951, so the inspiration hypothesis makes some sense. Yet the use of the same stylist and body maker, along with similar appearance makes me wonder if there was some coordination. I'm sure there is a source someplace with the needed information, but it's not at my fingertips.
For general information on the Comète, its English Wikipedia entry is here. The French entry has little detail for some reason.
Gallery
1952 Simca 8 Sport
This is a facelift of the original design, the major change being a bolder grille. The Sport seats two people, whereas the Comète has room for four. Another difference is that the Sport has a distinct rear fender, not a full-length "pontoon."
1952 Comète
Bellu's enthusiastic comments are well-justified. I wonder if the central element in the grille is a nod to the "spinner" theme on American Fords of the early 1950s.
Side view. The rear seat area looks pretty cramped.
Styling is classical late-1940s - early-1950s Italian. The three-piece panoramic backlight and the bold grille bar are the only American touches.
Front view of the Cométe and of a model who, for some reason, does not seem happy.
The best I can find for now regarding Comète's styling is a short passage by René Bellu in Automobilia Hors-Serie No. 20 "Touts les voitures française 1952, Salon 1951." Bellu stated:
Les origines de cette jolie voiture remontent au début de 1951, lorsque François Lehideux a envisagé d'ajouter un coach luxueux à sa gamme des Vedette pour lesquelles il n'éproue pas une grande sympathie. Le projet initial vient de Turin, plus exactment de Farina qui a soumis des plans à Poissy au printemps avant que la fabrication des premiers prototypes soit confiée à Jean Daninos. La préparation des Comète d'avant-série devait s'effectuer avec une extrême discrétion, ceci à la demande expresse de M. Lehideux qui souhaitait, bien sûr, provoquer la plus grande surprise possible lors de la présentation officielle mais qui voulait surtout se prémunir d'eventuelles pressions de la direction américainne de Ford; pour cette raison, même les cadres supérieurs de Poissy ignoraient l'existence de la future Comète.
Outre sa silhouette élegante et ses proportions judicieuses, la Comète se singularise par sa forme « ponton » que Farina a parfaitement maîtrisée. Sa présentation intérieure cossue et la grand soin de la finition s'ajoutent à l'esthétique pour hisser la Comète parmi les voitures françaises les plus séduisants... pour un prix somme toute très raisonnable.
It seems that the Simca Sport was styled by Pinin Farina. And the Farina mentioned by Bellu is almost certainly Pinin and not Stabilimenti Farina, a coachbuilder that ceased doing business in 1953. So these two similar cars whose bodies were built by the same firm apparently had styling from the same source. Was there any coordination? Or did the Simca Sport's existence inspire the relevant people at Ford SAF? The cabriolet version of the Sport was introduced at the 1948 Salon de Paris and the coupe the following year. The Comète was revealed to the press 17 August 1951, so the inspiration hypothesis makes some sense. Yet the use of the same stylist and body maker, along with similar appearance makes me wonder if there was some coordination. I'm sure there is a source someplace with the needed information, but it's not at my fingertips.
For general information on the Comète, its English Wikipedia entry is here. The French entry has little detail for some reason.
This is a facelift of the original design, the major change being a bolder grille. The Sport seats two people, whereas the Comète has room for four. Another difference is that the Sport has a distinct rear fender, not a full-length "pontoon."
Bellu's enthusiastic comments are well-justified. I wonder if the central element in the grille is a nod to the "spinner" theme on American Fords of the early 1950s.
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