What Was the Best Year for Car Design?
Perhaps it can be seen in the decadent tail fins of a 1957 Chevrolet. Or the streamlined modernity of the 1936-37 Cord. There’s even a case for the over-the-top engineering of the 2019 McLaren Senna, as beauty comes in many forms. So its now time for us to ask you, member of the Hagerty Community, what was the best year for car design?
I have a curveball to throw you, and here’s my rationale for doing so: Cars can be beautiful, functional, and affordable. Sometimes we get really lucky and one car hits the trifecta, becoming a combination of all three.
Yes, my suggestion is initially half-hearted, but becomes stronger the more I marinate on the concept. Cars in the 1990s came in unique sizes, shapes, and colors (i.e. not just black, white, silver, gray, and the occasional red and blue), and their implementation of computer-assisted design and plastics ensured better performance and superior reliability.
The Dodge Neon is one of those sweet spots that covered the aforementioned trifecta. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the Neon was able to appeal to a variety of needs in a fun-to-drive package. The last bit is actually an understatement, as the Neon’s career in SCCA races should not be summed up in just a handful of words.
And the Neon was awfully functional, with plenty of room with its cab-forward design. The $12,000 starting price meant it was great design available to every motorist, but 15 grand got you a Neon that provided performance (ABS brakes, fully independent suspensions) and luxuries (power everything, sport bucket seats with multi-function console, etc.) that vehicles from previous generations would absolutely kill to possess.
With the debut of the Neon and its successful execution of a truly holistic automotive offering, 1995 is the year I’ve chosen for this thought experiment. There are other, perhaps less dark-horse choices (just about any year in the 1960s, for example), though there are plenty of moments across the history of the automobile that could make a good case. With that, what say you, and why?
What Was The Best Year For Car Design?
As a retired designer, I would ask, “what is the criteria we’re using when asking this question?” The criteria will have a huge impact on the way the evaluation is conducted.
1932 for the win. I’ve never seen an ugly 1932 anything.
You are closest for the win.
The Dodge Neon… sure???
You forgot Hagerty’s favorite the Dodge Viper!
1969. Very tough to beat the Chevrolet Triple Crown- Camaro, Chevelle, Corvette.
As an era, I’d choose the 1960s and for a specific year, 1965 is an easy choice, especially at General Motors. All of the full-size cars had bold, beautiful, tasteful designs, particularly the Impala and Bonneville. Over at Buick, Bill Mitchell’s masterpiece looked even better when the Riviera got the hidden headlights it was supposed to have from the beginning. The A bodies looked great, especially the GTO, and with a few minor tweaks, the rather bland ’64 Chevelle looked much better. The Corvair was more beautiful than any economy car deserved to be. Ford added the fastback 2+2 to the Mustang, the best of its three body styles. Chrysler got its full-size cars back, and while not as sleek as the competition at GM, Elwood Engle did a good job erasing the worst of Virgil Exner’s excesses.
I think for me the significant styling turning point was in 1959, especially at GM. Their cars in the late 40s and early 50s were chunky, tall and look-alike. That started to change in 1955 and culminated in 1959. The cars got lower and sleeker. They looked different. Yes they had excessive sheet metal, but the different divisions of GM cars suddenly had a different look from each other. From the horizontal fins of the ’59 Chevy to the diagonal fins of the ’59 Buick to the mammoth fins of the ’59 Cadillac. Indeed, to this day, if you are envisioning an opulent auto, you see the massive tailfins and the bullet taillights. And these cars were adequately powered without the use of on-board computers. And the ride was so comfortable. While I appreciate road feel in my performance cars, you could drive one of these cars 10, 12 or 14 hours in a day and get out of the car and be no worse off than if you had spent the day on your living room couch. The styling trends continued into the ’60s, until government emissions standards kicked in. There were cars in this era that were affordable to everyone. To me, this was the golden age of the American auto.
Excessive sheet metal was a canvas for design in ‘59. It is a good and frankly breathtaking year. Rolling works of art.
Sajeev, the comments about narrowing the decision to one year as being impossible because of all the differences in taste, social and operational limitations I have to disagree with. There is an interesting study done on Alaska high school hockey players quoted by Malcolm Gladwell’s 2008 book “Outliers” which uses the “relative age effect” of the players coalescing to make a winning team. The simple answer was because they were older and more physically coordinated at their age than other younger players. Think of the number of exceptional designers that coalesce at a certain time or even a certain company. With that idea in mind, I’m sure you could pick a couple years that were high water marks based upon the number of exceptional designers coalescing at one point in time.
1957. Every one of the US big 3 had new designs or heavily revised designs. GM revised Chevy, new Pontiac, Olds, Buick, Cadillac. Ford, Mercury, revised Lincoln and Tbird. Plymouth, Dodge Desoto, Chrysler. An exciting year
For my generation it had to be 55 to 71 for American cars. It was easy to tell the year. From the late 30s to 55 they were all about the same. After 71 there weren’t many real design changes. And now it’s hard to even tell one brand from another.
My all time favorite car is the Auburn 851Boattail Speedster; nothing else comes close in total beauty. But the best year for design was 1966. Lemans/GTO, Fairlane 500, Malibu, Vete, Charger, Challenger, Coronet. Corvair, 442, you name it, they were and are still the best.
This is a highly subjective exercise. At first I was all in for 1967. Then after thinking and reading the comments, then activating my memory a bit I went back to 1957. I was in school and my art teacher questioned why I was drawing cars instead of doing the assignment, whatever that was. In particular I was sketching the new Cadillac Eldorado. Those sweeping flowing lines were captivating. Those fins were so proportional and graceful. Little did I realize then that GM was going to sabotage their beauty by evolving them into gargantuan rudders by 1959. Did I say that this exercise was subjective? Yes the 1957 Cadillac alone makes that year a design hit.
And it could only be an highly subjective exercise. A wise man once told me the “Difference of opinion is what makes horse racing possible”
Bravo!
1955. Chevy, Thunderbird, and Mercedes Gullwing.
I’ve always thought that 1967 was the high water mark. Especially for GM and Ford. MOPAR didn’t hit the mark until 1969.
There was not a GM division vehicle that I did not love in the fantastic year of 1957. That’s all I have to say.
1967
For many reasons previously noted.