Originally Posted by chuck65
I guess that you have to understand and appreciate automotive history to see any value whatsoever in the Devaux design. It's a kind of acquired taste. I really like the 1930's era of car design such as Bugatti, Talbot Lago. Delage, and Delahaye. The design is a nostalgia trip and can't be defended in an esthetic way
I don't know chuck, I mean, I know part of the design is a nostalgia trip, but is it possible that certain shapes have lasting beauty or just plain "get it right"?
For example, the Type 57SC:
I mean, look at those curves, it is really beautiful (to me). A modern car can even have the same types of lines, like the Morgan Life Car prototype:
But I don't even think one has to make a modern interpretation to keep the same beautiful lines, for example, the Peugeot 908Hdi is fabulous:
And in my opinion it follows some of the same design elements, for example, the flared wheel arches with aerodynamic curves, along with design equivalents of "shoulders" and "hips".
I guess I'm one of those people that believe in "classical beauty" for what it's worth. So it's hard for me to be so reductionist about judging car design. A car may have a ridiculously long wheelbase, but as a whole there may just be something "right" about it. And so in the end, certain shapes can't be judged simply by when they were popular, so couldn't attractiveness be objective and not simply a look back at "the good old days"?