What is your favorite decade in automobile design?

I'm going to say my favorite was the 1980's. Nobody here will agree, but most of my favorite cars came from that decade, and it was the time when the car as we know it today took form.

The 80's is one of my favorite decades for pick-up tricks...those Fords, Chevy's, Dodges, they all looked great.

It changes for me, there are great and horrible cars in every decade, but recently I've been partial to the strange allure of the 1970s, for a myriad reasons

For me, it's a close call between the '50s and '60s, though overall I'd have to go for the '60s.

The early '70s were good, too. My overall favorite car (The E-body Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda) was made between 1970 and 1974, after all.

Def the 80s. In Britain it brought us the SD1, TR7, Escort RS, Sierra RS, and other stuff like the M5 and 3

Most of the cars that I like the best are from the 80s. Well, actually I like coupés of the 80s, but for sedans I prefer 60s/70s (or 50s/60s for US cars).

For me I am torn between the ‘80s and the ‘90s. The 80s were home to some of my favorite vehicles (and movies) and the late ‘90s gave birth to the Ford Expedition.

I predict that 60s will come out ahead, even though I voted for 50s. Too many muscle cars and European and Japanese sportscars that are world-renouned came out of the 60s., not to mention luxury sedans.

On the other hand, the regular posters here have very intelligent views that are often not in accordance with the norm. We seem to have a lot of interest in newer Alfa's, MB's, BMWs, Peugeot's, Citroen's and Maserati's, which could tip the balance to the 80s.

NOTE: 30s would be a close second for me.

I do like cars in general from the seventies and eighties, i could probably state that as my favorite decades, but honestly i think there cars in every decade that i like.

I am genuinely surprised the 1980's got the most votes.

Why? it actually had nice models, nice squared cars i do like.

I've gone for the 60's (close call) as my favorite cars are late 60's to early 70's.!

Because for many people these squared models are the ugliest, probably because they are the current "junk old cars", and too common. Hopefuly this will change within 10 (or 20) years, when these cars will become really rare and the "junk old cars" will be those of the 90s/00s.

No, the 1980s were genuinely awful for cars, time won't change it. I do hope the industry's learned the lesson and it will stay the worst decade forever.

I couldn't decide which decade to choose. I'm a car freak and I generally like all cars made between 1910-1990. But I also like to study new cars. The least interesting decade for me is 1990's because many cars looked bloated and too rounded (especially ordinary Japanese cars; Corolla, Sunny, 626 ).

Another 80s car i like, The Maserati Biturbo. I'm quite into squared cars as well.

Biturbo was a real gem, bo so are the "soapbar" Japanese cars of the 1990s, especially JDM models (Eunos, Efini, Toyo and Nissan hardtops) - they were nice, pleasing the eye and modern without being over-the-top like some of the design of the transition period at the turn of the millennium.

Good:



Bad:



Ugly:

Now see, I agree that the Biturbo was a handsome car.

Not the best looking car, but still. I like 1980's cars because I find them to be the perfect blend of the squared-off designs and the modern aerodynamic looks. The 1990's were actually my least favorite decade for car design, because the majority of cars became very low-quality in appearance. The Ford Tempo can be used as an example. In 1992 it received a mild "face-lift". It lost all chrome trim and adopted a monochromatic appearance. Across the line were cheap plastic-like rims, and the cars were devoid of any and all trim. Where as the previous models, like mine, abound in chrome trim and what not. Which gives it sort of a high quality feel. In addition to that, cars seemed to become too aerodynamic. It just seemed to get worse and worse. We took a good idea with the original Ford Taurus and turned it into the monstrosity we all know of in 1996. This "aero look" gave us beauties like the Buick Rendezvous, Chevrolet Aveo, Geo Metro, 1996-1999 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable, those monochromatic jelly beans made by Oldsmobile, et cetera. In the 1970's, while I find the boxy looks cool, were extremely unpractical when it comes to the all important fuel efficiency.


Jack Telnack's creations for Ford and Mercury were, in my opinion, the best looking cars out there; the Ford Tempo, Ford Taurus, Ford Thunderbird, Fox-Body Mustang, and all their Mercury counterparts.

This, is to me, a very good looking car. And I don't care what you all think.

It's a good thing you don't care And the bug-eyed Taurus was a really fine design, though not for a mass-market family car, I guess. The Daewoo Kalos arrived only in 2003, so it's not a 1990s car (and looks more like an unintended 1980s throwback to me), Rendezvous is hardly "aero" or "jellybean", and the Metro was rather attractive for an economy car, especially in sedan form.

The Oldsmobiles were classics. Can't touch the first Aurora - design masterpiece.

Warning, very long rant
Not a lot, other than the grille badge and maybe the steering wheel, about the Rendezvous that immediately brings "Buick" to mind. That's what's happening as global production leaves less room for individuality, in order to effect shrinking profit margins. There comes a point where many GM mid-size and full-size sedans look the same from 100ft, and so on. Now I've noticed that every single middle-priced luxury car (except the C-Klasse) looks like the early 2000s BMWs with the slanted notch in the bottom of the C-pillar. Even the Lucerne by Buick has this styling element. Portholes are very good, and it's even better now that the portholes are indicative of the engine which they are venting. I would be curious to see a modernized version of the 42-48 Buick grille flowing beneath the headlamps on both sides. Will be fun to see what car will become the style leader of the 2010s.