Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

The importance of Angel Eyes, Ventiports and four round taillights

SteVTEC

There were other Buicks with the ventiports back before the Enclave. Lacrosse had them and some others I think. I've been a fan of Corvettes for a long time and don't agree that the taillights NEED to be round or oval. If they can pull off the basically square ones from the C4 ZR1, then I think these are okay, but whatever.

Aron9000

I hate the venti-ports on new Buicks. They aren't functional and look like tacked on mickey mouse $15 autozone parts. Usually you see all the guys with big jacked up 26" wheels on their cars and those autozone stick on venti-ports, that's what I associate that crap with, not a 1949 Roadmaster.

Another good one the video didn't mention is Cadillac and the egg-crate grill. First appeared on the 1941 model, been on just about every Cadillac since(okay maybe back in the 80's it went away for a few years when they went to the Rolls Royce looking grill with the thin vertical bars).

The eggcrate even survived, heck it became a lot wilder looking when they went to the styled with a meat cleaver Arts and Science look about 10 years ago.

Lil4X

That's very true, those "ventiports" of the '50's era at least represented the old external exhausts we saw emerging from the hoods of American classics like the Duesenberg SSJ Speedster,



or the 1936 Auburn Boattail . . .



Sticking a set of "portholes" on your '86 Taurus is not quite as ludicrous as screwing them onto the hood of your new Focus, but it's close. Right up there with installing a rake kid and staggered rims on your fwd sedan.

There is a design language for every manufacturer that may change over the years, but there are features - like the Corvette's four round taillights - that you just don't mess with. They define the brand. Cadillac may ditch the wreath, or even the "V", but never The Black Shield of Falworth or whatever that thing is . . . . (the coat of arms of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac?) There's too much brand history tied up in that.

Now granted some were really dumb by today's standards - I remember Dad's '51 Desoto hood ornament.



Yup, a bust of the Spanish explorer himself. Like Pontiac's Indian Chief, that bronzed plastic face lit up at night too.

Aron9000

^ That Desoto hood ornament is so vulgar and over the top its awesome. You also mentioned the Pontiac Chief, I liked the Mercury logo back then, it was literally the god Mercury.

mmarshall

Buicks of that vintage had real holes in the fenders, not imitation ones. They, of course, assisted with engine/underhood cooling, although they could also, in some circumstances, let in rain and moisture, which screwed up the wiring and terminals. That's one reason why they were discontinued.

Most people agree that the Cadillac egg-crate grille (and general overall styling) reached its peak in 1959. That was also true, BTW, of several other brands of American vehicles. 1959 was the year that the stylists just went nuts.

mmarshall

Bob.....there were a number of Dusenberg SJs built, but, to my knowledge, only two supercharged SSJs. They were sold (not surprisingly), to two macho Hollywood actors......Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. At the time they were built, it was arguably the most powerful production non-racing car in the world, with 320 BHP..........in an era when most cars had between 40-100 HP.

I've always been a big fan of factory hood-ornaments, but those glow-in-the dark ones, IMO, were excessively tacky.......worse than none at all. They rank up wth those silly, spin-at-idle chrome wheel-covers that continue to whirl around even when the car is stopped.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

A certain spirit of automobiling right there

Och

iTrader: (3)

The funny thing, angel eyes are not getting old, despite being over a decade old. On the other hand, the Christmas LED lights that Audi introduced back around 2008ish are absolutely played out at this point.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

they look sort of out of place on Sentra's