When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Actually, from a public point of view, by the mid-1960s, they weren't outdated.....the public, as a whole, actually still liked them. But, what happened was that Ralph Nader came along in the early 1960s and publicized the built-in dangers of many American-designed cars of the time. The sharp and dangerous fins of the 1959 Cadillac you mentioned were a perfect example.....a number of cyclists and motorcycle-riders were impaled on them.
Even before Nader got legislation through Congress in 1966 (and signed by President Johnson) mandating safer designs and equipment, and after attempts, particularly by GM, to discredit Nader, the auto companies saw the handwriting on the wall and started making safer changes by themselves, even if the public wasn't totally behind it.
I think you're missing my point, as it was nothing about safety that dictated the styling changes in the mid 1960's. Cars like the 1962 Lincoln Continental completely changed people's sense of taste and aesthetic, in that less could be more. Really garish designs from the 1950's were NOT in fashion by the mid 60's for people looking to buy a new luxury car, hence look at a 1965 Cadillac vs a 1964, it looks a lot more like that slab sided Continental. Or compare a 1967 Eldorado to that 1959 Cadillac, 8 model years apart, but man those two cars could not look more different. Same thing if you compare a 1960 Impala to a 1965 Impala, people's tastes changed a lot in just that early 60's time frame.
Also I think the accountants at the big 3 might have had something to do with cars getting plainer looking, it costs a lot of money to stamp complex rear quarter panels and put all that garish and very intricate chrome trim on all your cars.
Getting back to Lexus, I'd say this predator grill thing will keep going until they get new management in with a different philosophy of what they want Lexus to represent. So I'd say expect a design change in the early-mid 2020's, once the current LC coupe reaches then end of its product life.
I think you're missing my point, as it was nothing about safety that dictated the styling changes in the mid 1960's. Cars like the 1962 Lincoln Continental completely changed people's sense of taste and aesthetic, in that less could be more. Really garish designs from the 1950's were NOT in fashion by the mid 60's for people looking to buy a new luxury car, hence look at a 1965 Cadillac vs a 1964, it looks a lot more like that slab sided Continental. Or compare a 1967 Eldorado to that 1959 Cadillac, 8 model years apart, but man those two cars could not look more different. Same thing if you compare a 1960 Impala to a 1965 Impala, people's tastes changed a lot in just that early 60's time frame.
Also I think the accountants at the big 3 might have had something to do with cars getting plainer looking, it costs a lot of money to stamp complex rear quarter panels and put all that garish and very intricate chrome trim on all your cars.
You make some points, particularly with the cost-cutting, and the award-winning design of the early-60s Continental, but there is still a lot of evidence pointing to Ralph Nader's safety-crusade influencing a lot of changes from those sharp-edged late-1950's excesses
Getting back to Lexus, I'd say this predator grill thing will keep going until they get new management in with a different philosophy of what they want Lexus to represent. So I'd say expect a design change in the early-mid 2020's, once the current LC coupe reaches then end of its product life.
Though the grille alone was not necessarily a deal-breaker, one reason (among several) why I recently chose a Buick Lacrosse over the Lexus ES350 (which I had strongly considered...the ES was probably third on my list) was the spindle-grille. It was somewhat smaller and more muted on the ES than, say the large and garish one on the new RX, but still, IMO, a little garish for my tastes.
Grills and graphics are not what date cars. It's poor proportions and surfacing. A car like the GS350 will probably age well, but the RX? Absolutely not.
Grills and graphics are not what date cars. It's poor proportions and surfacing. A car like the GS350 will probably age well, but the RX? Absolutely not.
Grilles. though, are what a number of today's manufacturers are using to basically identify their products. Audi, Mercedes, Kia, Buick, Chevy, Lexus, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Hyundai, Acura, and others all use a distinctive type of grille, with only minor variations from model to model. The Lexus spindle-grille, right now now, is (arguably) the most controversial one of them all.....one reason, of course, for this thread and its discussion.
The main problem with what Lexus has currently chosen is the too low gaping center grille, which takes the place of having sporty air intakes along the lower sides of the front. Every competitor has aggressive air intakes below the headlights except Lexus. Lexus has a trendy center gape, but a very dated outer style with no aggressive intakes. Only the very rare and never seen RCF and GSF has decent side intakes, making for a far better balanced front-end. This does not cut it one bit for the brand and shows what could have been for the rest of the line-up. As it stands now, the center grille gape is too much, with no way to balance it out with side intake openings. The new LC carries on the same, dated problem. The last balanced and properly aggressive front end was the IS-F.
Grilles. though, are what a number of today's manufacturers are using to basically identify their products. Audi, Mercedes, Kia, Buick, Chevy, Lexus, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Hyundai, Acura, and others all use a distinctive type of grille, with only minor variations from model to model. The Lexus spindle-grille, right now now, is (arguably) the most controversial one of them all.....one reason, of course, for this thread and its discussion.
The only way the spindle grill will be outdated is if Lexus stops using it in the future, but this is no different than with any other brand.
Well I for one think the grille is growing to be more garish and if the new Prius is an example of where Toyota is heading(see the LC 500 tail lights) it couldn't be more polarizing if they tried.
The only way the spindle grill will be outdated is if Lexus stops using it in the future, but this is no different than with any other brand.
While I respect your opinion, I don't agree with that argument. Automakers sometimes persist with styling and features long after are they are ether outdated or actually should have been given up. Acura, for one, proved that with the parrot-beak grilles.
I am planning on buying an NX when the 2018s come out, but I will admit to being tempted by the simpler, cleaner lines of the Acura RDX. Now that's a front end.
I am planning on buying an NX when the 2018s come out, but I will admit to being tempted by the simpler, cleaner lines of the Acura RDX. Now that's a front end.
I am planning on buying an NX when the 2018s come out, but I will admit to being tempted by the simpler, cleaner lines of the Acura RDX. Now that's a front end.
The current Acura look does nothing for me, but that's why we have choices. Everyone has different tastes. I like the current LS and LC, they currently have the headlights working in harmony with the shape of the grill, but the current IS and GS have those tacky nike swooshes under the headlights that I think looks a bit too much and frame the grill oddly. It's tacky to me and doesn't complement the spindle shape. Just look at the LC, which, to me, is one of the better looking sports coupes right now, it's very simple compared to the IS, and the lines flow nicely into that spindle. It's not trying too hard, it's elegant yet still very sporty.
The current front end and grille designs are very polarizing, some people absolutely hate it, I personally love the look. I don't see it becoming outdated to those who like it anytime soon. I think the designers are doing an excellent job integrating it into the styling without making it look "forced" in, if that makes sense. The LC500 is a perfect example of a flowing grille and body shape.
I think it will age well, much like the Aston Martin front grille, which they used for over 15 years with minimal change. Still looks brand new:
What seems to be missing from this debate about the spindle grille -- or any debate about any controversial, polarizing styling element -- is that the design evolves. Using the Aston Martin DB models as an example, that grille is not just 15 years old, but can arguably be traced back almost 70 years.
1950 DB2
1957 DB Mark III ("DB3")
1963 DB5
1994 DB7
2004 DB9
2015 DB10 (not even a production car)
2017 DB11
All identifiable design elements evolve. The Audi Singleframe grille (also controversial and polarizing when it first came out) has evolved and is now considered handsome by some (I have been flamed for suggesting that it was once considered ugly). The Lexus spindle has evolved. The Acura shield grille changed. The Lincoln split-wing grille changed. But, in my opinion, Acura and Lincoln gave in too early; just as their grilles were becoming recognized and recognizable design elements, they changed them.
The Acura shield may continue to evolve, not on Acura products but on Honda products.
2016 RDX
2017 Civic
If a still-recognizable version of the Shield is good enough for the Civic and the Accord, why could it not have stayed on Acura, perhaps evolving further by painting it a different colour (as it is done on this Civic)?
05-13-17, 03:04 PM
