Cars yesterday and today
02/28/2013
Today's cars are considered technically perfect and offer a great deal of comfort, but are they also more beautiful?
The similarity of modern vehicles is often reminiscent of comparing one egg with another. Relevant differences are hardly recognizable. Even connoisseurs and enthusiasts find it really difficult to distinguish between individual makes. Even within the company's own range, there are fewer and fewer distinguishing features between the individual models. Let's take Audi as an example. If an Audi from Ingolstadt appears in the rear-view mirror, it is easy to distinguish between a Q, R, TT or A. But if it is an A, then which one? Whether it's an A3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 is hard to tell from the face. It is just as difficult to tell the difference between a BMW 5 and a BMW 3.
New models will soon be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. But how much is really new? Isn't it much more of a facelift with an additional crease in the sheet metal here, a bit of playful lighting there, plus a sweep at the rear side window and everything always in line with the competition, of course. And, of course, everything comes straight from the wind tunnel.
How beautiful and exciting the shapes were in the past. They came straight from the designers' drawing boards. They were created without a wind tunnel, often based on a simple idea. Perhaps it was a concept that began on a napkin, as with Colin Chapman.
The "retro" design is a vehement attempt to win new customers with a past design language. Fiat did it with the Cinque Cento, BMW with the Mini and Mazda with the MX5.
If these old shapes were no longer worth mentioning, nobody would think of adopting them today.
Let's enjoy a few direct comparison pictures of different brands and think about which of the two vehicles makes our hearts beat faster!
