Perhaps these "classics" would make you nostalgic for the days when you'd dare call the 914s' "styling" "awkward". Compared to many of todays' automotive styling exercises, I'd say the 914 is an example of restraint, clarity and purposeful design.

I totally agree! I personally don't get people who call the 914 'ugly'. I would describe it as a 'handsome' car. Sure, it doesn't have the sexy curves of a Ferrari or Jaguar, but it has a well proportioned, purposeful, sports car look. It's a masculine car. It looks like it was meant to do exactly what it does! I look at my beat old 914 with 3 visible paint layers and the occasional rust spot and I see the beauty of the creation... I just don't want to have sex with it.
Mark D.

another one ...

Everytime I see the Nissan Cube i laugh, its a weird looking little car, same with the smart car, its way to tiny for me to drive...short wheel base, tall car = bad combo.

I love the 914 style, very simple and basic, its what porsche is famous for...giving a driver nothing more than the bare essentials

How about none other than the Prius!

Everytime I see one of those driving around Santa Monica -- plastered with the effing Obama bumper stickers and going 22mph -- I just think WTF?!?!

I find some of the recent BMW and Benz cars fugly as well, but maybe that's just me?

I simply like the 914 design. I have liked it since its inception in 1970 and continue to this day. I also love the majority of Italian designs that have been used throughout the global automotive world. Believe me, there have been some ugly designs that have come out of these design houses, but generally I like what I see.

The 914 is one such design that has been attached to me since the beginning. The car says, "I belong to you; and, you belong to me"! I even love the original VW "Beetle".

I guess I have the "sickness" to which there is not any cure!!

Steve Hurt

Look at old VW scene, how many of todays economy cars will have that kind of following or aftermarket? I know all sports cars will have peeps restoring them, but how many rusty miata's do you think will get rebuilt like ours do?

The only ugly comments I hear are are about the front marker lights:)

I have always loved the look of the 914, then when I finally drove one... it turned a love affair!

The marker lights used to bother me as well, and I could understand why people were smoothing them over... but they have actually grown on me - now I would prefer to have them on my car rather than not.

Whenever I see a Cube I realize what the Toyota/Scion folks were thinking: It doesn't really matter how bad the xD looks. It's only a matter of time before Nissan makes an uglier imitation of it.

If you remember as a kid playing "Slug Bug" whenever you saw a VW Beetle, you will love this. The new versions is played when you see a Prius, and it is called....



Smug Bug

Agreed. The first time I saw that Cube thing, the one with the wrap-around window, I thought "What design team approved that?" Fugly.

It's clear the schools of art that teach design have turned their backs on the Golden Section and anything that resembles symmetry. The head designer of Apple understands these principles and applies them. All other designers, in trying to emulate, have ditched the only aesthetic that appeals to the human eye - 1.618. The results are for all us to witness

If it is economical why does it automatically have to be so frigging ugly.Rember the Echo another ugly as econo car.

Pretty ironic... 914 owners calling other cars ugly.

Yes, but at least the 914 was form follows function. It's like the new cars go out of there way to be ugly. If it's your thing, cool. But stay the FUCH out of my way just because you want to make sure you get that 56 MPG. I'll loose gas mileage if i need to maintain speed uphill.

WTF?

err

Please Gustl ! don't critic my FIAT MULTIPLA. I know my car is ugly but believe it or not, it's the best car I have ever owned for my family... It can carry six passengers despite shorter than a VW Golf. It's stuffed with genious ideas and you won't beleve it ... When it was launched in 1998, it was exposed at the MoMa ...
And yes you can own a Multipla AND a 914 ... Both are cars not for everyone .

OK, I'm sitting here trying to understand this. So I'm ugly. New guy on the block moves in, he's uglier. Now I'm not ugly any more?

Sorry, that doesn't make sense. I think it's simpler than that anyway. It's like strawberry ice cream, you like it or you don't. Done and don't argue about it.

Sorry Johannes but I did get one of those Fiat Multipla's as a rental once. I asked the rental lady if she disliked me. My colleagues asked what car I'd gotten and I could remember the name, referred to it as "that Fiat clown car". Drove well enough, but that's not what impressed me...

Having had many different cars over the years, I've learned to appreciate good design, and the styling is all in the eye of the beholder.

I can't think of any other "sports car" that has the trunk space, interior room, or pure functionality of the 914. Yes, it may not have been as 'sexy' as a 240Z when it was new, but I think it's aged extremely well. True Germanic efficiency.

But, I also love my Scion xB office car. I can fit four large adults comfortably inside this box of a car. It's short, so it's easy to find a parking space, and it's relatively economical (unless you push it above 70mph, when the absolute lack of aerodynamics does come into play). My knees appreciate the ease of entry and exit, and there's enough headroom to keep a 10 gallon hat on while driving. Yes, it looks like a toaster, but it works!

Efficiency and fuctionality never go out of style!

Glad nothing I have been lead designer on. has made the list of most ugly
Mark

Here is my latest project that made it into production:

I love 914's so much I have two of them but how can you compare them with some of the cars pictured? Those cars where designed for a whole different purpose. If you want to show some comparisons, at least use a car that was a roadster type sports car. Not some boxy ugly assed econo-box/soccer team hauler.

You did that, huh Mark? I didn't know. Pretty muscular looking... for a Fiat. .

.

I agree, except for the comment about the Miatas. I bet that 30 years from now thre will be a very active Miata group that is larger then the 914 world. They are already 10 years old, and are just as popular as ever.

Zach

I know the miata is sort of feminine, but there will be a calling for them for a long time. and I'm not afraid to admit, I like them

The 914 was considered a chick car when it came out... believe it or not, there were people who actually said that the 914 was "not a real Porsche" due to its diminutive 4-cylinder WV bus engine.

they are almost as much fun to drive as a 914, too...

Back in late '69/early '70 when the 914 was introduced, for around 1/2 its cost you could by, among other things, a new Beetle, a Toyota Corolla, or one of these.... a Fiat 850 Coupe. The Fiat proved that inexpensive didn't need to be ugly.

Here in 2010, I'd hardly call a Civic Coupe or a Chevy Cobalt "cheap" or even "inexpensive", but they don't hurt my eyes or affront my aesthetic sensibilities the way a Yaris, Smart4Two, Cube, Prius, Leaf, et al do.

Back in the day, I almost bought one of these........Fiat 850 Coupe. For the price, it was fun to drive, and I thought looked really cool. (Notice I didn't say anything about durability or rust resistance ). I haven't seen one of these for decades.

Yeah, I was up to my eyeballs in truck stuff with the 09 and 10 designs/launch that I really didn't even notice the whole going out of business/bankruptcy/Fiat stuff.
Mark

Dad bought one a year old, in 74. Gave it to me in 85, drove the piss out of it. Not a bad car really, it was a 4CYL model, sporty and economical. Just wish he would have kept the 66 ElCamino with a 4-speed factory vette 327!

PS, he's selling his '57 Thunderbird if anyone is looking for one, Frame off resto.

I used to think mine was ugly. Now it is interesting. Not ugly. Sorta like that really sexy girl who isn't very pretty.

And my artist wife thinks it is beautiful.

The thing I like about the 914 is that it is unique. Not a lot (if any?) of cars look like it.

Buying a car or truck today isn't a hard decision - THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME. No curves, no uniqueness, including interiors. The redesigned Camaro...it looks like a rectangle box. How....lovely.

Oh wow, a new model for next year? What did they add...an extra cupholder?

I have to agree for the most part on the aforementioned modern cars. Oh, the Aztec, that one still hurts my metal eye...However, I disagree on the Prius. That is a car built with the same philosophy as the 914. Function. The car has low drag, is capable of considerable range and mileage, and can still carry four passengers and still room in the trunk. Try that with an Insight!

Sure, it's not a sleek and sporty car, but that wasn't the target audience to begin with. They refined the concept of a high efficiency car and made it acceptable to the general public. The insight is a car of superior engineering, but failed because very few people want a two-seater that's slower than dirt. The Prius isn't fast, but it's not a dog either.

No, I don't own a Prius. I like them, but I wouldn't sell the 914 to have one. Even if it -did- run...

A Tesla on the other hand...

-Josh2

The thing I find hilarous is that we have the Prius, and the following of hybrids, that strive for fuel economy.... and they are all an eye sore. Then you have the VW TDI`s, which blow ALL of the hybrids out of the water in fuel economy. My Godfather has a 2003 Jetta TDI 5 speed sedan, and he has clocked as much as 53 mpg on the highway, with a 45 - 48 mpg average. I would take a VW TDI over any hybrid any day of the week, especially the new Sportwagen.

I'd single out the aforementioned Insight though. I know for a fact that few if any commercially made internal combustion vehicles (with more than two wheels, and capable of traveling at 75 mph) out there can come close to its efficiency.

A friend of mine who makes regular drives from Boulder to Colorado Springs (100 miles each way) gets an AVERAGE of 77 mpg.

And no, the Prius is not gonna win any design awards, it's very vanilla in its appearance, but maybe that's part of why it sells so well. The 1st gen Prius was far worse though.

-Josh2

My old '82 Toyota Tercel w/ a 5spd and a carburetor got an honest 42 mpg back in the mid 80s. . . That's equal to a hybrid or that gay, smart4two, half a car thing they are selling. . . Something is wrong when a car with essentially 50s technology can get equal to, or better fuel mileage than most any new car with all the technological advancements that the past 30+ years has to offer. . .

My ex bitches CRX got 44MPG, and it was actually fun to drive, a go-cart like the teener. I think the styling wasn't bad either on hers. Just shows you can get good MPG with at least presentable styling.

Yes yes. We ALL know that the old economy cars got GREAT mileage.

The cars that got great mileage did so by being VERY lite weight, and needing a small engine to pull them around. Everything these days is heavier. My 68 Jeep 1.25 Ton pickup only weighs 5500 pounds. A modern 1/2 truck is, what, twice that these days?

My wife loves her Prius. It does EXACTLY what is it supposed to do, can carry our family and is a very comfortable car. And it will offer a lot more protection when some idiot smashes it while not paying attention then an 82 Tercel.

I also think that it is an attractive car. Course, I drive Subarus, 914s, and Jeep pickups. I have very little credibility in picking good looking cars.

Zach

One of the funnest sticker I have seen ,was on a Minta ("I'm not gay my car is")

Given the context of the sports cars it competed against its styling was sort of akward and it was under powered for its price. It deserved some flack from the press in US. I think most were uneducated to technology and engineering the car offered however.


http://damox.com/cars/thumbs/Fiat/1970_Fia..._Spider_Red.jpg

I just threw up in your carb tops.....

Come on! You can't say you like the CRX, and then say you don't like the GenII Prius. They share a lot of style elements.
I give you: The CRX


The Prius.


It is not a bad looking car.
Zach

Come to think of it, the Prius doesn't look that different from the Aztek.



Yep, form follows function. It's just that GM screwed the pooch when designing the face of the Aztek. But Subaru was just as guilty with the Tribeca:

Aztek + CRX - any testosterone what so ever = Prius

The only thing sexy about the Tribeca is the engine. Man that car looks like a modern Edsel/minivan combo

At least with the aztec, you could get the built in tent. And that CRX was a fun to drive car, even if my head touched the roof. I'm just against Prius's cause they are the ones doing 53 MPH in a 70 to get that magical gas number, and well, in CA it's a "save the world car" BS. Still, no where near as bad as the Cube.

Ah, ugly cars.....

Nothing says ugly like a car designed by Chris Bangle......

Just look at any recent BMW and people will come up with comments like...

"Although Bangl was named head of design for BMW Group in 1992, he didn’t gain infamy until 2001 when he unveiled the new 7-Series sedan (pictured below) at the Frankfurt auto show. When we first saw the back end of the car, with its ungainly trunk lid, we were reminded of Sergio Pininfarina’s response to the Triumph TR7 when he saw it unveiled at the Detroit auto show. Walking from one side of the car to the other, he said of the swooping character line along its flank, "Oh no, they did it on this side, too!"

The same kind of response met Bangle when people saw the 7’s trunk, which to this day remains known as a "Bangle Butt."

Chris Bangles contributions to styling were UGLY and he is now associated with the following...

"Bangle Butt" - a universal description for cars of all makes with larger rear ends..

“hit with the Bangle stick” a description of especially ugly cars."

"flame surfacing" -a description for BMW's curved lines on the sides of roadsters

Not amused by your shenanigans.

Discovered a strange design likeness between the back of a Chrysler Valiant and the 914 front, I love th 914 but this does not mean that i love the Valiant:




/Lars S

the CRX was a great car in Gran Turismo 2

I actually liked them, and had a escort GT in college... not a pretty car by anyone's standards but fun for a college student... I think the CRX looked better, tho.

mine was red, tho, so it was almost twice as fast as this one:

I never thought the CRX was that good looking of a car to begin with... but it was fun to drive, and probably gets better gas milage than that abortion that will need all new batteries at some point. $$$$$ OUCH!!!