What is the best looking 1945-1969 car?

[Shortsguy1]

On Petrolicious, there is a short video about a 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series 2, which is a beautiful car. I know very little about Ferraris, and it got me thinking that there may be tons of cars out there that are amazing to look at which I don't know about. So I am hoping to use the collective knowledge of PP to help me learn a little. Call me shallow, but I would like to focus this thread on vehicle appearance only.

Is there a particular car that you think simply looks amazing, focusing on the years between 1945 and 1969? Thanks for your suggestions.

Here is the vid:
This Is The Admiral

[jt20]

Early to late '60s Jaguar roadsters.


...dayuhm.

http://www.boldride.com/ride/1962/jaguar-series-1-e-type-roadster#gallery/8

[JB3]

That is a tough question! You have at least 3 distinct automotive style trends in that year range. Im partial to 50s hudsons, though most 50s and 40s cars i like

[t walgamuth]

If talking about us built cars its easy for me....the 53 Studebaker coupe by Raymond Loewy. If its open to cars built elsewhere the choice becomes pretty tough. The Ferrari mondial is a lovely car though.

Pictures of the 53 here.

.http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/open-discussion/348421-studebaker-slab.html

[P.C.]

1965 Corvair

[Delibes]

Gullwings, bar none. Comfort is something else...

[DieselPaul]

Originally Posted by Delibes

Gullwings, bar none. Comfort is something else...

I'd agree, but the 300SL and 190SL suffer from what my friend calls the "droopy butt" which a decent number of 50s and 60s cars had. Going all the way up to '69 you could throw Pagodas in there too, such a pretty car.

300SL is one of my favorite designs, but I'm a roadster man myself.

Hard to find an ugly Ferrari in that window of time.

BMW 507 is also a gorgeous car.

Hard to narrow it down, that was a time frame when cars were designed by artists and there is some really beautiful stuff.

[Txjake]

Facel Vega....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facel_Vega#/media/File:Facel_Vega_1961_Castle_Hedingham_2008.JPG

[BAVBMW]

I'm not much of a Ford guy, but the 55-57 Thunderbirds always turn my head.

MV

[iwrock]

Gonna have to go with De Tomaso Mangusta.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by DieselPaul

I'd agree, but the 300SL and 190SL suffer from what my friend calls the "droopy butt" which a decent number of 50s and 60s cars had. Going all the way up to '69 you could throw Pagodas in there too, such a pretty car.

300SL is one of my favorite designs, but I'm a roadster man myself.

Hard to find an ugly Ferrari in that window of time.

BMW 507 is also a gorgeous car.

Hard to narrow it down, that was a time frame when cars were designed by artists and there is some really beautiful stuff.

If you want droopy butt look at about any car from the late thirties. some of them are pretty spectacular, including the Talbot Lago coupe from about 1937. The high riding butt came from the discovery that a spoiler on the rear kept the rear from lifting off the ground at high speed. coupled with a Kamm tail pioneered by the 63 Ferrari GTO about all cars now have tails that ride very high so the spoiler will catch more air.

[rocky raccoon]

1948 Lincoln Continental. I think the coupes were a little better looking but in any case, 12 cylinders of American cast iron.

[P.C.]

I always thought that the Fiat Dino Spider was pretty voluptuous for a Fiat.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by rocky raccoon

1948 Lincoln Continental. I think the coupes were a little better looking but in any case, 12 cylinders of American cast iron.

I wanted to buy one of those in 1974 but my dad talked me out of it on the basis that it probably only got 9 mpg.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by P.C.

I always thought that the Fiat Dino Spider was pretty voluptuous for a Fiat.

Those are handsome indeed. Whenever I think of them I remember a lovely young lady with long blond hair with her lovely Fiat broken down, standing alongside one of them in Italy in the summer of 1970 when I was there humming along in my 59 vw beetle.