According to You: The Best Year for Car Design

This question, when posed to members of the Hagerty Community last week, brought about some handwringing in the comments section. But fear not—we had a similar internal discussion before publishing, as trying to pick a single year as the pinnacle of car design is likely an impossible task.

This was, after all, a lighthearted thought exercise and not a PhD dissertation—the right question for the right forum, and the fact that we generated 10 pages of comments suggests that the Hagerty Community understood where I was headed with the question. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtful answers. Dig into the responses below, and sound off in the comments with your ideas!

Absolutely Pre-War

George A: Any of the Delahayes, Bugattis, Mercedes SS, and Hispano Suizas. They were works of hand-made art, and had balls for large heavy cars.

Bruce: Certainly the Euro cars of the late 1930’s were pretty spectacular, Bugatti Type 57 Atlantique, the 8C 2900 Alfas and the Mercedes 500K & 540K, the Frenchies Delage and Delahay’s. But each of the new decades brought special designs, ’50s to ’60s, and ’60s to ’70s were all quite amazing in my opinion. 

TerryTwoUtes: 1937, kind of the peak of art-deco design. 1936, 1938 for close second-place options. Also like the late ’50s to early ’60s jet age designs. But the art deco period of the late ’30s it seemed that every mfr had their designs all looking good.

Jim: The ‘40 Ford coupe. Timeless elegance. Graceful lines. The drivetrain and suspension left a lot to be desired, but enterprising folks took care of that.

Rob I: 1932 for the win. I’ve never seen an ugly 1932 anything.

William B: One year that has always rung bells for me was 1941. It was the eve of WWII and America was recovering from the depression and industry was in full swing. In particular, I believe that some of the most beautiful cars GM had ever built came out in that year—Chevrolet (end of running boards), Buick, Cadillac, and to a lesser extent Pontiac and Oldsmobile. I always thought the 1940 Ford was one of the best looking Fords ever built. The 1941 was not as attractive but still pretty good. Also, the Lincolns and Continentals were beautiful cars. There were many independents that were attractive, including Willys and Studebaker.

TGJ: The art deco lines of the 1936 Ford Coupes.

gbvette: 1932 was probably the first great year for automobile design. Auto makers first started to take design seriously in the early 30’s, and 1932 brought forth one of the most beautifully designed cars of all time, the 1932 Ford. But 1932 also brought us the 32 Chevrolet, the fantastic 32 Cadillac V12 & V16, the 32 Lincoln, the Bugatti Type 55, the Stutz DV32, the Packard V12 and more fabulously designed and gorgeous to look at automobiles.

66442: 1937, especially the coupes. Right before the fenders started squaring off and grill designs looked great this year.

Mike: The 1930-40 decade. When you contrast the upright–but still graceful cars–of 1930 with the beginnings of streamlining in mid-decade (contrast a Model A with a ’33 or ’34, or a 1930 Pierce Arrow with a 1933 Silver Arrow), then look at the curvy slab sides (think GM), faired in headlights and integrated trunks in 1939-40, that decade has it all. Hardly an ugly car left a factory the entire time–well, maybe Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows…

Prof X: 1940 is an excellent year to choose: first year of the Cadillac Series 62, year many headlights moved to the fenders.

Graham: 1930. Auburn, Packard, Ford, the boxy functional designs transitioned to works of art. Timeless classics showcasing custom design houses.

Blu: 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe. The way the grille and the hood flow together and the rear 3/4 view of it. It was the epitome of the art deco era.

Post War, Pre-Malaise

snailish: 1949 Ford with “shoebox” sides (where the term came from…) is a before/after moment in auto design.

Jim: For American automakers I’d say 1964, every car of that year were all extremely attractive.

Tom C: 1969. The Language of ’60s muscle peaked in 1969 just prior to slightly going over the top in 1970. Designs made use of a nice balance of chrome vs. color. Seats got head restraints, making the cabins appear cozy and side lights became better integrated over their first mandated year of 1968. Nearly all brands from the Big Three had something in all the segments. Plus, I had all the 1969 car brochures I’d picked up from the local dealers on my three speed Sting Ray knock-off. And, the US landed three astronauts on the moon!

Larry O: Early Corvettes are also on my list, but I liked the ’57 Cadillac best. A real machine!

Ron F.: The 1953–1954 Studebaker Commander Starliner. Hands down the best looking designed car in America that still stands the test of time.

Robert W: The article asks for the best year—and I submit 1965—at least for General Motors. To your point, 1965 corvair, fantastic upgrade—add other ‘65s including GTO, Buick Riveria, Implala, Chevelle, Corvette (new front styling and mechanical upgrades), Wildcat, 442… even the truck line. And the mustang and falcon weren’t bad either—it was the banner year in enduring styles.

JPTL: 1965-66 popped in my mind as well. GM created some of the most timeless designs. 1965 Rivera for example. I love the lines on my ’66 C20. And Ford wasn’t shabby either Then there’s the 1966 XKE, and the Lamborghini Muira. Yup. ’65-’66 for sure.

David A: 1958 for sure, Jack. But not quite enough said. Besides Buick and Oldsmobile, there’s also Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Cadillac. Each of these divisions had several major hits right out of the park. And that’s just GM. Then there’s Ford, Chrysler, Dodge. And OMG, who could forget the Edsel. A banner year for sure.

Rider79: The 1958 designs were called “chrome cans” in the old days, and their design was heavily derided in retrospect, back in the 1970’s. Somewhere along the way, some started to look with more favor on them. I still feel that the 1958 Chevy is one of the worst-styled full-size cars in Chevy’s long history (along with the 1953/54 models).

stewdi: Got to give a shout-out to the ’53 Stude Starlight and Starliner Coupes! l’ve had car guys who know little or nothing about Studebakers guess from a picture that these cars were from the ’60’s.

Paul L: If I had to pick one year, it would have to be ’57, bringing on the ’57 Ford including the trendsetting, Ranchero, Chevy, the Mercury Turnpike cruisers, Cadillac El Dorado & Chrysler line up. Yep, ’57 had to be THE styling king year.

Martin D: If the answer has to be one single year only, I‘d go with 1966. In Europe there were some truly handsome cars on sale—think early Mercedes S-Class, BMW Coupé, Porsche 911, Jaguar E-Type, Citroën DS. In the U.S., the rather awkward designs of 1961 to ’63 were gone for good, sleek lines and more muted chrome accents were en vogue, and it was the peak of the „stacked headlights“ trend, which has always been a favorite of mine.

Steve: As a child of the 60s, I cast my vote for 1965. The Chrysler, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Mercury, Oldsmobile, Ambassador, Plymouth, Lincoln, Buick, Cadillac, and Avanti were all beauties, IMHO.

Glenn: 1969, especially Chevrolets—the best year for both Corvettes and Camaro

keeton: 1965 was the year the Big Three domestic manufacturers made a simultaneous and profound styling statement. The big cars from GM—Chevy, Olds, Cadillac and (especially) Pontiac with their swoopy coke-bottle styling were a major step up. The full size Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge got the full crisp line Elwood Engel treatment, finally shedding all of the excess-Exner styling of previous years. The full size Ford and Mercury were handsome in their own right.

The intermediate GM cars (Chevelle, Tempest/LeMans, Special/Skylark, F85/Cutlass) were new for ’64 but the ’65 refresh actually looked better for all of them. The ’65 Corvair’s styling was stunning and still looks modern today. It was a shame that the drivetrain couldn’t keep up with the market’s demands (like the Mustang did). The ’64 1/2 Mustang was introduced as a 65 model and was the best looking Falcon ever.

PvD: I will select ‘65 generally and specifically GM. The midsize; Chevelle/SS, Skylark/GS, LeMans/GTO and Cutless/442 are among my favorites. Let’s not forget Riv, 2+2 and Impalas.

Richard R: 1966. Pure and simple. Both Ford and Chevy had great cars that year that have become classics. And don’t forget Plymouth. You need to resist comparing the functionality of 1966 vehicles with cars designed over the last 25 to 30 years. Our wants and needs were different then (we actually had 29 cents-per-gallon gas). The pickup trucks of the day were gorgeous. Remember, we’re talking DESIGN here. The Mustang went from sharp 90 degree angles to softer curves and a better looking fastback. And to me, the concave curve of the C pillar on the 1966 Ford Galaxie 2 door hardtop will go down in history as the most beautiful roofline ever. My opinion only, YMMV.

MrKnowItAll: 1961, because Engel’s Continental threw a curveball into GM’s garish jukeboxes and Exner’s dive into bizarre. Mitchell caught on, and I’d say 1965 is a very close contender across the board.

Gary: To me, ’69 had to be the top for style and performance. Take your pick-Charger R/T, Chevelle SS, Mustang Mach 1, Olds 442, GTO, AMX, and others. Just the best.

Curtis S: Go back and look at the early 1960’s. (1959-1963) was a major turning point from the “shoebox” cars to automobiles with style and panache. Look at the dashes and gauge clusters of the early 60’s Chrysler products. You would think you were in a space capsule or a time machine. After about 1964 the car design went very sleek and modern. Look at the 1965 Cadillac. There were no tail fins for the first time in a LONG time! Long straight modern lines vs sculpted imaginative bodies from before. I can find something about every era to enjoy but the early ’60s were the most creative.

Paul I: 1969. Very tough to beat the Chevrolet Triple Crown: Camaro, Chevelle, Corvette.

gdwriter: As an era, I’d choose the 1960s and for a specific year, 1965 is an easy choice, especially at General Motors. All of the full-size cars had bold, beautiful, tasteful designs, particularly the Impala and Bonneville. Over at Buick, Bill Mitchell’s masterpiece looked even better when the Riviera got the hidden headlights it was supposed to have from the beginning. The A bodies looked great, especially the GTO, and with a few minor tweaks, the rather bland ’64 Chevelle looked much better. The Corvair was more beautiful than any economy car deserved to be. Ford added the fastback 2+2 to the Mustang, the best of its three body styles. Chrysler got its full-size cars back, and while not as sleek as the competition at GM, Elwood Engle did a good job erasing the worst of Virgil Exner’s excesses.

Bill: I think for me the significant styling turning point was in 1959, especially at GM. Their cars in the late 40s and early 50s were chunky, tall and look-alike. That started to change in 1955 and culminated in 1959. The cars got lower and sleeker. They looked different. Yes they had excessive sheet metal, but the different divisions of GM cars suddenly had a different look from each other. From the horizontal fins of the ’59 Chevy to the diagonal fins of the ’59 Buick to the mammoth fins of the ’59 Cadillac. Indeed, to this day, if you are envisioning an opulent auto, you see the massive tailfins and the bullet taillights. And these cars were adequately powered without the use of on-board computers. And the ride was so comfortable. While I appreciate road feel in my performance cars, you could drive one of these cars 10, 12 or 14 hours in a day and get out of the car and be no worse off than if you had spent the day on your living room couch. The styling trends continued into the ’60s, until government emissions standards kicked in. There were cars in this era that were affordable to everyone. To me, this was the golden age of the American auto.

Darren: Excessive sheet metal was a canvas for design in ‘59. It is a good and frankly breathtaking year. Rolling works of art.

Bruce P: 1955. Chevy, Thunderbird, and Mercedes Gullwing.

Jim S: For me, 1958 was the year when the designers were allowed to exercise their creativity. You could see it in every make and model, from a 1958 Desoto to the Buick Roadmaster, which boasted the most chrome of any car ever made before or since, to the incredible stylistic creation that was the 1958 Chevrolet Impala two-door hard top, and the 1958 Ford Skyliner. Color combinations and ample use of chrome made all the 1958 makes and models true works of art.

Ronnie J: 1966 for me. That year has most of my favorite body styles from all brands. There are other years that I like very much as well, but ‘66 was the best year across the board in my opinion.

daddy stev: 1964, including 1964-1/2 , with GTO and Mustang starting the muscle + pony car era, that probably got a large part of us car crazy, and likely Hagerty, too.

Bill H: Hard to beat 1955! All makes had breakthrough styling and some true classics from Lincoln’s Mk II to ford’s new look. Chrysler had their Imperial and 300 series start, and GM style took over U.S. auto design with many features, and the Corvette took on its character with a V-8 and refining the look of the cars. Studebaker was still making Hawks and sadly Packard was dying.

Wolfgang S: For me I vote for 1959 as the best modern daily driver car model year, as far as design only goes in North America. That batwing ’59 impala, the canted wing Oldsmobiles, That ’59 Cadillac, has been an Icon for years. The 1959 Mopars, including the last great Desoto, even the 1959 Volkswagen was cute. The only loser in this would be the ’59 Fords, ’57 was a much better year for them, the 59 Fords were fugly in my opinion.

Alex R: The Best Design year for American cars was, without any doubt, 1959! There is no comparison to any other year.

Bill J: I’m gonna cheat a little and pick a calendar year…1964. That way we get ‘64 and ‘65 models.
The obvious ones are GTO and Mustang. The Sting Ray was being perfected. Gen 2 Corvair was a styling masterpiece. Barracuda debuted as a pre-pony car. ‘64 Galaxie and ‘65 Impala were the pinnacle of full size design. Olds 4-4-2. The beautiful Gen 1 Riviera. And lastly, the 2nd and final year of the Avanti. No matter if you wanted fast, stylish, plush or all three….1964 had it.

Howard B: 1961 is the year…”The Most Beautiful Car In The World”…The Jaguar E-Type…Enzo Ferrari said that when he first saw it at it’s introduction in Geneva…Are any of all the cars mentioned above in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC?…The E-Type is because it is the most beautiful car design…end of story…

Jim M: 1962—Jaguar E Type—the most beautiful care ever made!

Ed D: If you are looking for an amazing design, quality construction and great ride, then the 1961 Lincoln Continental should be considered a true landmark in automotive history. First to offer a two-year, 24,000 mile warranty, it won the Industrial Design Institute Award and went on, in my opinion, to greatly influence automotive design not only in the 1960s but through to the current day. What an amazing break from the 1958-1960 Lincolns and so well received, it is fair to say that it saved Lincoln as a brand entirely. There might not even has been a 1963 Riviera (another fabulous design) without the influence of the 1961 Lincoln. For my money, if I had to pick a single car that had the overall greatest influence, the 1961 Lincoln would be the one.

RMB: Just about any General Motors product from 1965.

Dave M: 1963 was a great year for GM: new Vette, Grand Prix, and the Buick Riviera. The Ford Galaxie and T-Bird looked good that year also.

‘90 Vette: Although it was before my time, I’d have to say 1972 was the best year. It was the peak of all of the styling, comfort, & power innovations carried over from the muscle car race of the ‘60s. It was before the oil crisis, malaise styling, & power robbing smog equipment.

norm1200: Sanjeev, you must’ve fallen outta your desk chair a dozen times from laughing at all the responses to your ‘silly’ question. (To the contrary, I was delighted enough to crack a smile for a few seconds. – SM)

To add to your laughter, I’ll bite & give my opinion: 1972. This was possibly Datsun’s (Nissan’s) best year in the U.S. the 240z, 510, 1200, and 521 & 620 series trucks…clean designs w/o the gaudy design & body tack-ons of the next few years. All of the domestics were also putting out some rather sweet designs, what with Chevelle, Vega, Caprice, Torino, LTD, Challenger, Coronet, Imperial, Coupe Deville & Brougham, small bumper boattail Riviera, etc etc. Did this year have my ultimate favorite car of design? no, but the best year for all makes overall.

Maybe Just 1957

Steve M: It is hard to find a better example of a Harley Earl-inspired design than the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and a quote from “Classic Design:” The 1957 Eldorado is considered one of the most iconic and beautiful cars ever designed, with its sweeping lines, wraparound windshield, and dramatic tail fins. Power windows, leather interior, air conditioning and a powerful 365 hp V-8 engine, making it one of the most powerful cars of its time.

bw: 1957 was by far the best year for automobile design. To wit, the ’57 Bel Air and the ’57 Chrysler 300.

john k: The pinnacle was 1957. Is, was, and always will be! I’m not prejudiced, I was born in 1957. It was a time of rapid fire changes from year to year. I mean complete redesigns. Amazing!

JJL: 1957. Every one of the US Big Three had new designs or heavily revised designs. GM revised Chevy, new Pontiac, Olds, Buick, Cadillac. Ford, Mercury, revised Lincoln and T-bird. Plymouth, Dodge Desoto, Chrysler. An exciting year!

Bob: I agree with 1957 being big for design changes at Chrysler. I liked the Plymouth Belvedere, especially the 2 door hard tops.

Joseph D: when it comes to looks—whether you like them or not—1957 was in my opinion the beginning of a couple of years of an outpouring of “looks” creativity that will never be surpassed.

John C: There was not a GM division vehicle that I did not love in the fantastic year of 1957.

Maybe Just The 1965 Corvair?

hyperV6: For all three of your original points (beautiful, functional, affordable) the one car in all of the history that stands out and is overlooked due to the media is the 1965 Corvair Corsa coupe. Well-priced, styling the you not just see but feel and the car was very functional. If things had been different in a number of ways this car would have really been held up as a high point. The bad press, the coming pony cars like the Mustang and Camaro, and emissions killed this car.

GRSchultz: Totally agree on the Corvair. My knee-jerk reaction to the title of this article, since you were asking about a year, was 1965 and the Corvair was one of many incredible designs from all of the Big Three as their product offerings expanded to fill showrooms with a wider range of transportation options.

Phil H: Absolutely! 1965 was the year that almost everything looked great. Clean body lines and good performance made it the year of my choice. And as for the Corvair—think of Porsche’s new 911 for that year vs the Corvair Corsa Turbo. What the Corvair might have been today if GM hadn’t caved in to the Nader rhetoric and safety nazis.

Bill C: The Corvair Corsa is a flawless and timeless design viewed from any angle! An incredible design team headed by Ron Hill with inspiration from Larry Shinoda!

Definitely 1967

Eddy Eckart: I’ll say 1967. Peak C2 Corvette year in my opinion, the Mustang matured and looked properly muscular, the first-gen Camaro debuted, GTOs had the right amount of coke bottle to their lines, kept those awesome stacked lights, and improved on little details… I could go on. The list is mostly American, but Detroit cranked out the hits and deserves the recognition.

Roberto: Agree—hard to narrow it down to 1 year, but if I had to, ’67 is it. The GM A-bodies, the B-bodies, Ford Mustang and Galaxie. ’67 ‘Cuda and GTX—All winners!

Glenn: 1967 is my favorite as well. Almost every GM car for 1967 was great! There are several that I wish I still had: ’67 Malibu w/ 327/ 350 hp and 3 speed and a ’67 442. Then there is the list of those that I always wanted!

LD: 1967 cars started to look aggressive but 1969 was the peak year for aggressive. 1970 was the beginning of less aggression probably because of cost. What is a muscle car without an aggressive look?Well … umm … that would be my 1969 Swinger 340!

Nickyyyv: Less aggression in 1970? Surely you jest.

Winged MOPARS, AAR Cudas, other MOPARS with high impact colors and an array of stripes and other decals—most of which reflected light, the Buick GSX in that crazy yellow with black stripes, Z-28 and Chevelles with Rally Stripes, the Judge, winged W-30 442s, Boss Mustangs in high impact colors, Cougar XR-7, the Trans Am with that big screaming chicken on the hood, shaker hoods, cowl induction, tachs on the hood, 1970 was the pinnacle of aggression.

John B: Plus one on 1967. In particular I like the first year Camaro, base model, round parking lights, the blend of the top down into the trunk and sides is just right, still with the vent windows adding a little bling too.

Rocket Man: So taken this with a modified perspective as an engineer. The question is “what was the best year for car design.” This should encompass more than just looks but engineering design as well. My vote is for 1967. It was a huge safety design year for GM (and others) as the 1st year with the dual master cylinder, mandatory seat belts, and cars with collapsible steering wheels. It is also a great transition year bringing years/decades or proven engineering design prior to redesigning cars for emissions, cost savings, etc. It is a milestone year for several cars, including the Oldsmobile 442.

Admittedly I like the looks of other years as my favorite aesthetic design year for a particular model but I am voting for 1967 as the best “design year.” Drive on friends!

David H: 1967 in my opinion was the best year for car designs! The ‘67 Ford Mustang Fastback was the last and best looking year for those early models. Can’t forget the Corvette and most other Chevrolet models for that matter. Oh, yeah and great year for the Volkswagen Beetle that finally got a 12 volt system and retained its classic look. Best and last year for the VW microbus too! The list goes on….

Rich: 1967 is my favorite year. Styling was great. Only emissions was a pcv valve. With that said I think 1969/1970 was the peak of the muscle car era but I like the ’67 simplicity of styling.

gli48: I’d say the 1967/68 period which includes the Ferrari Daytona, Lamborghini Muria, Jaguars XKE, Aston Martin DB6, Ford GT40, all icons. The designers were on top of their game in that period.

Marc S: BINGO! ’67 was the high watermark for so many cars from the U.S., as others have observed, and Europe, particularly England and Italy! There has never been such a time before or since.

Judge: I was scrolling down to make sure someone said ’67. Agree on all points cited. I will go you one further, I think ’67 was a peak not just for car design, it was a standout year for fashion, for music, for movies. What a time.

Craig B: I was going to say ’66 but I can see an argument for ’67. As a Ford fan, ’66 was a sweet spot to me. We had a shaken out first design of the Mustang, a one-year-only ranchero, and my favorite F100 design.

Mustang Kenny: I agree, I’ve had ’67 Olds Cutlass Supreme and F-85, ’67 Plymouth Barracuda and currently have a ’67 Ford Mustang. My friend that has a car restoration business also agrees and he has a collection of ’67 Olds Cutlass Supreme and 442s.

Bill H: I’ll put in a vote for 1967. Wonderful, clean designs from Europe, and the U.S. as yet uncluttered by regulatory safety. I recognize and appreciate the benefits of safer cars but this is the apogee of clean simple design.

Curt: Yep, mid-60s, ’67 in particular were some great years. The ’67 T-Bird was a design masterpiece as was the ’67 Mustang fastback. The Lincoln Mark III is classic and the Jaguar XJ6 came out in ’68. Golden age. Lot’s of the GM cars were great in that period too.

Robert: Definitely ‘67, especially GM. The ‘67 GTO I had in ‘77 was the most beautiful car i ever owned, would love to have it back. And let’s not forget the government safety requirements starting in ‘68, side marker lights, headrests, etc. Not that I disagree with them, but they did affect styling cues later on.

Vince M: Have to agree that 1967 was the best year for overall car design. ’67 Ford models, including Mustang, Fairlane, and full size Galaxies. GM A bodies like Cutlass, Pontiac Lemans, Camaro and the ’67 Eldorado are all high-water designs. Until ’68, with the intro of the ’68 Charger, 60’s were a lost decade for Chrysler.

Mark A: I was deciding between ’67 and ’69, since ’69 that was close to the high-water in performance and had gone over to more modern looks, but the previous comment including the C2 Corvette reminded me that you can’t go beyond ’67 because of those Vettes.

Pete B: No doubt 1967. Heck, even the ’67 Volkswagen is the high point of VWs.

Mike S: 1967—every American car maker had some really cool cars. The Mustang, Camaro, Baracuda, Javelin, and my favorite year for the Corvette. But every decade had some really nice cars that appealed to people who lived during those periods of time.

Jack V: Any of you guys ever seen a ’68 Charger?

Perhaps Just 1970

Bill P: It has to be 1970, with the simultaneous introduction of the earth shattering wedge Stratos Zero concept and the Ferrari Modulo concept.

Meaupar: My hard-loaded 1970 Top Banana ’70 Challenger R/T ragtop and I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Bill K: 1970 Was the high point in design for all of the top four American brands. Especially the muscle cars. Love my 1970 340 Top Banana Swinger.

Joseph: 1970 was the best year with Mustang (Boss or not), Chevelle (SS or not), El Camino, Cutlas (442 or not), Skylark (GSX or not). MOPAR was consistent with the Charger and Road Runner.

Chip: 1970. Fight me: Chevelle, Camaro, Corvette, Mustang, Charger, Cuda, Superbird, Javelin, Ferrari Daytona, 911, the list goes on.

TonyD95B: If I had to pick a favorite year, I’m with you: 1970. In the broadest sense I’m an optimist: The BEST year for car design (styling, engineering, utility, economy, fun, etc.) hasn’t happened yet. Generally speaking, cars keep getting better.

Roger: 1970 gave us the first gen Monte Carlo. Fell in love but didn’t snag one ’til ’71. Thankfully, it’s still in the garage and ready for Spring.

Driver Jim: Roadrunner, Buick GS, Torino, AMC Rebel Machine……Every one of the 1970 models were affordable, and very functional. Think ram air, shaker, cowl induction. Not to mention the myriad choices for engines, transmissions, and rear axles. Absolutely beautiful cars. I don’t think there was a really ugly car in 1970. And the colors!

Scott C: Car design? So many great choices. Across the brands, I’s have to say 1970. The Big Three seem to have seen the storm clouds on the horizon, and put on one final great year. There’s hardly a loser anywhere. Even AMC had an attractive line up.

Grab Bag

Ken M: I actually think that the Ford Ranger from the late 1990’s was one of the best designs. Sure the gas mileage was bad but they were easy to work on were quite comfortable. All switches and controls were accessible, and they had just the right amount of room in the extended cab version. The styling was very attractive and not overly massive.

Fenix97: Everybody is going old but I think 2013 & 2014 were excellent design years. The Big Three all had great looks for their trucks and muscle/pony cars. Italian exotics like Ferrari’s 458 are better looking than the new-generation cars. German models like the AMG C63 were way cooler-looking and sounding than today’s electric-infused cars.

Ted Mathis: The 1977 redesign of GM B bodies. Still classic and timeless even today.

SVT: Wow, great question! A lot of great answers and hard to narrow if down, but since you brought up a 90’s car I’d like to point you to another great example of “beautiful, functional, and affordable” from that era; the 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix.

With its new Wide-Track design, front-drive 3800 V-6, and relatively low MSRP, the seventh-generation Grand Prix fits each one of those descriptors perfectly, maybe even better than the Neon. It appealed to many buyers during that time, probably because it provided great reliability, got 30mpg on the highway, had a five-star crash rating, and looking sporty in either 2-door or 4-door versions. In the late 90’s the Grand Prix was the number #1 selling Pontiac for many dealerships around the country, and it wasn’t uncommon for local Pontiac dealer groups to be outselling their rival Chevrolet dealers groups in given areas.

This generation Grand Prix had a cult-like following too, with many groups forming to share their passion and performance enhancing ideas with one another. Heck! Several aftermarket performance companies popped-up because of the Grand Prix and supercharged 3800 V6, places like ZZP wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for the Grand Prix GTP.

Andy S: OK… I’m throwing a wrench into the conversation. It’s 2024! EVs and LEDs are changing the way a car can look because we can do things with the front end that we could never do before. Just look at the front of a 2024 Equinox! Pretty damn cool! Just for a reference, I own a ’58 and ’69 Vette and grew up with cars from the 60s (Wildcat, Impala, Camaro, El Camino) that my father bought and I love them all. Technology is causing a design evolution that to my eyes is just beginning.

Porter H: As an early-ish 2000s kid, I can’t narrow it down to a single year, but my range would have to be from 1990-2010. I know that there is a pretty big gap there, but you have the Neon SRT-4, OBS, Roundeye, and Cateye GM trucks. There’s the EG Civic, the R-32/33/34 Skyline GTRs, the Mitsubishi Evos, the Mercedes SLS, the Viper, and even the Catfish Camaro alongside the Shark-Faced Firebirds. That was the general era where a LOT of change was made, but they weren’t drastic changes. Just tweaks that made cars get faster, smoother, lighter, and just overall handle better. This might just be my nostalgia talking though…

John L: You guys are living too far back. The best year is this year. Take a look at Aptera, an efficient stylish car that is getting close to coming to market.

Lash: It will be whatever year the new Charger hits the streets. Stunningly beautiful.