The View from a Drawbridge

The random musings of an autistic bridgetender with entirely too much time on her hands.

I Miss Cars with Fins

May 25, 2015

Is it just me, or are all cars starting to look alike? What ever happened to automobiles with style and personality? Where did they go? I suppose if I were an auto manufacturer, I, too, would want to play it safe. Go for an efficient design that is going to sell to the greatest number…

Is it just me, or are all cars starting to look alike? What ever happened to automobiles with style and personality? Where did they go?

I suppose if I were an auto manufacturer, I, too, would want to play it safe. Go for an efficient design that is going to sell to the greatest number of people. If you get all quirky, you limit your customer base.

And then there’s also aerodynamics. Fins weren’t particularly practical. Neither were cars that were blocky and appeared to be two miles long. But damn, they were cool.

I used to be able to tell a car’s make and model from a quarter mile away. But as we lost our fascination with the jet age, which inspired fins in the first place, those very fins faded into obscurity. Detroit had de-finned itself by 1966.

Now cars are becoming generic. No wonder tattoos have made such a comeback. You certainly can’t express much of your personality with the average automobile these days.

What we’ve gained in fuel efficiency, we’ve lost in panache. How sad.

12 responses to “I Miss Cars with Fins”

Seattle Park Lover

May 25, 2015 at 7:57 am

I completely agree! I think it was in the mid to late 90s when I realized more and more cars were looking alike. I kept thinking, why would anyone pay tens of thousand of dollars for a Mercedes that looks like a Toyota? These days there are few cars that I know for certain what they are at a quick glance. Cars used to say so much more about personality. At least the PT Cruiser, Mini Cooper, and Beetle still stick out.

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1. The View from a Drawbridge
  
  May 25, 2015 at 12:15 pm
  
  And the Cube. That’s a weird one. But they’re the exceptions, not the rules.
  
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Elaine Lorefield

May 25, 2015 at 10:22 am

Maybe Teal…..
by Elaine
Where have all the purple cars gone?
I thought as i looked down the row..
Once bright blues, cheery reds,
grass green and sunny yellows
crowded the parking lots.
Now people lose their cars,
wandering here and there,
pointing the car fob at random,
hoping to see the lights
of their personal limo.
Black, silver, grey and pearl
rank on rank of similar shades
muted, somber and sedate.
Some wear a symbol saying
“Luxury here..be impressed”
opulence on wheels.
Others aged and well used,
unkempt or well maintained,
necessity on worn tires.
Driving no longer the joy
as seen in movies of the road;
emissions, gas prices,gridlock
all reasons to see the world
from the sofa at home.
Finally I locate my gray car
and click open the door.
Perhaps my next car………
(c) 2010
PS I jsut bought a green car 🙂

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1. The View from a Drawbridge
  
  May 25, 2015 at 12:17 pm
  
  I had no IDEA you did poetry! And that is fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing! (And since I only buy used cars these days, I don’t get to choose color, unfortunately.)
  
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  1. Elaine Lorefield
    
    May 25, 2015 at 7:04 pm
    
    Oh I wrote poetry for a long time.. haven’t lately.. don’t have time 🙂
    Thanks for reading ..
    
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  2. The View from a Drawbridge
    
    May 25, 2015 at 7:24 pm
    
    My pleasure indeed!
    
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pouringmyartout

May 26, 2015 at 8:58 am

We should invent glue on fins…

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1. The View from a Drawbridge
  
  May 26, 2015 at 9:31 pm
  
  I like it! We’d be rich!
  
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  1. pouringmyartout
    
    May 27, 2015 at 8:11 am
    
    I have a lot of get rich quick ideas
    
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  2. The View from a Drawbridge
    
    May 27, 2015 at 11:29 am
    
    And yet…
    
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  3. pouringmyartout
    
    May 27, 2015 at 11:40 am
    
    exactly…
    
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dariftu

Jun 19, 2015 at 12:35 am

Reblogged this on JKF Consultants and commented:
We’re bringing fins back on off road cars #SRE

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The View from a Drawbridge

The random musings of an autistic bridgetender with entirely too much time on her hands.

I Miss Cars with Fins

Is it just me, or are all cars starting to look alike? What ever happened to automobiles with style and personality? Where did they go?

I suppose if I were an auto manufacturer, I, too, would want to play it safe. Go for an efficient design that is going to sell to the greatest number of people. If you get all quirky, you limit your customer base.

And then there’s also aerodynamics. Fins weren’t particularly practical. Neither were cars that were blocky and appeared to be two miles long. But damn, they were cool.

I used to be able to tell a car’s make and model from a quarter mile away. But as we lost our fascination with the jet age, which inspired fins in the first place, those very fins faded into obscurity. Detroit had de-finned itself by 1966.

Now cars are becoming generic. No wonder tattoos have made such a comeback. You certainly can’t express much of your personality with the average automobile these days.

What we’ve gained in fuel efficiency, we’ve lost in panache. How sad.

Like this:

12 responses to “I Miss Cars with Fins”

Leave a Reply to dariftuCancel reply

The random musings of an autistic bridgetender with entirely too much time on her hands.

I Miss Cars with Fins

Is it just me, or are all cars starting to look alike? What ever happened to automobiles with style and personality? Where did they go?

I suppose if I were an auto manufacturer, I, too, would want to play it safe. Go for an efficient design that is going to sell to the greatest number of people. If you get all quirky, you limit your customer base.

And then there’s also aerodynamics. Fins weren’t particularly practical. Neither were cars that were blocky and appeared to be two miles long. But damn, they were cool.

I used to be able to tell a car’s make and model from a quarter mile away. But as we lost our fascination with the jet age, which inspired fins in the first place, those very fins faded into obscurity. Detroit had de-finned itself by 1966.

Now cars are becoming generic. No wonder tattoos have made such a comeback. You certainly can’t express much of your personality with the average automobile these days.

What we’ve gained in fuel efficiency, we’ve lost in panache. How sad.

Like this:

12 responses to “I Miss Cars with Fins”

Leave a Reply to dariftuCancel reply

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