Some cars age better than others. It’s just a fact of the industry. Because of that, some cars that may not have looked too hot when they first came out have really grown and matured as the years go by. It means we get a new appreciation for them, which is what led us to last week’s question.
We wanted to know what vehicles you thought aged like a fine wine. I’m playing it as a sort of positive foil to our question asking you all what car aged like milk. We gotta keep positive, folks!
Anyway, we got a whole bunch of great answers of cars that may not have looked too hot to start out, but over time got prettier and cooler in the eyes of the public. Also, I know I said they still count, but a lot of you people sent in cars that have always been pretty. That’s just not as fun, but I’m a benevolent God, so I included a number of those too.
Moving on from what a great guy I am, why don’t we start clicking through to what cars our fellow Jalops think have aged like a fine wine?
Great take on the E60. They really have gotten better looking with age, especially in M5 guise.
My vote would be for the L322 Land Rover Range Rover. I guess they were never really bad looking when they came out; however, their boxy appearance stands out even more in the sea of soap box car design that’s proliferating the car industry.
End of list. Correct. No notes. The L322 Range Rover is one of the best pieces of design ever.
Submitted by: drporschephile
I’m gonna say the 86-97 Saab 9000, especially the first generation, 86-92. Very much ahead of the time in the mid 80’s when they came out, they still looked fresh in the early 2000’s. Even now, the styling looks classic, not dated. Feature-wise they were looking to the future as well, with heated seats, a Clarion sound system with graphic equalizer, climate control and a display that let you know which door was open, it was fairly high-tech for ‘86.
We need more boxy cars riding on three-spoke wheels. This is such a neat looking car from a time when Saab was just being weird for the hell of it.
Submitted by: Adam
Aston Martin DB9; the golden ratio never goes out of style, and Henrik Fisker’s design absolutely nails it. The prettiest car of the 2000’s if you ask me. I wanted one ten years ago when they were ten years old, and I still want one today!
My God, the DB9 is gorgeous. It’s not that Aston Martin’s current lineup isn’t pretty, but this is possibly one of the most perfect pieces of design of all time. It’s hard to measure up.
Submitted by: CarsAndCorey
Clearly super biased, but I love 90s Japanese 4×4 SUVs, especially my 1992 Pathfinder (AKA Terrano).
The first-gen Pathfinder is a really nice looking little SUV. It’s sort of wild what it has turned into over the past 30 years.
Submitted by: leshnah
All-time styling masterpiece.
All-time Hollywood star car. Universal’s Fast & Furious franchise—where the Toretto flicks always star a 2nd gen—is their all-time biggest moneymaker. All-time best movie car chase with Bullitt.
Choice of superheroes: Blade, Ghost Rider, and the current Batmobile.
You can go to a Dodge dealership that has a Direct Connection affiliation today and place an order for a turnkey carbon fiber ‘70 Charger—it’ll only run you a half-million dollars.
And yes, having a ‘69 in the garage is cool to the max because people go effing bonkers when I drive it.
Absolutely shocking submission from the1969DodgeChargerFan. Really out of left field.
Submitted by: the1969DodgeChargerFan
Volvo P1800 Still beautiful after all this time.
The P1800 is so pretty. Volvo, do something like this now, I dare you.
Submitted by: 4jim
The design still looks fresh today
OK, I’m going to be really honest with you guys. I think the FD RX-7 is a really pretty car, but I do not get the whole “timeless” thing. To me, it looks incredibly ‘90s, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Submitted by: golfball
The original Volvo S60. Especially the R.
This S60 still looks modern today. However, its greatest design element was on the inside. Spaceball shifter, baby.
Submitted by: OutForARip
BMW Z8. Nothing says fine wine aging like BMW’s Z8 support:
BMW has a 50-year commitment in the form of spare parts and dealer support for every Z8 globally to ensure its place with the classics. In the year of our Lord 2053, if they are lucky and very wealthy, our grandchildren could be tooling around in showroom condition BMW Z8.
I’m fairly certain half the reason I own a BMW Z4 is because I cannot afford a Z8. What wonderful cars these are. If I won the lottery, this would be high up on my list.
Submitted by: 900turbo
I’ll put on my poncho for the tomatoes coming my way (what fun are the obvious takes)…but I think the first gen (AT10) Scion Tc design has aged well. Unfortunately, there are like zero, even close to good condition examples around. Yes, biased because I had one. When the 2nd gen came out, at the time, I thought the new styling made the old one look bad, but now I think the 2nd gen doesn’t look nearly as good as the first.
YES. The first tC was such a wonderful piece of design. The next one wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t nearly as distinctive.
Submitted by: iblameRichardScarry
I’ll be an outlier, here – the VW Vanagon Synchro. It’s decades old, yet still looks great, today, and predicted much of the current overlanding craze, in a package that remains highly competitive, even today.
I’ll never get Vanagon hype. The whole vanlife thing just doesn’t jive with me. Y’all have fun, though.
Submitted by: JimmyZZZZZZZ
Any shark-nosed BMW, but my personal fave is the M6
I honestly believe there’s an argument to be made for the E24 6-Series being the best-looking car of all time.
Submitted by: Segador
Maybe more of a finely aged 40-oz American light lager, but it’s still as awesome as it was almost 30 years ago:
Oh man, I really want a Viper. Specifically, I want a third-gen red convertible. One day.
Submitted by: dodge_viper
The Honda Element was pretty divisive when it came out, with some loving its functional utility and others calling it ugly, unfinished, and looking like a refrigerator box. I thought it was brilliant then, and even more desirable now with the fold-up rear seats, b-pillarless suicide doors for easy loading, hose it out rubberized floor, and even a factory integrated dog transport. For those with a penchant for overlanding or beach going, I think this is even better than what “trail packages” most automakers are offering these days.
Honda could bring back the Element today, not touch a single piece of its design and no one would think it was weird. That’s how well the Element’s design has held up.
Submitted by: paradsecar
For my money, the 1992 Honda Civic sedan was one of the most elegant designs Honda has ever produced, and a car that doesn’t look out of place on the road today, 22 years later
Where did all of these Civics go? One day they were everywhere, and now they’re almost completely gone. It’s a treat if you see one out on the road at this point.
Submitted by: Serolf Divad
Each and every Volvo wagon. Especially the 200series ones. Just look at it. Perfect.
These things did look fabulous, and they still really do. They’re a nice refresher from the swoopy lines of modern cars.
Submitted by: skeffles
I’m going with the Z32 300ZX. It’s just such a simple and clean design that still remains fresh today.
My uncle had one of these when I was a kid. I thought it looked badass then, and it definitely still looks badass now.
Submitted by: boost_retard
Audi B8 platform coupe…A5/S5/RS5. Even in a terrible color it still looks fantastic, and the intro of the B9 models made the earlier one look even better, as they added all sorts of frippery (bulges and lines) that polluted the purity of the shape. Just such a timeless design, still looks great 15+ years on.
Audi apparently agrees with this take if you consider the fact the new A5 looks a hell of a lot like the original. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Submitted by: Osmodious