Robert Hall

Now, now..68..take your meds and relax. B-pillars are GOOD..they provide strength and safety.

At lunch today, came back down an unfamiliar side street..saw a mid '80s Omni GLH--black, Shelby decal across the windshield, the 'bowling ball with a lot of holes' wheels....in good shape with all it's Big 80s kitschy charm. In the driveway across the street was a clean lt blue-green late '70s Lincoln Continental coupe.

With the arched roofline and side creases and fender arches, if it had a a quarter window instead of the lame black plastic behind the rear door, the side profile would almost be Audi-esque, like a sedan version of the A3 might look...

68, you probably should watch what you post..even joking about acts of terrorism will get you a one-way ticket to Gitmo...I'm sure DHS is monitoring these forums...

It will be interesting to see what other bodystyles come..the taillights remind me a bit of the Euro Civic sedan. I assume for the US there will a coupe and probably hatchbacks and a wagon for other markets. Looks like it will be competitive. A solid design.

The curve of the hood dipping into the light cluster looks a bit odd in the head-on view...makes it look angry and aggro, which is what they were trying to achieve, I think..interesting that the bar with the bowtie is set so high in the grille rather than centered.

Yeah, what's up with that? It's going to be built in the US, but shipped to Europe? Seems odd...I would think they would be building it in Europe as well..

A google turned up a pic of a rim with a trim ring that kind of looked like an '80s S-10/Blazer wheel..don't know if that is accurate, it looks like camaroz28.com has pics, but they require registration to view them

I definitely liked the espresso bars in Italy...even more so, I loved the patisseries in France and the UK...a big cafe au lait, a baguette with cheese and bacon....mmmmmm..

That one feature sold me.. a must have. And the auxilary input. Good stuff. Looking at the pic of the car from above, I noticed some character lines on the deckid that I hadn't noticed previously--down the center and creases extending from the bottom of the C-pillars diagonally into the decklid...cool.

Except for the Enclave..it's quite spacious. Alas, I don't think we will see big comfy cushy sedans from GM anymore.

Mmmmmmthoselooktasty...don't think I've ever had one

Beauty is definitely in eye of the beholder... I love the styling of the CTS, but it's bold and brash more than conventionally beautiful, IMHO.... The Aston DB5, V8 Vantage, DBS, the Alfa Brera and 8C, the Jag XK, the Maserati Quattroporte and Gran Turismo, Merc CL, CLS, and SL are my picks for the beautiful cars of 2009. I generally don't find the current Lambos or Ferraris 'beautiful' per se, the last Ferrari that I really liked as far as the styling was the F360..the F430 was a step backward styling-wise, IMHO..

I wonder if Acura will get a version..with the shield grille and aluminum or plood on the dash..call it the FSX...

For a daily driver, I prefer 4drs...either an SUV, sports sedan, or luxury sedan.. I like the practicality in getting people and dogs in and out, and like the hatchback of an SUV for loading stuff occasionally. A 4dr is just easier to live with for parking lots and parking garages (shorter doors). I do like coupes for my fun, occasional use/weekend cars, though...like my Mustang or my late M3. For 20+ years, I've always had at least one hatchback-- Escort, Mustang GT, Bronco II, Bronco (though it had a tailgate), Grand Cherokee... I think I'll always have a 4dr SUV in my fleet for winter, though for a daily driver I can see myself in a modern sports sedan like a CTS, G8, A4, or a modern yet old school boat like a Grand Marquis or Town Car, with Mustangs or other fun cars for the weekends...

I remember when Clarkson was testing the C6 on TG...he was shocked by how normal it was, lacking in Citroen wierdness.....he made a funny comment that the shift lever should be an asparagus stalk coming out of the A-pillar, IIRC.. It's a slick looking car..I'm looking forward to seeing one in person next time I'm back across the pond.

It's kind of cool looking...maybe they can do a Type-R or Gundam Wing edition to appeal to the kiddies...

Saw a '71-72 Mercury Grand Marquis 4dr ht...dark red, looked solid, missing the hubcaps, towing a flatbed trailer. Very unusual to see a vintage land yacht in traffic.. Also saw an HHR panel in traffic for the first time...surprising, it has a badge on the rear that says 'panel' as if it's not obvious what it is..neat little vanlet.

Cool list..I would left off the Audi wagon and added the Merc CLS (most beautiful Benz today, IMHO) and the Maserati Quattroporte. I like the Citroen design...ultramodern, and the Alfa Brera is a beauty, IMHO.

Speaking of bizzaro world stuff, I was chatting on IM this morning with a former coworker in Boulder..his daily driver is an '07 Prius, his wife has a Subaru Forester. He just ordered an '09 Challenger SRT8 for a weekend fun car. Mid life crisis time, I think (his 40th birthday is coming up soon).

Yes...I think Suzuki once had a tiny car called the Magnum Force or something similar, and Isuzu had a Big Dump dump truck. Great naming.

I always thought 'central locking' meant one button on the fob to lock everything, one button to unlock everything.

If Honda wanted build a line of Scion competitors for the US, how about the Life Dunk.. And the That's: Which are both interesting, if only for the hellacool names...

Nope.. It's smaller. The previous City was basically a trunked Fit, this is a new platform from what I've read. Probably about the size of a Civic sedan from 10-15 years ago. The City would be a good addition to the US line, give them a Fit sized sedan....the Airwave would be nice also for a small MPV.

I saw that concept in person a few years ago..it's a sweet design. Wish they had built it.