HarleyEarl

Damn, it looks so good in this color:

Capriceman!....thanks!....this is like Toronado nirvana....some great photos...much appreciated.

I think of all current trends I loathe the most, its the gigantism of headlights. So out of proportion to the vehicle. The second is this new thing with rear tailights looking like headlights, as if red should be banished. I'm not a Honda fan, but I like the Civics front end in isolation...love that linear, horizontal look. And I really like the new BMW 3-Series coupe tailights...that nice wide look...so refreshing to see.

Does anyone have any good photos of the '66 Toronado to share?....especially rear quarter views? One of my favorite GM cars.

I'm worried light bar grills may return. The new Audi R8 supercar and their new coupe does some cool effects with lighting...only a matter of time until this becomes trend with some bizarre applications. You heard it here first.

Balthazar, great observations on this. Oh man, those 'cracks'.....I hate seeing the trunk or hood cutlines from the side.....BMW got this going big time....its everywhere now. And while on the subject, these new hardtop convertibles....so many distracting lines. I owned a 1974 AMC AMX once and yes it had a little roof spoiler built in. Still one of my favorite non-GM cars.

Here's a great site for cars on film: http://www.imcdb.org/ A Cadillac Allante starring in the 1989 movie, Tango & Cash:

I think you guys are right about the '68 GTO as the first to cover their bumper in 'plastic'. Good find on that Mercury having the one of the first pizza slice rear lense. In modern times, definitely Mercedes really got this going. It's become so predictable. Did low lift over height for trunks make this popular? And I do believe it was Chrysler who got the rear spoiler thing going. Amazing how this has held on and I see no end in sight. I just walked by a Pontiac Buick GMC dealership and they had a new Pontiac Pursuit 4-door sedan with a much too big spoiler stuck on the trunk....just plain embarassing. I'm wondering about the large headlight trend....did it get started by the Toyota Celica, most recent edition? The round tailight within a larger element may have begun with the Mercury Cougar, the last model. And this car may have started the blistered look on front and rear lenses. Some car makers have gone way too far with this.

VonVS....love that color! The new CTS is starting to bring back that certain Cadillac glamour. Isn't it great to get excited about General Motors cars again?

So agree about the Seville Elegante. Make mine black/silver too. One of the most beautiful automobile profiles ever. It's underappreciated.

Good question....I meant the plastic covered higher impact bumpers. But heck, let's expand it....who was also the first to cover conventional bumpers with 'plastic'?

This is a fantastic site for auto wallpaper/backgrounds: http://www.desktopmachine.com/

As I drive around, of course I'm always observing vehicles around me, it's some sort of obsession I have. So I got thinking of things about current design details that so many manufacturers share. I was wondering, who was the first? A. Plastic covered bumpers B. 'Round' tailights, meaning this overdone trend of round within a larger form. C. Rear spoilers D. Huge headlights....will this ever go away? E. Wedge/triganular tailights....I have grown to dislike this shape....almost every car does it. F. Five spoke wheels...has become so generic.

XP, that Eldorado is beyond description, it is the American Dream.

Custom, that is a very nice B&W Cadillac photo, has an artful feel to it. Allante:

I'm always looking for interesting sites, so if any of you want to share some of your auto sites. Here's one to start: http://www.javelinamx.com/carstars/index.htm