Thank Frankel it's Friday – The car firms I really miss, and some I don't

[DavidLaver]

From last year so might have been spotted and posted before but new to me:

https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/columnists/andrew-frankel/2016/7/thank-frankel-its-friday--the-car-firms-i-really-miss/

[frankxhv773t]

I too am rather in the "put it out of its' misery" camp. I see little likelihood of there being another great Lancia or one worthy of the heritage. I would rather focus on the back catalogue of world leading classics.

[Caracad]

It's hard to see where a new Lancia would fit in the modern motoring world.

Lancia where all about innovation and understated class. Our cars aren't flashy or ostentatious, even though they were often expensive when new.

Today its the opposite. Car manufacturers design cars that are as cheap as possible to make while looking as flashy and aggressive as possible.

As with most things, the days of taste and understated class and elegance are over.

The only innovation in car design now is in technology. Mechanical Engineers no longer rule the design process. Its now the electronics boffins.
No need to worry about optimum suspension geometry, or un-sprung weight when you can have synthetic steering feel and electronic dampers.

I did love the new Fulvia show car from a few years ago. But really it was just a pastiche piece of retro marketing and Lancia have never been that.

The closest thing to a "new" Lancia is the BMW I3. Innovative, modern and understated but expensive. It even has rear hinged rear doors and no B Pillar. Oh and BMW loose money on each sold.

[stanley sweet]

Strange you should mention the Fulvietta. While rooting around for my Xmas decorations I found a box of old Viva Lancia mags. That wasted a few hours. But one was full of the Fulvietta. It was almost a fact back then that Lancia would come to the UK and the Fulvietta would cost £12000. You're right though - this is the first period of car design where they keep going back to the past. In the 1950's and 60's they didn't make a Ford that looked similar to a Model T for 'heritage' (although some might say 'open the bonnet!'). All the great cars were 'of their day', the Aurelia, the E Type, the 250 SWB etc. They were determined to make cars that hadn't been seen before, not the other way round. I think I'm right, I don't think it's just because I'm getting older and more Meldrew-like. Although I did spend an hour or so last night talking to a friend and both of us bemoaning the total lack of creativity in modern tv advertising............

[frankxhv773t]

I think the interest of car companies in retro styling flowed from so many modern cars looking alike. I recall Top Gear doing a spoof introduction of a new saloon car with lots of close up partial views to see if you could guess who it was made by. When the camera zoomed out to show the complete car it was a line up of all the leading makes' cars all in the same colour, the detail shots being parts of different cars but basically could have been any of them.