The second gen Acura RL debuted in 2005. Where it's competition had V8s and RWD, Acura decided to stay a course it was familiar in taking and made the RL FWD and V6 powered. The styling was more of the same - sleek and attractive, but at the same time slightly average and looking a bit too much like a Honda, not an upper echelon sports sedan. I thought the styling was attractive - but there was much more expressive designs out there, including the radical flame surfaced 5-Series released two years prior.
Instead trying again from scratch to make it's halo car something that isn't merely average, Acura decided instead to facelift the current bodystyle with some reverse rhinoplasty and a botched buttlift.
The resultant car is one that still still mechanically behind the times, but now it has a face no one can love. Where before the RL looked sleek but slightly dated, now it looks about 5 years older, and it's taut muscular body is beginning to sag.
Up front of course is dominated by the gigantic chrome beak. Ignore the RL and it'll peck your eyes out. The headlights now droop lazily toward the sides of the car, giving it a tired look. The whole front of the car looses it's sleek grace for for a square jawed treatment at odds with the rest of the car.
Out back Acura decided to give the car a full-on Bangle butt, just in time for it to fall out of style (some may say it already had). But why stop there? The new TL has some of the most peculiar taillights I've seen - it looks like a manufacturing error cut off the bottoms. Not only does it look odd, it looks cheap - a thinly veiled attempt to give some new taillights without having to change the sheet metal.**
Bravo, Acura. In fact, bravo Honda. In a few short years you've managed to transform
two brands into some of the most hideous automotive creations money can by. From the factory anyway.
**On second glance, it appears that they DID change the sheet metal out back to lead into the new trunklid. Seems like a wasted effort to me.
It's rare to see a kit car that bears such little resemblance to the car it's trying to mock. I'm guessing this might be Corvette based, due to what appears to be a front mounted engine. There's a surprising amount of MR2 based Lamborghini rip-offs out there now too, but this looks a little too long...
This poor Audi better be nothing more than a Coupe GT, although no Coupe GT even deserves this treatment. It kinda looks like something resembling a car a kid might have made out of an old shoe box. Or possibly a real-life, life-size version of the cardboard cars from LittleBigPlanet.
I believe this is an early Lexus LS / Toyota Celsior. In true Bōsōzoku tradition, the car modification has spread like cancer in the form of multiple taillights and pointles louvers. This car was particularly hard hit, as even it's side reflectors and license plates are multiplying. And the there's that spoiler, which puts the 911 Turbo's whale tail to shame.
The Beetle based VW Karmann Ghia is one of my favourite designs of the Fifties. However, this coupe that debuted in 1961 shared that designation - but not it's good looks. Called the Type 34 Karmann Ghia, it was based off VW's new Type 3/1500/1600/Notchback/Squareback platform, and looked a bit like the love child of a Renault 8 Gordini and a Chevy Corvair. The source of my discontent mainly focuses around the front end treatment with it's furrowed brow. The car looks permanently angry and confused. With it's tiny greenhouse and long hood and trunk, I also find it looks a bit out of proportion.
It's apparently been build backwards. The car you see here is the 1959 Renault Studio 900, and about the only details I can ascertain is that it was a concept or design experiment. Even 50 years ago Renault was paving the way for it's future atrocities.
Can anyone identify the donor car for this Corvette meat slicer? All the bodyside ribbing makes me think 80's Pontiac...
Not sure who makes this widebody kit for the C5 Vette. Whoever it is, the treatment around the door handles and filler door is seemless. And by seemless I mean it looks like someone took an ice cream scoop to the rear fender.
Up front of course is dominated by the gigantic chrome beak. Ignore the RL and it'll peck your eyes out. The headlights now droop lazily toward the sides of the car, giving it a tired look. The whole front of the car looses it's sleek grace for for a square jawed treatment at odds with the rest of the car.
Out back Acura decided to give the car a full-on Bangle butt, just in time for it to fall out of style (some may say it already had). But why stop there? The new TL has some of the most peculiar taillights I've seen - it looks like a manufacturing error cut off the bottoms. Not only does it look odd, it looks cheap - a thinly veiled attempt to give some new taillights without having to change the sheet metal.**
Bravo, Acura. In fact, bravo Honda. In a few short years you've managed to transform two brands into some of the most hideous automotive creations money can by. From the factory anyway.
