Maserati Quattroplaid

Not sure what this covering is - doesn't look like cloth. One thing I know for sure - cars shouldn't be plaid. Especially Maserati Quattroportes.

PS: Nice job lining up the doors to the fenders.

Poorvette

Can anyone identify the donor car for this Corvette meat slicer? All the bodyside ribbing makes me think 80's Pontiac...

Corvette Widebody Fail

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.

Fibreglass ≠ Glass

Just because it's called fibreglass doesn't mean you can see through it.

Acura RL: Fuglifying the Mundane

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.

Lexus LFA

When I first laid eyes on the LFA, my fug alarms went wild. I thought I would give it a little time - it's utter weirdness might grow on me. Which it has to some degree...

But the front end - especially the headlights - I can't bring myself to like. Their strange undulating surface and upraised edges give it a slightly weird look when not viewed head on. Especially in front 3/4, where the car seems to be giving me that quizzical, raised eyebrow look.

Attack of the Clones: Ferroya Califolara

This is partially the reason I find the California ugly. It reminds me a lot of the melted blob of retirement transport that is the Solara.

Dongfeng Accordian Tiburon

I thought I posted this before, but couldn't find it... I'm not sure if this concept car is a licensed copy of the Tiburon - I'm presuming it is due to the almost exact greenhouse, driving lamps and turn signals up front, and similar shaped tail lights out back.

One would think it would be difficult to make the bug-eyed, Celica-esque 1999-2001 Tiburon any uglier, but Dongfeng has succeeded - and then some.

And what the hell is with the back end? I've read bit and pieces online yet no one knows it's function (although it doesn't help I can't read Chinese). Is it an unfortunate case of active aerodynamics? Is it meant to increase cargo capacity? Does it make music when you press down on the hatch? It is a giant automotive bellow, in case your camp fire is about to go out? Questions for the ages...

Attack of the Clones: Dongfeng H30

I suppose a good sign of your success in the automotive world is if the Chinese start cloning your models. Hyundai should take it in stride then that Dongfeng is preparing a new model called the H30, which looks remarkably like the Hyundai C30 wagon, aka the Elantra Touring. Well - a C30 wagon with the front of a Chrysler Sebring grafted on for whatever reason. Still - the even cloned the name! Congrats Hyundai - you've officially hit the bigtime.

Dongfeng Hummer

Although it sounds like something you're purchase at a shady Chinese massage parlour, I'm talking about truck that was on display at the Beijing auto show. Researching on the internet, I'm having trouble finding out whether the few Dongfeng Hummers that exist are unlicensed knockoffs or facelifted versions of the real thing.

That's not really the point of this post though. The truck is here because of it's home-made camo paint job and white wall wheels. Apparently they don't make white walls for Hummers (really - why exactly where they required on this particular example?), but that didn't stop some resourceful chap from slapping on some latex house paint with a paint brush. Note the attention to detail with the paint application.