Ford Taurus vs. Police Interceptor

     While the Ford Taurus is a boring full-size sedan, its cousin, the Police Interceptor, is an intimidating and aggressive crime fighter. The Taurus' grille features two fat chrome bars sandwiching the Ford logo, making the car seem bulbous, while the PI has a blacked-out mesh grille with two sirens hiding behind it, making it more menacing. The black hubcaps also have this effect, unlike the chrome rims on the Taurus. the lower front fascia of the PI is dominated by a wide opening with vertical bars, creating a sharp-toothed mouth look that you wouldn't want appearing in your rear view mirror. On the other hand, the Taurus features some black plastic trim, looking cheap and unattractive. The PI does away the small chrome bit behind the front wheel, and replaces it a thin red turning light, further reinforcing the police identity. And of course, perching atop the roof is a set of blue and red sirens.

     Out back the silver chrome bar connecting the taillights of the Taurus is painted black on the PI, and this along with the rest blacked out elements make the police version appear as if it can chase you down instantly. Furthermore, the single tailpipes of the commuter version are stuck together, creating a more powerful looking car. All of these elements, along with that pretty sick paint job, add up to create a more athletic and menacing machine. Obviously, some of these things, like the sirens, couldn't appear on an everyday commuter car, but other adjustments could be made to the grille or bodywork to make the Taurus more appealing.

Jaguar XKR

     While the new Jaguar F-Type is a stunning coupe, its arrival unfortunately means the end of the Jaguar XK. This grand tourer was a beauty as well, due to the car's great proportions and slick bodywork.
     Starting with the front, the car really seems to fit into the cat-like ethos of Jaguar. The oval grille with its chrome webbing is fancy but also reminds me of a jaguar, its mouth open wide. The grille is flanked by teardrop shaped headlights, which feature a projector lamp that provide a more modern look than reflector lamps. The lower front fascia is comprised of a wide rectangular intake with chrome diagonal bars, and two vertical chrome-outlined slits that hint at the potential for speed. The hood's two indents stemming from the glass down to just above the grille, along with the "Supercharged" branded vents, create a powerful impression; and this car is powerful, producing over 500 horsepower. Extending from the headlight is a curving character line that flows into the window line. Just behind the front wheel is a vent that further adds to the image of a car ready to jump into action. Just behind the rear section of the window, massive haunches appear, creating a pouncing cat look. This powerful stance reminds me of many 2000's Aston Martins, which is no surprise since the designer of the XK, Ian Callum, also designed the DB7 and Vanquish for Aston.
      Around back, the teardrop shape appears again in the taillights, which feature circular and rectangular white sections in the center for the turning and reverse indicators. The rear lamps are connected by a skinny chrome bar featuring the Jaguar name. The fact that the letters are engraved into the chrome and are very spaced out create a luxurious feel. Just above this is a lip spoiler, adding to the image that this car is capable of high speeds. Down below, the car features two sets of dual exhaust pipes, further reinforcing the sporting image started by the front hood design.
     Overall, a mixture of chrome and smooth lines with vents and haunches create an elegant yet muscular grand tourer.

Grade
Front: A
Back: A-
Overall: A-

Avanti II

     When I first saw this blue Avanti shining in the Alaskan sun, I had absolutely no clue what it was, but its design really struck me, so I snapped a few photos. I then went and did some research on this intriguing vehicle, and found it had a very interesting history. Initially, the Avanti was made by Studebaker, who introduced it in 1962. But the factory in South Bend, Indiana where they were produced was shut down in 1963, ending the Avanti's time as a Studebaker, which closed down for good just a few years later. But three Studebaker dealers, Nate and Arnold Altman and Leo Newman, bought up the Avanti name, tooling, and plant space. Just a few years later, the Altman brothers introduced the Avanti II, a slightly modified version of the original. They produced the Avanti II until 1982, and the model I saw is most likely from this era. After that the car bounced around from owner to owner, until 2006 when the final Avanti rolled off the line.
     But enough history, lets get to the design. The front end looks somewhat awkward to me, as it seems to be a strange mix of sharp and smooth lines. The headlights are rectangular, and are set back a few inches, with the base and sides of this portion making sharp, almost ninety degree angles with the forward fins. I think it is a little strange for the fins to stick out that much in front of the headlight section, but it is even stranger when those fins stretch back into very smooth and curvy lines. The Studebaker Avanti, with its circular headlamps, looks more natural with the swooping bodywork. Another thing that looks strange at first is the lack of a grille, but over time I have come to like this uniqueness and it makes the car look sleeker. The hood features a bulge only on the driver's side, and gives off a powerful impression.
    The car's cabin is supported by very thin A and B pillars, but a thick upside down V-shaped C pillar. The side windows sweep upwards right in front of the aggressive rear haunches, creating a elegant curved parallelogram out of the three piece window. The continuous silver trim piece running around the car makes the car look like its almost two separate pieces, and this makes the swooping upper half appear to have a strong and stable foundation in the hard edges of the bottom section
    The cockpit is finished off with an expansive, curved rear window, which runs in to the short rear deck. While the rear fenders and trunk feature very graceful lines, again the problems I had with the contrasting design from the front appears in the taillights. Each taillight consists of two separate rectangular pieces, which are honestly very boring and also don't fit with the fluid lines running down the side of the Avanti. But, while the taillights may be dull, the simplicity of the rear is quite beautiful.
     The font used on the front and rear of the vehicle makes the letters look futuristic while also appearing to be very animated and cartoon-like. And the horizontal line that runs through the whole word also makes the word seem to be in motion.
      I'm glad I stumbled upon this interesting car, and it was great to learn its history and see such an interesting, though awkward design.

Grade
Front: C+
Rear: B+
Overall: B