Artistic Photo #11

1967 Plymouth Fury taxi on Rivington Street in New York, New York (Taken on October 23, 2015)

Comuta-Car

1981 Comuta-car at LeMay-America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington

Until 2011, this tin can surprisingly held the record for the most road-legal electric cars sold in post-war U.S. with 4,444 units shifted. Known as the CitiCar, and later the Comuta-Car when the design was purchased by Commuter Vehicles in 1979, this trapezoidal hatchback was powered by a measly electric motor that had a decent range of 40 miles. This alternative powertrain was provoked by the 1973 oil crisis, when gas prices surged and many stations experienced fuel droughts due to an embargo by the member countries of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries. While the Comuta-Car's historical significance is intriguing, its design, especially those of the early 1980's models seen here, is overwhelmingly repulsive.

1981 Comuta-car at LeMay-America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington

The poor exterior begins simply with the basic shape, which appears to have been designed with a ruler. The hood and windshield angle backwards away from the protruding bumper at a straight incline, before meeting the flat near-square roof. This almost vertically extends downwards out the back and sides, essentially creating a metal box. However, there have been attractive box design before like the spunky, and relatively popular, first generation Scion xB (R.I.P. 2003-2016) and the Nissan Cube. Yet the Comuta-Car's few exterior doodads just make it an even more hideous beast.

The most glaring offenders are the oversized bumpers. These massive plastic appendages hang off either end of the car and were added to meet more stringent safety regulations. (Further safety requirements would prove to be the demise of the small company.) While all U.S. market cars between 1973 and 1982 suffered from these bulbous bumpers, they look significantly larger, and therefore worse, on the Comuta-Car because it is so short to begin with.

Moving back, the hood features one of the other prominent design flaws. Rising out of the flat bonnet is a rectangular bulge, which does not appear to be functional. This protrusion is a pointless, odd-looking, and not very aerodynamic addition, disrupting what would have otherwise been a smooth hood. The roof, which appears to be vinyl, is also unattractive, making the car look cheaper. Vinyl roofs are also very prone to sun damage and tend to fade, crack, and peel.

1980 Comuta-car at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan

The bumpers, hood bulge, and vinyl roof all make the Comuta-car look insanely cheap, but what puts the bolt in the coffin are the visible bolts holding the car together. If you look along the sides of the hood and down the rear of the car, you can see where the different metal sheets were fastened together, which makes the car look unsafe, as if it's all about to fall apart into hundreds of little pieces. The car's one saving grace is the wacky paintjob, while consists of very '70s stripes and the lowercase word "electric." Other than these laughable but cool decals, the Comuta-car is a truly ugly car, even when compared to the myriad of unattractive cars from the design dark ages that were the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Grade
Front: F
Rear: F
Overall: F

Car Lyric of the Week: Untouchable by Pusha T

"The Rolls-Royce playing peek-a-boo with the emblem"

In this ferocious track off his latest EP, Darkest Before the Dawn: The Prelude, Pusha T spits about becoming the president of G.O.O.D. Music, a record label started by Kanye West, and his tracks being featured in film scores. He also boasts about his Rolls-Royce, which appears to be a Ghost judging by the music video. In a 2013 interview with Complex, Pusha T mentioned that his dream car was a Rolls, and it seems like the success from his debut solo album, My Name is My Name, and his most recent project, has made the dream come true. This clever line refers to the Spirit of Ecstasy, Rolls' famous hood ornament, and its ability to retract into the ostentatious chrome grille. Pusha T puts an interesting twist on this neat trick by comparing it to a game of peek-a-boo, creating one of my favorite lines of the album, let alone the song.

Spirit of Ecstasy on a 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II in Brooklyn, New York

This video shows the retracting Spirit of Ecstasy found on modern Rolls-Royces.

Artistic Photo #10

Lamborghini Egoista Concept at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
(Taken on August 20, 2015)

Hood Ornaments Part 2

From the earliest days of the automobile, the hoods of many cars, especially luxurious models, were adorned with exquisite figurines. Hood ornaments are now largely a thing of the past, and several months ago I wrote a post celebrating this lost art. Today I bring you four more beautiful hood decorations.

2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class in Key West, FL

While simple, the Mercedes-Benz hood ornament has turned the logo into a icon. This example is seen on the bonnet of a 2013 S-Class sedan, and while the ornament is just the Merc emblem atop a small column, it screams luxury and authority. This legendary logo is now only found atop the flagship S-Class sedan. 

1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI

The Bugatti Type 41 Royale debuted just as the Great Depression sent the world into financial ruin. Therefore, its already exclusive run of 25 units was cut to just six, and only three examples made it into the hands of owners. One of the three sold currently resides at the Henry Ford Museum, and it only makes sense that such a special car has such an unusual and intricate hood ornament. The grille of the Royale is topped with a elephant standing on its hind legs, trunk raised triumphantly in the air. This sends off an image of rarity and opulence, as well as power. This is one of the most unique and ornate hood ornaments of all time.

1935 Miller-Ford Indy 500 racer at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI

Surprisingly, back in the 1930's even Indy 500 competitors had hood ornaments. Unfortunately this Miller-Ford never ended up being raced at Indianapolis, despite the team's best efforts. However, it does feature an elegant version of Ford's 1930's V8 hood ornament. I've always liked the way Ford sandwiched the 8 between the arms of the V, and the wing flowing backwards conveys a sense of speed--perfect for a race car.

Jaguar S-Type in Key West, FL

Another one of the most recognizable hood ornaments are perched on the hoods of Jaguars. Seen here on a S-Type, the jaguar is springing forward, its muscular haunches and lean physique bristling with energy. With a ferocious scowl and piercing eyes the predator strikes fear in the hearts of surrounding drivers.

An Observation on the Jeep Wrangler

Recently I got a ride in my co-worker's 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, my first time in the legendary offroader. Considering how many I see roaming American streets and the generally positive reviews I often read in magazines, I was expecting an enjoyable ride. Sadly, what I discovered is that the Wrangler is not a very good car.

I know this may be a controversial opinion. And in no way am I claiming that it is an incapable trail specialist. We never left pavement but I trust that it is more than competent off the beaten path. However, on the road the ride is rough and the chassis communicated all of the bumps very clearly. There was also lots of body roll, due to the tall ride height.

The interior was also inferior. Because the doors and roof are removable, they are essentially just a sheet of metal and feel and look very cheap from the inside. Furthermore, the window controls are on the central console for the front seats and the overhead support bar for the rear seats. Not only do these switches feel flimsy, but they clog up the central stack up front and are difficult to reach in the back. The seats were a bit hard and flat, and overall the materials on the dashboard did not feel up to par.

But while I was observing all of these faults, I also came to a realization. I realized that I didn't care that I could feel every jarring bump through the hard seats, that the doors were essentially sheetmetal and didn't feel very safe, that the dashboard cluster was a bit chaotic. I realized why so far this year it is the 9th best selling SUV in America. Despite all of these issues, I felt extremely badass. The ride height and the iconic looks and the removable doors and roof all made me feel 100 times cooler than the surrounding drivers. Most Wrangler customers won't take it offroad, but they want to be able to say they can. It is a car that is bought off of image. It is a confidence-boosting slice of Americana.

And that's what makes it so great.

Car Lyric of the Week: I Still Wanna by Pusha T

"Learn from OGs, Alfa Romeos, and Sterlings"

Most rappers boast about their Lamborghinis or Mercedes-Benzes. But in this gritty banger from Virginia MC Pusha T, he harkens back to the cars that the hustlers used in the early 1990s. Alfa Romeos were last sold in the USA in 1995, and occasionally I'll spot a old sedan on the street. Alfa Romeo is a well-known brand, but unless you were alive two decades ago, you probably don't remember Sterling. The company, a division of Rover which was collaborating with Honda at the time, sold only one model--the 800-Series (a rebadged Rover that was related to the Honda Legend)--from 1987-1991. I had actually never heard of this vehicle until I stumbled upon a photo in the Chicago Auto Show archives last year. It is quite a mundane sedan, but still a interesting mention by Pusha T.