By Rob Sass / Originally Published November 15, 2013 / Hagerty The old phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” wasn’t coined in reference…{"id":4540,"date":"2013-12-23T10:04:50","date_gmt":"2013-12-23T18:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=4540"},"modified":"2014-04-30T10:26:13","modified_gmt":"2014-04-30T17:26:13","slug":"love-em-or-hate-em-five-of-the-most-controversial-cars-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/23\/love-em-or-hate-em-five-of-the-most-controversial-cars-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Love \u2019Em Or Hate \u2019Em: Five of the Most Controversial Cars Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rob Sass \/ Originally\u00a0<\/em>Published November 15, 2013 \/ Hagerty<\/em><\/p>\n

The old phrase \u201cbeauty is in the eye of the beholder\u201d wasn\u2019t coined in reference to cars, but it might as well have been. Some cars, like the 1963-67 Corvette Sting Ray and Jaguar E-Type, are almost universally admired, while others are passionately loved by some and loathed by others. Here are five of the most polarizing:<\/p>\n

1. \u00a01963-64 Studebaker Avanti<\/a>:\u00a0 The Avanti\u00a0<\/a>was a Hail Mary play to save the ailing Studebaker Corporation with a stunning European-style GT car. Ardent Avanti fans point to its fairly timeless styling, which was supervised by the great Raymond Loewy, and the fact that the car remained in production in one form or another for five decades. Non-fans find the grill-less front end and porthole-like headlights to be a non-starter. A recent uptick in prices may indicate that Avanti lovers will have the last laugh on this one.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0 1971-73 Buick Riviera<\/a>: The Boattail\u00a0 Riviera\u00a0<\/a>was one of the last truly audacious GM creations, and William Mitchell pulled out all of the stops with a huge, dramatic design including a pointed boattail reminiscent of some great 1930s cars. Haters just find it huge and over-the-top.<\/p>\n

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3. \u00a0 1980-85 Cadillac Seville<\/a>: The slant back or bustle trunk Seville was \u2014 like the Boattail Riviera \u2014 in some ways a throwback to the 1930s-1950s, cribbing a trunk from Bentleys and Daimlers of the era. Some people will come to blows over the merits of this version of the Seville, while some find it to be a caricature; it\u2019s best if these two groups aren’t sharing the same air space. Regardless, nobody sits on the fence about this car.<\/p>\n

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4. \u00a0 1965-69 Chevrolet Corvair<\/a>: The first-generation\u00a0 Corvair<\/a>, introduced in 1959, was a pleasing and clean design. But the second-generation was drop-dead gorgeous. No less an authority than David E. Davis, Jr., writing for\u00a0Car and Driver<\/em>, called it one of the most beautiful cars America had produced during the post-war era. But many bow-tie fans \u2014 used to fins and lots of chrome or the long hood, short rear deck look of the\u00a0Camaro<\/a>\u00a0and Chevelle \u2014 found nothing to like about the Corvair. We tend to agree with the fans here. It\u2019s a beautiful little car.<\/p>\n

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5. \u00a0 1955-75 Citro\u00ebn DS<\/a>: In its native France, the DS can do no wrong. The letters \u201cD-S\u201d in French sound remarkably like the French word for \u201cgoddess.\u201d But then the French also think that Jerry Lewis is a god. To most Americans, the sci-fi style of the DS just comes off as whale-like and weird.<\/p>\n

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