[fz_rider]

I've always believed that no one can make '' beauty on wheels '' better than the Italians. Be it made for masses

Linea


and Punto


or , the ones made for uber rich like the Ferrari's


But every now and then when something like this comes infront of me :





it just blows away my mind.

On one hand we have the graceful Fiat's , and the eye candy's Ferrari and Lamborghini , On the other hand we have the iconic Rolls , Bently's , Aston Martin's and the Jag's !
So, who are the better designers?

[Amartya]

FZ_Rider, good thread, thanks.
However, it is going to be nearly impossible to come to a conclusion on this, so what this thread may become, is a homage to the best of Britain and Italy.

Personally, I tend to favour the Italians for adding spice to regular run of the mill cars. British luxury and sports cars (Jaguar, Aston Martin, Bentley's) have always brought a smile to my face, but mostly, these cars are exclusive and not like the bog standard Fiats, Lancia's etc. Then, there's the fact that the British car industry is longer strictly 'British', however, designers like Ian Callum are the saving grace. I need to look up a few facts, but as far as I can recall, Aston's impeccable design direction was set by Henrik Fisker (Danish?).

The sad thing is, most Italian design houses responsible for some of the most wonderful designs in automotive history are in a financial hole.

[Cyrus43]

Most cars are designed in ITALIAN design houses. So there is your answer.

[arjunrudra]

The italians have definitely got flair and passion in their design and the british do it the cool way.
All british cars look cool whereas the italian ones look hot.

[JVH]

Brit cars though stylish are exclusive and expensive compared to Italians (barring Ferraris, lambos and Masers), right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

What I like about the Italians is that they can produce stylish cars at a cost. You have added Grande Punto and Linea in the pictures and these are great examples of simple yet subtle Italian flair. And ofcourse, they have their exclusive range in the uber expensive and premium range. IMO, they are one of the rare manufacturers who are able to do that in more or less all the segments (except SUVs).

My vote goes for the Italians :-)

[CARDEEP]

I prefer the Italian Flair to British Class, hence, voted accordingly.

[nvsport]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

I prefer the Italian Flair to British Class, hence, voted accordingly.

No offense, but such discussions are pointless. It's best to base opinions on a car-to-car basis. There's no point labelling the Italians, or for that matter, any other bunch of designers as being better or worse than the rest. Keep in mind that each group has its own philosophy behind what its car is meant for. So of course a Ferrari will look hotter than a sedate Jaguar. They're built for different roles.

And by the way, designs and designers evolve. There's no telling who'll be ruling the roost in 5 years from now. Look where Jaguar is headed now.

[extreme_torque]

Italian without a doubt!

[iPai]

Voted for Italians!

Historically Italians have been known for design not only in cars but also in other fields like architechture right? I think "Designing beautifully" is in their blood. Be it Automobiles, constructions/interiors/architechture or fashion, Italians rule!

[PlatzdaTurbo]

I look at the Aston Martin DBS, Rapide etc. & then i look at the Gallardo, Reventon. Then i look at the Flyingspur and Jaguar XK followed by the Ferrari 599 ,Enzo and even the Maserati GranTurismo. Its a tough one but...
Forza Italia it is !

[Samir Taheer]

For design i would vote of the Italians, but for engineering the English.

[shankar.balan]

Italians for superb design and style quotient
British for timeless elegance and class

but view the occasional fusion of both - the Aston Martin Zagato for example - AMAZING!!

[Jayabusa]

I don't think they can be compared with each other. They are in a league of their own. They have their own USPs.

[architect]

I would not rate any design on the basis of country of origin anymore. In this globalised world, it's all mixed up.

However, traditionally speaking, the Italians deserve credit for two things: one, for putting in a lot of "passion" into designing everything, right from bootlaces to cars and two, for trying to achieve beauty (subjective, of course) in even the most budget end cars. Simply put, even a budget car owner deserves a good-looking automobile, not just the country squire who buys a Bentley or the city slicker who drives a Jaguar.

What I don't like is the Japanese way of "playing it safe", "excite none, offend none" way of design in industrial products. For a country with such an advanced sense of aesthetics in their culture, this is surprising!

Korean designs, less said the better.

So, I guess it's the Italians. Mind you, there are a lot of bad-looking Italian cars, like the Fiat Multipla!

[jagxf]

I'd say British,I prefer subtleties and swankyness over the Italian
Flair , according to me Italian design is more 'in your face'.