Perhaps I'm overthinking this to take it so seriously, but I'll just consider it therapy.
It's hard to be "objective". I obviously favor Mopars. If I take the idea of "driving" out of the equasion, going purely on design... obviously I could list a lot of cars i'd take over a '61 Valiant!
And yet I think I can be unbiased. I've owned GM and Ford vehicles. There are many that I like. If not for owning far too many cars at the moment, I'd give serious consideration to that '69 Marquis that Matt posted in another thread. (would he trade for a '68 300 that needs some love?)
But one thing I cannot wrap my mind around is the love of "exotic" styling. As both a child and as an adult, I've always thought cars like the Jag XKE looked like a balloon full of poop, roughly squeezed to resemble a car. I don't mean to hurt anybody's feelings, but the cowl is shorter than the thickest point on the hood. The front clip looks like Jimmy Durante's nose. The rest looks delecate and weak. It looks like a cartoon.
But the Jag is one of the better exotics. Italian cars look so oddly porpotioned as to call them misshapen. They're too small in the areas that should be big and broad; look like they have the Zika virus. They also look homemade. That's good for a meatball, bad for a car.
Speaking of looking like a HS shop project... most anything Asian. Exposed bolts and screws. Lights that look like they belong on a trailer. No thankee Yankee.
I love all eras of cars. I think a brass-era runabout would be more fun (and slightly safer on top streets) than a motor cycle. Would love a 30s car like an airflow or airstream. (Duesenburg beautiful too, but $$$) '42 Desoto. Own a '51 Imperial. After that, we're talking a daily driver for me. Have owned new Challengers. Point is, it's not like I'm stuck in one era.
But when we speak of absolute aesthetics, design, looks... has to be long, wide. Big broad hood. Lots of room inside. Should look like a Starfleet shuttle craft with wheels. Today's cars, short/narrow/tall. Boo. Same problem with exotics.
