Photography by Rémi Dargegen
I’d argue that some cars are more about form than they are about function, sacrificing the latter in honor of the former. After all if you’re aiming for a striking form concerns such as legroom, headroom, and whether or not occupants have torsos have to be disregarded to get that roofline a few millimeters lower. Many of the mid-seventies ‘wedge’ cars suffer from related issues that makes driving them a handful. The Lamborghini Countach below is such a car, just ask James Chen who is familiar with an era when outrageous was possible.
Then there cars that sit on the other side of the line such as the BMW pictured above, which is obviously a bit more restrained and infinitely more parctical. It’s almost as though the designers and engineers wanted occupants to be comfortable, mein Gott! And clearly cars such as the Porsche 911 also allow form to follow function (I’d argue to a detrimental effect in terms of styling) but driving a 911 is far more confidence-inspiring than driving a Ferrari 308, for instance.
So what matters more to you, form or function? Do some companies or nationalities do one better than the other? And can you point to a car that epitomizes your inclination?
