Originally Posted by
NicFromLA
I think cars designed in the age of computers are designed w/ more safety and aerodynamics in mind. I imagine when they designed the XK120 the thought process was somewhere along the lines of, "Wow! That looks great! I bet it's aerodynamic too! I wonder if it's safe? Eh, I'm sure it's as safe as anything."
This. And the OP's latter point.
Car design has gone from "WOW! This looks drop dead gorgeous!" to "WOW! This looks drop dead gorgeous AND it won't suddenly become unstable at high speeds or explode in a pile of steel and fiberglass bits when crashed! The Ford GT40, for instance, had an unhealthy amount of lift at high speeds.
I don't know if CAD models are to blame. They allow us to make better and safer designs with increased precision and reduced costs. Yeah they may not look as good, but then again, neither is dying.
I'm dropping out to create a company that starts with motorcycles, then cars, and forty years later signs a legendary Brazilian driver who has a public and expensive feud with his French teammate.