From an enthusiast’s point of view, two-door cars have traditionally been considered more desirable and attractive than their four-door siblings, due to their sleeker looks and racier pedigree. This beautifully sculpted 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 500 sedan, sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2007, stands as a stark exception to that rule.
Conversation Starter: What’s your vote for a model that looks better with four doors than two? Talk amongst yourselves.
Image: barrett-jackson.com
Last Call indicates the end of the Hooniverse broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
By Peter Tanshanomi
Tanshanomi is Japanese [単車のみ] for "motorcycle(s) only." Though primarily tasked with creating two-wheel oriented content for Hooniverse, Pete is a lover of all sorts of motorized vehicles.
Jeff Glucker
Jeep Wrangler.
If I had to keep the car as a driver and not sell it , I would absolutely take this sedan over an equally-priced, equal-condition Super Bee. No doubt. This with a set of wider (but still subtle) wheels and a four speed would be a seriously handsome sleeper. And it’s green!
Holy $#!+ this car sold for less than $7k. That’s a steal! An equally nice Super Bee would have been FIVE TIMES that.
I’m actually glad that people don’t realize that awesome plus two more doors is still awesome, if it keeps the prices down.
Four times, not five. The auction was 2007. I’m comparing 383 cars; 440-6 or Hemi would have significantly more price difference. Although the Super Bees were typically pretty stripped, and the car above (actually a Coronet 500, not 440) is a higher trim level with a/c.
https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1969-DODGE-SUPER-BEE-2-DOOR-COUPE-43493
Ok, fair enough. It was a wild-ass guess anyway. Regardless, the market difference is huge.
I’d quite like a Pontiac Catalina Safari, if I had somewhere to park it. https://cdn1.mecum.com/auctions/sc0510/sc0510-90203/images/sc0510-90203_1.jpg?1274554496000
Absolutely. That is quite likely my favorite Pontiac of the 60s, period. I recall seeing a maroon one (unfortunately wearing 20s) at a Goodguys show one year that was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
M5: Driver’s car with useful four doors.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/images/car-reviews/first-drives/legacy/bmw-m5-ubg-023.jpg?itok=JyBottHX
M6: Pointless, pretend 911 competitor for wealthy people in ‘Image’ ‘Industries’.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/BMW_M6_E63_-_Flickr_-_Alexandre_Pr%C3%A9vot_%2812%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-BMW_M6_E63_-_Flickr_-_Alexandre_Pr%C3%A9vot_%2812%29_%28cropped%29.jpg
It certainly doesn’t change your point, but the M6 should probably be contrasted against the E60.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/2007_BMW_M5_%28E60_MY07%29_sedan_%282015-06-27%29_01.jpg
They’re both mingers.
I hold a weird soft spot for the E60, but all I’d argue vociferously for is that it clears the low bar set by the E63.
You are right. My bad.
Several years ago, one of the car magazines (Car and Driver?) called the BMW 6 Series Coupe, “the best Camaro ever made”.
Well techically 5 doors, but attempts to buid three door versions, including the latest resto-mod, have always looked “off” in my opinion.
https://cdn2.evo.co.uk/sites/evo/files/styles/gallery_adv/public/2017/07/image-thumb.jpg?itok=fXE_fkiH
C3 Corvettes had the unfortunate distinction of starting off as fire-breathing beasts in the 60’s, but becoming Malaise jokes towards the end of the run. I’d much rather have one of the chrome-bumper performance coupes/roadsters, but if I had to go with plastic bumpers, then make my penis extender extra-long: Corvette America.
https://www.modelroundup.com/v/vspfiles/photos/Mono-2269-2.jpg
That’s an abomination. I like it.
I remember those! When I was a wee hoon in the early ’80’s I had a book titled “Elite Cars” or some such, this was one of the cars featured (along with the Aston Martin Lagonda, some Rolls/Bentley type cars and some bizarre ’70’s neo-classics.)
One of the 1972 Falcon GTHO Phase IV factory race cars that was abandoned after a parliamentary furore is up for auction currently, with 10 days to go it is sitting at AUD$920k, expect it to go much higher. Not bad for a 4 door. They were the fastest 4 door at the time, 170 mph if you removed the rev limiter.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/27db5a8fddbb278d0b4a6a1664f57fd61cc223787b49f460bcf5bc2e3e279462.jpg
Hell yeah.
I only know them from Forza, but that is sweeeeet.
Not even this:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/396477b3382ea921dd4edc61e69de914c255ab908c82b17d6c9cb9fb714c3682.jpg
Looks better than this:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7eaf5cfd81f4ed524a870d88fa0e5ae556a29a820e43e78e11927b851aaef4de.jpg
However, I would take a ’67 Travelette over a standard cab C-120
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0bb427b9203b2e73d224709c6740b09c787a27b7d4c468b6e34473f7bf492bae.jpg
R33 – Maaaaybe, but it gets complicated by whether we’re discussing regular or GT-R versions. The four door GT-R isn’t an entirely Nissan product, but a conversion by Autech, so borderline. I would take one over two door R33.
R32 – got to be a two door GT-R, it just looks right in proportion with the bigger arches, the four door and regular two door look a bit anemic by comparison.
C10 – four door for sure
C110 – looks better as a saloon, the coupe looks odd to my eyee, but I don’t think there was a GT-R Saloon.
R33 – gotta be a three door, you do see some 4 door “GT-Rs” but these are conversions to my knowledge and I still reckon don’t look entirely right.
The rest – no strong opinion either way.
Hudson Hornet https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8958d69246858c84a025398fbc0f2b1c0ae2f0fccebbc72c34dbc10a3c1f824d.png
Second generation Stratus, aleit a bit of a pyrrhic victory. Generic sedan over ugly coupe.
Mercedes W140
While not as sleek as the W126, The 4 door at least looks stately.
The Coupé tries to “lighten” things up with the wider grill and smaller lights and fails horribly. Nothing could make this behemoth apear lithe, but the new lights make it look like a smaller car someone just overinflated. Also the rear fenders are just huge, not long and sleek like on a 60s american barge, the wheelhouse is too small for that, just humongously big.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/88e687f2796c037ac63c8adbbeb4698363dd731e5de73eac570866b04667bd84.jpg
The early Corvairs looked better as a four door. The coupe was a little awkward. This flipped the second generation as the four door looked a little odd.
I can’t believe I’m the first to https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d4d6fd649ac0ea74a23317c92dad6267ce13823b868b125be8eb19337c50c5bb.jpg mention the E30. The coupe is in no way unattractive, but proportionally, the sedan is, hands down, the clear winner. The E30 sedan will, forever, be one of the ideal sport sedan forms. Near perfection, IMO.
It’s not a patch on the wagon, and it’s not just that enthusiast wagon cliche, it really does look so much better. Not a very practical wagon mind, more a big hatchback really.
https://autoweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/gen-932-524/public/140319900.jpg?itok=ezEjJvWN
Sorry, I disagree with nearly all the examples posted. Only the Wrangler and the suicide door Continental look better as 4 doors. Oh, and the 6 series BMW is an abomination, though it’s a unique model and not really a 2 door 5 series in my mind.
A 4 door Coronet is a good looking car, but it still pales in comparison to the 2 door.
https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/e5-630×354.jpg