Lancia Loraymo — Loewy’s tribute to auto ugliness

[Guest Richard Gallatin]

An indulgence in high class ugliness that bears the Lancia name and “Loraymo” a jumble of letters from the designer’s own’s name. 

 

 

Loraymo at the Lancia Museum

 

Loraymo in Mechanic Illustrated

[Rusty_OToole]

This brings up something I figured out a long time ago. Loewy was accused of taking credit for other men's work in the designs he did for customers. So, I wondered if he had any design talent himself or if he really did depend on others? To answer the question I looked at the cars he designed for himself and compared them to the cars his firm designed for others.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that his own designs were inferior to those done by employees, that he took the credit for.

[1937hd45]

You sure Big Daddy Ed Roth didn't design that? Bob

[CarlLaFong]

Rumor has it that Lowey also had a hand in the design of "The Homer". However, I do see some possible Spohn influence

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

11 hours ago, Richard Gallatin said:

An indulgence in high class ugliness..

 

I agree, Richard!

 

This begs the question:  When designers come up with

something unattractive, can't they SEE that it's not beautiful?

Can't someone up the chain of command see it too?

 

it's fun to see the ideas that designers come up with--

for example, the clay models and the prototypes from models of

years ago.  Sometimes they are beautiful;  sometimes they are ugly.

Yet sometimes the most homely, ungainly designs have

been approved to go beyond paper--to spend hours upon hours

being developed into clay and beyond.  Couldn't someone

just have said, "Stop!  Try again!"

Edited July 7, 2016 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[5219]

I agree with Rusty. The 1940 Continental and the 1959 Cadillac that were personally designed by Loewy for his personal use are both pretty ugly. The cars his staff did are much better looking.

[captndan]

Startrek had a sucking parasite that looked like that.

[Rusty_OToole]

It's all a matter of taste. I have seen custom jobs at car shows that looked like hell and the owners were taking bows. This even shows up in mass produced cars. Ford had some attractive tasteful designs when Edsel Ford had a say in them. In his father's day style did not exist. K T Keller of Chrysler was an excellent executive and built quality cars but for him styling meant nothing. He had a styling department but their designs were executed by the engineering department and executed is the right word. Keller was fine with this and evidently saw no difference between styling's clays and the butchered versions turned out by engineering.

 

Some of the independents like Packard and Willys in the fifties suffered because their top brass did not pay attention to styling. Studebaker on the other hand, was a style leader and hired the best talent available.

 

On the whole GM had the best styles over the longest period of time. Their cars weren't all home runs but they had a very high batting average.

 

In the old days the top executives called the shots on styling, now it's all focus groups and consumer surveys. Maybe that is why no really unique good looking design can survive the development process.

[Restorer32]

Studebaker was a style leader?

[JamesBulldogMiller55Buick]

On 7/8/2016 at 3:42 PM, Restorer32 said:

Studebaker was a style leader?

I think so.

Starting in the 1920's.

And look at 1955 President 

And the Hawk, that style of personal luxury car was 25 years ahead of the competition

[Rusty_OToole]

Studebaker was acknowledged the style leader with their "first by far with a postwar car" "which way is it going" 1947 models, introduced in late 1946.  In 1950 when everyone was copying the Studebaker look they brought out the radical new aircraft inspired "bullet nose" models. In 53 they had a full line of European inspired models, led by the low sleek hardtop coupe, dripping with foreign intrigue.

 

After 54 they went conventional for a while, then got back in the style lead by bringing out the compact Lark in 59, a year before the Big 3 came out with their compact Falcon, Corvair, and Valiant.

 

They followed that up with Avanti, 2 years before the Mustang and 5 years before the Camaro.

 

That was near the end for Studebaker, the next year they shut down their South Bend factory. They continued for 2 more years in Hamilton Ontario but they were just going through the motions.

 

Pretty good for a small independent. In their day they were known for being style leaders.

[Pilgrim65]

First time I've ever seen the Lancia mentioned only seen beutiful ones in Uk , but that was the probably the ugliest car I've ever seen apart from Austin A90 Atlantic!

Edited July 11, 2016 by Pilgrim65
Mistake (see edit history)

[padgett]

Nothing new. "de gustibus non est disputandum". Imagine some like a Spohn, some must even like a Daimler SP-250. Still wonder what recreational pharmaceutical inspired the Laraymo

[Ivan Saxton]

There have been no cheers of approval from any of the many Lancia owners here.   That is possibly the ugliest and least beneficial sacrificial  accident crumple zone to have every been attached to the front of a fast and safe car.    Lancias have always been extraordinarily quick from A to B,  without deliberate intent to drive fast.  My 1953 Aurelia B22 saloon is a substantial manifestation of Grand Prix technology in a family sedan.   Twice in the late 1970s I was astonished that I sat down in a dentist's waiting room in Melbourne, 70 minutes after I drove out my gate here, 70 miles away.  Brakes, acceleration, and handling are just so good  that young spend little time below your cruising speed.  In the 1951 Mille Miglia,   Bracco , driving a well prepared Aurelia GT finished second,  twenty minutes  behind Villorisi's  4.2 L V12 Ferrari, which had over twice the engine displacement and an advantage of 60mph top speed.  The Lancia  trailed by just 3 minutes at 850 miles,  after which the heavy rain stopped and the road became less winding.  The Flaminia design was much like the Aurelia in many respects.     Do you think Raymond Loewey learned anything from the Italian designers like Pininfarina and Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni?

[capngrog]

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 10:17 AM, padgett said:

Nothing new. "de gustibus non est disputandum". Imagine some like a Spohn, some must even like a Daimler SP-250. Still wonder what recreational pharmaceutical inspired the Laraymo

What is a "Spohn"?

 

Curious, I am,

Grog

[Ozstatman]

Spohn - http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Spohn_Coachworks

[alsancle]

Spohn was very hit or miss with their creations of the 1950s.  There is a fellow on the forum who has a very good looking custom bodied Spohn but many are worse than the subject of this thread.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Sometimes sellers write, "Runs as good as it looks."

If this Loraymo were for sale, that might mean it doesn't run very well!

[Rusty_OToole]

I want a car that looks like a cream puff and goes like hell not the other way around.

[padgett]

Ref #14. Had a friend who lived by Melbourne. 74 miles from my drive and usually took me an hour and 15 minutes. With the AC on.