The Old Photos Make Me Sad
I was looking at old car ads the other day.
BMW from the 1980s. Mercedes from the 1990s. Saab. Volvo. Alfa Romeo from before the dark times.
The cars in those ads were beautiful. Not flashy. Not aggressive. Just… clean.
A straight line here. A gentle curve there. Nothing extra. No fake vents. No angry faces. No stickers pretending to be carbon fiber.
They looked like adults designed them. For other adults.
Now I look at the same brands. BMW has grilles that belong on a truck. Mercedes has screens inside and creases outside. Saab is gone. Volvo is better than most but still busier than before.
What happened?
Somewhere along the way, these brands forgot that less is more. They started shouting. And they never stopped.
BMW: From Subtle to Shouting
Let me start with the one that hurts the most.
BMW made some of the most restrained cars ever. The E30 3 Series. The E28 5 Series. The E24 6 Series. Simple shapes. Perfect proportions. A kidney grille that was small and elegant. Headlights that looked like they belonged.
Those cars didn't need fake vents. Didn't need giant intakes. Didn't need angry eyes. They just sat there. Confident. Quiet.
And everyone knew what they were.
Now? The grilles are huge. The creases are everywhere. The headlights look like they're squinting. The M cars have vents that go nowhere.
I drove a new BMW recently. The interior was nice. The engine was strong. But I couldn't get past the face. It looked like it was trying to intimidate me. Like a teenager puffing his chest.
That's not confidence. That's insecurity.
BMW used to be the brand for people who didn't need to show off. Now they're the brand for people who do.
It makes me sad.
Mercedes-Benz: From Elegance to Edginess
Mercedes was different.
BMW was sporty. Mercedes was elegant. Smooth shapes. Soft lines. Cars that looked like they cost more than they did. Because the design was so calm. So dignified.
The W124 E-Class. The W126 S-Class. The R129 SL. Beautiful cars. Not a sharp edge anywhere. Just curves. Gentle. Flowing. Timeless.
You could park a 1990s Mercedes next to a 2020s Mercedes and barely recognize them as the same brand.
Now? Edges everywhere. Sharp creases. Angry headlights. Giant grilles with huge stars. Interior screens that dominate everything.
The new ones are technically impressive. Fast. Comfortable. High tech.
But they've lost the calm. The dignity. The restraint.
They used to whisper. Now they scream.
And screaming is exhausting.
Saab: The One That Got Away
Let me talk about a dead brand.
Saab made weird cars. Front wheel drive when everyone else was rear wheel drive. Ignition switches on the center console. Turbochargers before they were cool.
But they also understood restraint. The 900. The 9000. The 9-3. Simple shapes. Clean lines. Nothing extra.
Saabs looked like nothing else on the road. Not because they tried to be different. Because they were designed by people who thought differently.
The headlights were flush. The bumpers were integrated. The glass was green. The shapes were aerodynamic before anyone cared about drag coefficients.
They didn't have fake vents. Didn't have angry faces. Didn't have unnecessary creases.
They just looked like Saabs. And that was enough.
Now they're gone. Bought by GM. Run into the ground. Closed.
And we lost one of the few brands that never forgot about restraint.
I still look at old Saabs. I still want one. Maybe someday.
Volvo: The One That Mostly Still Gets It
Volvo is the survivor.
They went through a weird phase in the 2000s. Boxy but bubbly. Strange headlights. Odd proportions.
But the new ones? The current generation? Volvo remembered.
The S90. The V90. The XC90. Clean lines. Simple shapes. A grille that's big but not angry. Headlights that look like Thor's hammer but don't glare.
The interiors are beautiful. A giant screen, yes. But also physical buttons. Real materials. A sense of calm.
Volvo still whispers. Not as quietly as the old days. But quieter than almost everyone else.
They also make station wagons. In 2026. For people who still have taste.
That's restraint. That's confidence. That's Volvo being Volvo.
I respect them for it.
Alfa Romeo: The Beautiful Disaster
Alfa Romeo is complicated.
They've always made beautiful cars. The Giulia GT. The Spider. The GTV6. Gorgeous shapes. Italian curves. Drama without embarrassment.
But they also made terrible cars. Unreliable. Rusty. Electric problems. The kind of car that breaks your heart and your wallet.
Even at their worst, though, Alfa understood restraint. The shapes were clean. The details were simple. The designs were timeless.
The new Giulia? Beautiful. One of the best looking sedans ever made. The grille is there but it works. The side profile is perfect. The rear is simple and elegant.
But the brand is struggling. Sales are low. Reliability is still questionable. The future is uncertain.
Alfa never lost the design plot. They just lost everything else.
And that's its own kind of tragedy.
Porsche: The Consistent One
Porsche is the exception.
They've understood restraint for sixty years. The 911 shape hasn't changed. Not really. Evolved, yes. But the basic recipe is the same.
Long hood. Sloping roof. Round headlights (until recently, sorry). Wide rear. Simple and functional.
Porsche also knows when to stop. The GT cars are loud and aggressive. But the base cars? The S models? The Carreras? Restrained. Confident. Quiet.
You can drive a new 911 into a nice hotel and no one stares. You can park it on the street and no one keys it. It's special without screaming.
That's hard to do. Porsche has done it for generations.
The Cayenne? The Macan? The Panamera? Not my taste. But even those are more restrained than their competitors.
Porsche never forgot. That's why they're still here. Still respected. Still selling cars.
The Brands That Never Had It
Let me be fair.
Some brands never understood restraint. And that's fine. Not everyone needs to whisper.
Lamborghini has always screamed. Countach. Diablo. Aventador. Giant wings. Sharp angles. Aggressive faces. That's their thing.
Ferrari is louder than they used to be. But they've always had drama.
Dodge is loud. That's the point.
American trucks are big and aggressive. That's the market.
The problem isn't loud brands being loud. The problem is quiet brands forgetting how to be quiet.
BMW didn't need to look like a Transformer. Mercedes didn't need to look like a fighter jet. Volvo almost lost it but came back.
The brands that lost restraint are the ones that should have known better.
Why Restraint Matters
Let me explain why I care so much.
Restraint is confidence. A car that doesn't try too hard says something about the driver. About their taste. About their security.
When I see someone in a clean old BMW, I think "that person knows something." Not about cars necessarily. About themselves.
When I see someone in a new BMW with the giant grille, I don't know what to think. Maybe they like it. Maybe they don't notice. Maybe they're just leasing.
Restraint is also timeless. Loud designs age badly. The Countach looked crazy in the 80s. Now it looks like a relic. Fun to look at. Not something you'd want to drive every day.
A clean E30? Still looks fresh. Thirty years later. Because it didn't try to be trendy. It just tried to be right.
That's restraint. And it lasts.
The Loss I Feel
I wasn't born when the best BMWs were made.
I wasn't driving when Saab was still Saab.
I missed the golden era of Mercedes elegance.
But I can see the old photos. I can read the old magazines. I can drive the old cars.
And every time I do, I feel a sense of loss. Not because the new cars are bad. Because they forgot something important.
Restraint isn't old fashioned. Restraint is mature. It's confident. It's knowing that you don't need to shout to be heard.
Most brands have forgotten that.
Maybe they'll remember again someday.
Maybe not.
What I Drive Now
I drive an old BMW. E46 coupe.
It was made in 2001. Twenty five years ago.
The grille is small. The headlights are simple. The side profile is clean. No fake vents. No angry faces. No unnecessary creases.
It's not the fastest car I've owned. Not the most expensive. Not the rarest.
But I still look back at it when I walk away.
Because someone designed it with restraint. With confidence. With taste.
That doesn't go out of style.
And it makes me sad that the brand that made it doesn't make cars like this anymore.
But at least I have this one.
And I'm keeping it.
The Brands That Still Understand
Let me end with hope.
Some brands still get it.
Mazda. The current designs are beautiful. Kodo design. Clean. Simple. Confident. No fake vents. No angry faces. Just good shapes.
Volvo. As I said. They came back.
Porsche. Never left.
Genesis. The new Korean luxury brand. Their cars are restrained. Elegant. Calm. I'm impressed.
Cupra. Small Spanish brand. Fun designs. Not loud. Just interesting.
Lotus. Simple. Light. No nonsense. Always have been.
So not all hope is lost. But the big German brands? The ones who taught the world about restraint? They've lost their way.
I hope they find it again.
Until then, I'll keep looking backward.
And driving my old BMW.
Quietly.
The way it should be.
