CARS OF 2009

The 10 Most Beatiful Cars for 2009 - Feature

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." —John Keats

Beauty, indeed, is a powerful thing. Specific though it may be to the observer, to each one of us, beauty has an intoxicating power that affects our judgment, blinds us to shortcomings, and, in many cases, provokes lust.

10. 2009 LOTUS ELISE/2009 ARIEL ATOM Lotus Elise and the skeletal Ariel Atom are not necessarily beautiful in the traditional sense, the fact that they weigh next to nothing yet offer more power than many sport-utilities can make a math-minded car enthusiast drool at the sight of their unconventional bodies like Pavlov’s dogs in a bell factory.

9. 2009 AUDI R8R8, Audi has brought the world a car that performs like a true supercar and is sculpted in double-take sheetmetal.

8. 2009 PORSCHE CAYMANThe Boxster is bitchin’, but the Cayman is beautiful. Yes, they’re more or less the same car, but the Cayman proves there’s something about a well-rendered roof that takes a good-looking car and drops it off at the doorstep of gorgeous.


7. 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-CLASSMercedes-Benz CLS-class proves that sedans can be beautiful, too. Sure, the CLS cheats a bit, achieving its captivating looks by incorporating some coupe-derived design elements such as a low, chopped roof and slim windows, and this translates into a cramped rear seat that holds only two people—short people.


6. 2009 AUDI S5One of the most passionate designs ever to come out of Germany, the S5 wears a perfect balance of masculine and feminine elements, mixing a strong, assertive gaze with elegantly flowing fenders and a thick fuselage offset with delicate brightwork.

5. 2009 PONTIAC SOLSTICE COUPEThe Solstice coupe is easy on the eye from any angle, and at an estimated $25,000 when it hits the market early next year, it’ll be pretty easy on the wallet, too.

4. 2009 ASTON MARTIN V-8 VANTAGEThe V-8 Vantage is absolutely gorgeous. With the same long-hood, short-deck formula as that of its larger sibling, but with a slightly different styling edge in the form of large wheels and a ducktail tush, the V-8 Vantage offers a rarely achieved balance of beauty and sportiness, proving that classic GT proportions are indeed scalable.


3. 2009 MASERATI GRAN TURISMOThe GranTurismo succeeds not with ornamentation but through the emotional, almost whimsical curvature of its plus-size body. The fact that a raucous, Ferrari-derived V-8 resides under the long hood is just icing on one helluva beautiful cake.


2. 2009 ASTON MARTIN DBSCarbon fiber is the dominant material for the body of this quintessential gentleman’s grand tourer, and its brilliant, classic proportions are blessed with better curves than a Bond girl and a more chiseled jaw than Double-O himself.

1. 2009 ALFA ROMEO 8C COMPETIZIONEPurity of form—billowing fenders, teardrop windows, and almond headlamps, among other things—and the perfect positioning of details are what makes the 8C so sexy.

Courtesy of caranddriver.com