Platonic Forms - Ford and Chevy

1963 Ford Fairlane

1963 Chevy Impala

As an American male who grew up in the Sixties, telling apart Chevy's and Fords' was part of my visual DNA. If you were following either make on the highway, all it took was a glance and one could tell the difference. Both of the cars above are from the same model year, 1963.  But, when the 1964 models came out, I would have recognized the new versions as being either Chevy or Ford without need for the confirmation of reading the name "Ford," or "Chevrolet" on the nameplate. Different car makes had a design constancy over time, a recognizable visual branding, but this was back in the days before the aerodynamic traits of a car were so important. Today's automobiles are so similar looking because of the imperative for decreased wind resistance. In short, today's cars all look like suppositories to me.