1985 Volvo 244 DL: A Brick in a World of Curves

This is one of the nicest 240s I've seen. There's something to be said about the light metallic blue paint matched with the poverty spec steel rim covers. Foreshadowing to a discussion on minimalism you'll read below, this is a prime example of how minimalism works properly. This is why the 240 so aged well, as well as many other minimalist cars from the 1980s, such as the Mercedes Benz W123 and BMW E30. But why is this the case? Let's try to find out why...

I think I've run out of things to discuss regarding this infamous car. I wouldn't be surprised if you're tired of seeing and reading about them either! I can't help it though, bias to Swedish cars aside, I'm drawn to minimalism and all its basic forms. 

Cars today have many angular body panels, sharp taillights, or round edges that can be overwhelming and distracting from the car itself. They denote an aggressive tone from their design with their "angry headlights" and large, gaping grilles. The 240 perfectly exemplifies how beautiful minimalism can be, which I believe something to be overlooked when people think of these. 

I'm hoping someday, with the resurgence in neo-retro designs and the return of classic model names, such as the Ford Bronco, car designers will step away from computer designed vehicles and develop a car with a minimalist approach. Yes, the angular body panels, angry headlights, and large grilles defined the car design trends of the late 2010s and early 2020s, but I guarantee in five or ten years, these designs will look outdated and obsolete, and to be fair, some already are. One could argue that these aggressive, specific designs that were just described could be a product of the rapid planned obsolescence trend which also arose in the 2010s, but that would be a discussion for an economics class, and this is a car blog!