As the discussion of the future of the American auto industry has waxed and waned since late last year, I have wondered...at what point did cars, and American cars in particular, become bland boxes? Chrysler did a good job combatting this in the 90s with the PT Cruiser and to a lesser extent with their current take on the 300, but my feeling is that most cars today, foreign or domestic, seem soulless. I love the idea of a Prius, but there's nothing about its appearance that makes my heart swoon.

I'm not a gearhead, and with the possible exception of my number one car, I'm more drawn to design than what's under the hood. So with that in mind, I give you my own personal Top 10 list of favorite cars, starting with numbers 10 to 6.

10. The Phantom Corsair

Designer: Rust Heinz

Year produced: 1938 (1 built)

Heinz designed a unique car with features that are hallmarks of contemporary luxury cars, such as keyless entry (the doors were unlocked via an electric keypad) and other advanced features like independent adjustable shocks, front-wheel drive, and an electric gearbox. It sat four passengers in front and two in back in order to make room for another of Heinz's luxe touches: a built-in beverage cabinet.

The car had an aluminum and steel body built on a Cord chassis and using a Cord V-8 engine, and thanks to its aerodynamic design (another fairly novel feature in 1938)  it could hit a top speed of 115 mph. Intended as a limited-production vehicle with a sticker price of $12,500 (just over $189,000 in 2008 dollars), the materials rationing during World War II and Rust Heinz's untimely death (in an auto accident, naturally)  put the kibosh on the Corsair.

Thoughts: Where can we find the next Rust Heinz? We need a designer who can imagine a stylish car decades ahead of its time working for a company that can start incorporating that technology in cars priced for mass consumption.

9. The Tucker '48 (aka The Tucker Torpedo)

Year Produced: 1948 (51 made overall)

Designed by: Alex Tremulis

Preston T. Tucker turned to veteran Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg auto designer Alex Tremulis for his sedan, the Tucker '48 (nicknamed the Tucker Torpedo). Tucker had a number of innovative ideas for the car, but not all of them (such as fuel-injection for the engine and disc brakes) made it into the final design. Features that made included a frame design that anticipated modern crumple zones, a third headlight called "the Cyclops Eye" that turned on when the car rounded curves or turned corners, and a padded dash. Additionally, Tremulis's design suggests the bullet-nosed front that Raymond Loewy and his team would use for Studebaker for their 1950 and '51 Commander and Champion models.

Unfortunately, design problems (primarily with  the engine and transmission) plagued the 36 prototypes produced at the Tucker plant, and Tucker's unorthodox revenue raising for his company led to his indictment at the hands of U.S. Attorney and future Illinois governor (and future felon) Otto Kerner. Tucker was acquitted, but unfortunately the Tucker '48 never made it into full production. a total of 51 sedans, all considered prototypes, were built.

Thoughts: I would love to see a car company attempt a modern take on the Tucker design. Regulation and safety technology have caught up to what Tucker was trying to do back in 1948, so hopefully  the production problems that plagued him (not to mention the hostility of the auto establishment and the press) will not be factors.

8. The Kaiser Darrin

Year Produced: 1954 (435 built, plus 6 prototypes)

Designer: Howard "Dutch" Darrin

Kaiser Motors is probably best known for the Henry J., one of the first American econoboxes, and for being Jeep's manufacturer after buying Jeep's parent company, Willys-Overland. The Darrin was the first fiberglass-bodied car to hit the market, beating its intended competitor, the Corvette, by a few months. It had a modest 6-cylinder, 90 horsepower engine but its light body ensured sports car performance. The unique design included doors that slid forward into the fenders rather than open outward. Its base sticker price was  $3655, the equivalent of about $29,000 today. Not bad for a cute little convertible.

Thoughts:  Another hip design that wouldn't seem out of place on the road today. When I stumbled across the Kaiser Darrin my thought was that Tesla Motors should acquire the rights to copy and update this design for a second-generation Tesla Roadster. The current Roadster is a modified Lotus Elise. Nothing against Lotus, but an updated take on the Kaiser Darrin, would be a real eye magnet.

6. (tie) Studebaker Lark

6. (tie) Nash/AMC Rambler

Studebaker Lark line produced 1959-1966, with re-designs by Brooks Stephens

Nash/AMC Rambler line produced 1950-1969

These cars are on this list because I think they represent what the Detroit Three need--to change their way of thinking.

In the case of the Studebaker Lark, Studebaker Motors was in big, big trouble after bleeding money for years (sound familiar?), so Studebaker decided to abandon the full-sized car market and focus on compacts. The result was the Lark, and its success arguably kept Studebaker going through the 1966 model year. In the case of the Rambler, materials shortages during the Korean War led Nash-Kelvinator to focus on compacts.

The result were cars with fuel economies respectable even by modern standards, 25+ miles per gallon for both models. In fact, Studebaker and AMC so dominated the Mobilgas fuel economy challenge that they were given their own division so the Big Three's models could "win." Sound familiar?

Thoughts: The Lark and Rambler prove that the Japanese didn't invent the compact economy car; we had some companies doing a pretty good job before Detroit walked away from economy cars. They also proved "compact" doesn't have to equal "cramped" or "underpowered"; the Lark in particular could seat six comfortably and had V8 models that got a fuel economy on par with my four-cylinder Honda Element. U.S. automakers could have owned the small car market. Why didn't they seize the opportunity? 

Coming soon...my top five.