Bentley has a history of bold, divisive designs. The EXP 15 won’t hit production, but it’s a blueprint for future models. Remember the EXP 9 F from 2012’s Geneva motor show? It raised eyebrows and wasn’t exactly loved. Yet, it laid the groundwork for the Bentayga SUV, which itself stirred debate for its looks. Challenging designs seem to be the norm now.
Julian Thomson, a top designer at General Motors, recently said designs should push boundaries. His studio turned out a sleek, stunning Corvette concept that proves “challenging” doesn’t have to mean ugly. But this trend toward dissonance is real. Designers know what beautiful looks like—they live it. Yet when it comes to cars, many pick bold, difficult designs.
Why make cars that are hard on the eyes? One theory says instantly pretty cars get boring fast. You fall out of love with straight-up beauty. But classics like the Aston Martin DB9 defy this. It stunned at launch and still turns heads. Other cars, like the Porsche Cayenne, were ugly from the start and stayed that way.
Look, life is full of headaches already. The daily grind, rising bills, bad commutes, insurance hikes, the endless surveys nobody listens to—why add visual stress? Car designers aren’t causing these problems, but their choice to create “challenging” cars adds one more thing to the list.
Some brands like Morgan see cars as an escape from life’s noise—something to brighten your day, not complicate it. It’s fair to say challenging looks don’t stop sales. Porsche proves that. But when did we decide that cars need to test our patience just by existing?
I want my eyes to light up when I see a car. Like when a dog sticks its head out of a window on a sunny day—effortless joy. There’s nothing wrong with making beautiful cars that truly make you feel good.
At a time when everything feels like a battle, why not let cars offer a little peace?
