--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In its heyday, the car was an expression…" description: "\"In its heyday, the car was an expression of technical flair and design genius: the original Mini, the Beetle, the 2CV, and the Fiat 500 were all, in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png" --- # In its heyday, the car was an expression of technical… ![“In its heyday, the car was an expression of technical flair and design genius: the original Mini, the Beetle, the 2CV, and the Fiat 500 were all, in their various ways, inspired incarnations of functionality.” quote by Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png) > “In its heyday, the car was an expression of technical flair and design genius: the original Mini, the Beetle, the 2CV, and the Fiat 500 were all, in their various ways, inspired incarnations of functionality.” [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote celebrates classic cars as symbols of technical flair and design genius, embodying functional beauty. **In simple terms:** Classic cars embody functional beauty. Key Takeaway Appreciate design that marries form and function. Themes design technology heritage Mood nostalgic appreciative Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - automotive history - collecting - design education Key Concepts industrial design aesthetic functionality Questions to Reflect On - What design elements inspire you? - How can functionality guide modern design? A Different Perspective Modern cars may lack same charm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beetles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beetles/) [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Car Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car-expression-999845/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-genius-999846/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Fiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiat/) [Fiat 500](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiat-500-999847/) [Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flair/) [Functionality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functionality/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Heyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heyday/) [Heyday Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heyday-car-999848/) [Incarnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarnation/) [Inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspired/) [Mini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mini/) [Original](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original/) [Original Mini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-mini-999844/) [Originals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originals/) [Technical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technical/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) ## Related quotes > [I mostly drive around in a Fiat 500 TwinAir, and that's a pretty small car!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/i-mostly-drive-around-in-a-fiat-500-twinair-and-that-s-a-pretty-small/) [Richard Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/) > [My company Independent Ideas worked with Gucci on a special edition Fiat 500.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lapo-elkann/my-company-independent-ideas-worked-with-gucci-on-a-special-edition/) [Lapo Elkann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lapo-elkann/) > [The way I drive, the way I handle a car, is an expression of my inner feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/the-way-i-drive-the-way-i-handle-a-car-is-an-expression-of-my-inner/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Avoiding the all-too-typical divisive trappings of a takeover and creating instead a shared transnational culture - this is one of the most important lessons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-elkann/avoiding-the-all-too-typical-divisive-trappings-of-a-takeover-and/) [John Elkann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-elkann/) > [My Fiat Multipla is bright green - it looks like a frog. I look like a monkey, so between the two of us, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-holland/my-fiat-multipla-is-bright-green-it-looks-like-a-frog-i-look-like-a/) [Dominic Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-holland/) > [Our fiat currency is under increasing stress with our large and growing trade deficits. We have a federal deficit that is calculated in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-noory/our-fiat-currency-is-under-increasing-stress-with-our-large-and/) [George Noory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-noory/) > [I think fiat currencies will become digital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/i-think-fiat-currencies-will-become-digital/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [You bought a Ferrari but you drive it like a Fiat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zlatan-ibrahimovic/you-bought-a-ferrari-but-you-drive-it-like-a-fiat/) [Zlatan Ibrahimovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zlatan-ibrahimovic/) > [You will see more fluctuation, I believe, in the private cryptocurrency rather than the fiat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/you-will-see-more-fluctuation-i-believe-in-the-private-cryptocurrency/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [“The report, which did not cite sources, said VW, the world's No. 2 automaker, was interested in acquiring Chrysler to help it improve its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-report-which-did-not-cite-sources-said-vw-the-world-s-no-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Chrysler's best assets were its Jeeps, minivans, and light trucks. Fiat's expertise was in small-car technology and fuel-efficient engines, the very thing that Chrysler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-marchionne/chrysler-s-best-assets-were-its-jeeps-minivans-and-light-trucks-fiat/) [Sergio Marchionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-marchionne/) > [The history of fiat money is little more than a register of monetary follies and inflations. Our present age merely affords another entry in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/the-history-of-fiat-money-is-little-more-than-a-register-of-monetary/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [I know Fiat plans to start manufacturing cars in Iran. This is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/i-know-fiat-plans-to-start-manufacturing-cars-in-iran-this-is-wrong/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [The worst car I've ever had was a Fiat X19.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ant-anstead/the-worst-car-i-ve-ever-had-was-a-fiat-x19/) [Ant Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-anstead/) > [When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari. If you drive a Ferrari you put premium fuel in the tank, you drive onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zlatan-ibrahimovic/when-you-buy-me-you-are-buying-a-ferrari-if-you-drive-a-ferrari-you/) [Zlatan Ibrahimovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zlatan-ibrahimovic/) ## More by Martin Jacques > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [No one likes to admit they are racist or bear prejudices. Nor do they even like to be open and honest when they witness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/no-one-likes-to-admit-they-are-racist-or-bear-prejudices-nor-do-they/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-the-truth-be-told-we-are-a-society-that-is-dripping-in-racism-this/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [In Formula One, the car can make a difference in a way that a driver cannot. Whereas Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna spent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-formula-one-the-car-can-make-a-difference-in-a-way-that-a-driver/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [In the aftermath of 9/11 and in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, few questioned the idea that the United States was likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-and-in-the-build-up-to-the-invasion-of-iraq/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [At the heart of globalisation is a new kind of intolerance in the West towards other cultures, traditions and values, less brutal than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/at-the-heart-of-globalisation-is-a-new-kind-of-intolerance-in-the/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Our leaders increasingly see fit to lecture the ethnic minorities on the need to integrate, including of course the need to speak English. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/our-leaders-increasingly-see-fit-to-lecture-the-ethnic-minorities-on/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [If one wanted to find a modern symbol of personal freedom, the motor car is right there near the top of the list. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-one-wanted-to-find-a-modern-symbol-of-personal-freedom-the-motor/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Blair - except at the edges - was a Thatcherite. Brown, in contrast, regarded Thatcherism as something that had to be taken on board…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/blair-except-at-the-edges-was-a-thatcherite-brown-in-contrast/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Western countries are thoroughly accustomed to being the centre of global attention, which they have come to regard as their natural birthright. Not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/western-countries-are-thoroughly-accustomed-to-being-the-centre-of/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [The American model was celebrated by Thatcherites and New Labour alike, California worshipped as the model of the future, 'Anglo-Saxon' embalmed as the fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/the-american-model-was-celebrated-by-thatcherites-and-new-labour/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [One of the characteristics of New Labour - and Miliband is irredeemably of that species - is that, in the guise of a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/one-of-the-characteristics-of-new-labour-and-miliband-is-irredeemably/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [The two ethnic groups that remain fundamentally different from the Han Chinese - in terms of history, culture, language, religion and physical appearance -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/the-two-ethnic-groups-that-remain-fundamentally-different-from-the/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Sport is increasingly played according to the tune, and rules, of those with the biggest bucks, whether their practices be legal or illegal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/sport-is-increasingly-played-according-to-the-tune-and-rules-of-those/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [Following the end of the Cold War, there was much discussion concerning the point of NATO. In the event, it was reinvented as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/following-the-end-of-the-cold-war-there-was-much-discussion/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) [Explore all 98 Martin Jacques quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) ## More Beetles quotes > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Perdiccas threatened to put him to death unless he came to him, "That's nothing wonderful," Diogenes said, "for a beetle or a tarantula would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/perdiccas-threatened-to-put-him-to-death-unless-he-came-to-him-that-s/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [Why do we shave? It doesn't seem like a natural activity. There are no examples of shaving in nature. The only creature that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/why-do-we-shave-it-doesn-t-seem-like-a-natural-activity-there-are-no/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I hear hundreds of years of life. I hear wind and rain and fire and beetles. I hear the seasons changing and birds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-hear-hundreds-of-years-of-life-i-hear-wind-and-rain-and-fire-and/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [I have my own views about Nature's methods, though I feel that it is rather like a beetle giving his](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-have-my-own-views-about-nature-s-methods-though-i-feel-that-it-is/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Kant, as we all know, compared moral law to the starry heavens, and found them both sublime. On the naturalistic hypothesis we should rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/kant-as-we-all-know-compared-moral-law-to-the-starry-heavens-and/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [Our faculties are more fitted to recognize the wonderful structure of a beetle than a Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/our-faculties-are-more-fitted-to-recognize-the-wonderful-structure-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“The great evolutionary biologist J B S Haldane (1892-1964), on being asked by a cleric what biology could say about the Creator, entertainingly replied,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beerling/the-great-evolutionary-biologist-j-b-s-haldane-1892-1964-on-being/) [David Beerling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beerling/) > [“Tackled some giant, burrowing beetles the other week, if you can believe that…. At that stage I didn’t know about it either – only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-speed/tackled-some-giant-burrowing-beetles-the-other-week-if-you-can/) [Mark Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-speed/) > [The idea of beetles came into my head. I decided to spell it BEATles to make it look like beat music, just a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/the-idea-of-beetles-came-into-my-head-i-decided-to-spell-it-beatles/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [There are 400,000 species of beetles on this planet, but only 8,000 species of mammals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/there-are-400-000-species-of-beetles-on-this-planet-but-only-8-000/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [Knowing is a veneer out minds create and lay over the landscape like a painter's drop cloth set upon a forest floor. Its uniformity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kramer/knowing-is-a-veneer-out-minds-create-and-lay-over-the-landscape-like/) [Greg Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kramer/) > [“Beetles never stop. They gnaw silently and relentlessly. Guilt is like that too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-olsen/beetles-never-stop-they-gnaw-silently-and-relentlessly-guilt-is-like/) [Gregg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-olsen/) > [“Love has made him surprise himself. He would never have believed it possible, but it's turned out that he is a man who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/love-has-made-him-surprise-himself-he-would-never-have-believed-it/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Browse all 69 Beetles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beetles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In its heyday, the car was an expression of technical flair and design genius: the original Mini, the Beetle, the 2CV, and the Fiat 500 were all, in their various ways, inspired incarnations of functionality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Jacques" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression-of-technical-flair-and-design/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beetles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression-of-technical-flair-and-design/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/martin-jacques-6623_beetles_in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression_1685367.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In its heyday, the car was an expression of technical flair and design genius: the original Mini, the…” — Martin Jacques", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Martin Jacques", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In its heyday, the car was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression-of-technical-flair-and-design/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/in-its-heyday-the-car-was-an-expression-of-technical-flair-and-design/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```