When I first came to America I was lost in the automotive world, recognizing only those few European and Japanese cars that were also sold in Britain. In all the confusion of American cars, there was one that stood out as being a great looker, however: the Dodge Stratus.

To Americans it will probably appear ridiculous to classify the Dodge with other exotic cars in this blog, it being a common sight on all the roads in the States. But to new eyes the Stratus is a model of good design. It looks big to me, being so used to small cars, but it is well proportioned and clean in looks. The secret is in the stripes and lines that so many designers are compelled to draw down the sides of their cars; these are intended to make a car look longer and lower than it really is, to hide the fact that it is ugly, in fact. Note that the Dodge does not need any addition to its sides - it works just as it is.

It looks purposeful too, with its low nose and high tail, a very satisfying shape to modern eyes now that we are so used to the demands of aerodynamics. But where it really works best is in the tail; the elegant join of rear window to short trunk, the curve of the bumper echoing the scalloped tail above it, the large and unfussy tail clusters, everything is just right.

So laugh at me if you will; I think the Stratus is one of the best looking American cars on the road.

Early in one of my other blogs, Formula 1 Latest, I posted about the Italian ATS team that attempted racing in F1 in 1963. That attempt ended in complete failure but was caused partly by the brand new company trying to do too much, too soon. In addition to running the F1 team, they designed and built one of the prettiest GT cars ever to see the light of day, the 2500 GT.

In fact, the car was not just pretty. It was one of the first production cars to put the engine behind the driver and ahead of the rear wheels - what became known as mid-engined. And the 2.5 liter V8 engine was designed by Carlo Chiti, who had been one of Ferrari’s top engineers. The ATS V8 was acknowledged to be a fine engine, one of the best products of Italian design at the time.

So it is a great shame that only twelve 2500 GTs were made; the company disintegrated as promised financing failed to appear and everything fell apart before the end of the year. Yet the car itself continues to be one of the most desirable classics of all time and deservedly so, I think.

I have never been a big Cadillac fan but this time I think they have hit the nail on the head. The CTS range is a treat for the eye and has the performance to match. BMW and Mercedes must be worrying about this one.

The overall feel of the design is of strength and compactness. Note how the high waistline gives the feeling of solidity and the sharp angles and straight lines reinforce the initial impression of a car that means business. There are details in the design at the front that I could quibble with but these are minor in comparison to the excellent proportions of the whole car.

And the rear is as near perfect as it gets, preserving echoes of the high tail lights we expect from Cadillac but ultra-modern in its approach. Everything about the car confirms that it is exactly what it sets out to be: big (but not too big), beefy and businesslike.

They even race the CTS and it does very well. And, of course, in race trim it looks absolutely wonderful!

As this blog grows, I find myself writing increasingly of the design of a car, rather than its specifications. I suppose that this is only to be expected in that I have always admitted to being more interested in the look of a car than how fast it is or how reliable.

This leads me naturally to speak of designers and I confess to preferring some above others. Everyone has heard of Pininfarina, for instance, but I consider their designs to be slightly conservative although always successful.

Much more to my taste is the work of Zagato. If any designer is going to take a risk or break new ground, it is Zagato. Often Zagato designs seem strange at first and it is only later that we can see what the intention was. Almost always the cars they design come to be classics in time, however.

Have a wander around the Zagato website, particularly the gallery, and you will see what I mean. Note how the modern Zagato Aston Martin DB7 echoes the classic DB4 that the company designed in the sixties.

These days the Germans produce some very clean and purposeful designs and the Japanese too have some interesting designers. But, if it’s pure, unadulterated beauty you want, the answer must come, as it always has, from Italy. And Zagato is one of their best.