You Want to Tell Me This Isn't Art?

I'm not-so-secretly in love with the BBC tv show Top Gear, which is is about cars. On the show, three really funny middle-aged British men bicker about which absurdly expensive supercar is the best, insult hybrids and electric cars, have drag races (and every other type of race you can think of- including one that involved public transportation), and destroy old cars. As a result of my obsession with this show, I now know way more about cars than I ever wanted to know- and I know way more cars than I ever realized existed. The show is great, and I suggest you watch it, but not really because of the cars; instead, watch it because its completely hysterical (ex. motorhome racing with real race car drivers, ribald humor and British lackadaisical censorship (meaning they get away with a lot more than they would on any regular channel), and general ridiculousness/hilarity.

Anyways, in Series 9 (I think they're in Series 16 or something now), Episode 2, the three presenters are given the challenge of picking the most stylish coupe (which I think is British for a sporty 2-seater car). As a further challenge, they were sent to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and had to prove to a panel of art historians/curators why each of their cars was the best piece of art. For the most part their answers were very silly, and the art historians mostly thought the presenters were a waste of their time (which I thought was a bit harsh. I mean, as if your modern art is all that much better than a nice car? Yeah guys, get over yourselves). The one they finally picked was the Alfa Romeo Brera (which is far from the best looking car, as far as I'm concerned, but perhaps that was their point- coupes aren't very pretty?) This is a Brera:

However, as far a really gorgeous cars go, in my opinion, the prettiest car in production is currently the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni:

Ignore the fact that it is orange. But do note the gold and white stripe. Hold on while I show you another view:

Please, tell me that is not a thing of beauty. Yes, it is a car, and yes, it is absolutely gorgeous. If you disagree, there is something wrong with your eyes. Or you hate orange. Or maybe you dislike Italians, since this car is an Italian work of art?

Anyways, down to the business of whether or not a car can be art. On the show, they used the definition that art is something that has no other function of beauty, but I completely disagree with this definition. First, art can be functional (think of all sorts of Medieval religious objects, or ancient pottery), and second, it does not have to be beautiful (it could be grotesque, for example). Take fashion for example: high fashion (haute couture)  is designed, produced, and marketed as art. Really nice cars, like the Lamborghini, are also thoughtfully designed with aesthetics in mind. Seriously, look at that car and tell me that that car isn't meant to be a thing of beauty.

The "what is art" debate is nothing new. Keep in mind the 1917 work by Marcel Duchamp entitled "Fountain", which is a urinal turned on its side and signed, "R. Mutt". Art? As another example, "folk art" can encompass things like painted plates and quilts. If that all counts, certainly the Lamborghini counts.