Type of styling to rear car bodywork
A
fastback
is an
automotive styling feature
, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail.
[3]
[4]
The
kammback
is not a fastback design with a roofline that tapers downward toward the car's rear before being cut off abruptly.
[5]
Some models, such as the
Ford Mustang
, have been marketed explicitly as fastbacks, often to differentiate them from other body styles (e.g. coupe models) in the same
model range
.
Definition
[
edit
]
A fastback is often defined as having a single slope from the roof to the rear of the vehicle.
[6]
The 1974
Leyland P76
can be considered both a fastback (with a single uninterrupted slope from the roofline to the rear) and a liftback that is hinged at the roof
Traditionally a fastback will have a trunk opening that is separate from the rear window which remains in a fixed position.
[8]
The term "fastback" is not interchangeable with "
liftback
"; the former describes the car's shape, and the latter refers to a roof-hinged
tailgate
that lifts upwards for storage area access.
More specifically, the
Road & Track
Illustrated Automotive Dictionary
defines the fastback as
A closed body style, usually a coupe but sometimes a sedan, with a roof sloped gradually in an unbroken line from the windshield to the rear edge of the car. A fastback naturally lends itself to a
hatchback
configuration and many have it, but not all hatchbacks are fastbacks and vice versa.
[9]
In the case of the
Ford Mustang
, the term "fastback" is used to differentiate against the
coupe
notchback
body style,
[10]
[11]
which has a steeper rear window followed by a horizontal trunk lid.
History
[
edit
]
Automobile designers in the 1930s began using elements of aircraft aerodynamics to
streamline
the boxy-looking vehicles of their day.
[12]
Such designs, which were ahead of their time when exhibited during the early 1930s, included a
droplet
-like streamlining of the car's rear, a configuration similar to what would become known as the "fastback" 25 years later.
[13]
Merriam-Webster first recognized the term "fastback" in 1954,
[4]
many years before the popularization of the term "hatchback", which entered the dictionary in 1970.
[14]
Opinions vary as to whether the terms are mutually exclusive.
Early examples of fastback cars include the 1929
Auburn
Cabin Speedster, 1933
Cadillac V-16
Aerodynamic Coupe, 1935
Stout Scarab
,
[15]
1933
Packard
1106 Twelve Aero Sport Coupe,
[16]
Bugatti
Type 57 Atlantic,
Tatra 87
,
Porsche 356
,
Saab 92/96
,
Standard Vanguard
,
GAZ-M20 Pobeda
, and
Bentley Continental R-Type
.
Aerodynamic advantages
[
edit
]
Fastbacks provide an advantage in developing
aerodynamic
vehicles with a low
drag coefficient
.
[17]
For example, although lacking a
wind tunnel
,
Hudson
designed its post-World War II cars to look aerodynamic, and "tests conducted by Nash later found that the Hudson had almost 20% less drag than contemporary
notchback
sedans".
[18]
However, the aerodynamic teardrop shape meant lower headroom for rear seat passengers, limited visibility to the rear for the driver, and also meant a less practical, elongated rear end design.
[19]
Australia
[
edit
]
In Australia, fastbacks (known as "slopers") were introduced in 1935, first designed by General Motors'
Holden
as one of the available bodies on
Oldsmobile
,
Chevrolet
, and
Pontiac
chassis. The sloper design was added by Richards Body Builders in Australia to
Dodge
and
Plymouth
models in 1937; it was subsequently adopted by Ford Australia in 1939 and 1940, as well as a sloper style made on Nash chassis.
[20]
According to automotive historian
G.N. Georgano
, "the Slopers were advanced cars for their day".
[21]
Europe
[
edit
]
In Europe, there was a sloping rear on streamlined cars as early as 1945, from which the shapes of the
Volkswagen Beetle
and
Porsche 356
are derived.
Japan
[
edit
]
In Japan, the
Toyota AA
first adopted the fastback style in 1936. It was strongly influenced by the 1933
DeSoto Airflow
. The 1965
Mitsubishi Colt 800
was the first
post-war
Japanese
fastback,
[22]
and the 1958
Subaru 360
was the first
kei
fastback. The
Prince Skyline 1900 Sprint
was developed by
Prince Motor Company
in 1963, but was never marketed.
[23]
Afterwards, all Japanese automakers adopted the fastback style, with the 1967
Honda N360
, 1968
Nissan Sunny
Coupe,
[24]
1968
Mazda Familia
Rotary
Coupe,
[25]
1970
Suzuki Fronte "Sting Ray Look"
, and 1971
Daihatsu Fellow Max
.
[26]
From the late 1960s to the 1970s, American
coke bottle styling
became popular in Japan, as seen on
Toyota
's 1973
Celica "Liftback"
.
[27]
[28]
[29]
North America
[
edit
]
In North America, the numerous marketing terms for the fastback body style included "aerosedan", "club coupe", "sedanette" and "torpedo back".
[30]
Cars included
Cadillac
's
Series 61
and
62
Club Coupes, as well as various other models from
General Motors
,
Ford
, and
Chrysler
.
From the early 1940s until 1950, nearly every domestic manufacturer offered at least one fastback body style within their model lineups. Although the styling was good, the cars had less trunk capacity compared to the notchback designs.
[31]
In the mid-1960s, the style was revived on many GM and Ford products until the mid-1970s.
"4-door coupe"
[
edit
]
Marketing terminology changed in 2004, with the launch of the first generation
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
. It was described as a
4-door coupe
, a purely marketing term describing its fastback
sedan
arrangement, with fastback coupe-profiled bodywork and two doors on each side. The design reinterpreted the concept used in the 1992-1997
Infiniti J30/Nissan Leopard J Ferie
, which is not a true fastback.
This marketing term was followed by other competing models, such as the
Audi A7
and the
BMW 6 Series
Gran Coupe,
Audi A5
Sportback,
BMW 4 Series
Gran Coupe,
Volkswagen CC
,
Volkswagen Arteon
,
Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
,
Aston Martin Rapide
, and
Porsche Panamera
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
McCourt, Mark J. (July 2013).
"1967 AMC Marlin"
.
Hemmings Motor News
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
"1968 Mustang"
.
musclecarfacts.com
. 24 May 2021
. Retrieved
20 July
2021
.
- ^
Flammang, James M. (1990).
Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1986
. Krause Publications. p. viii.
ISBN
9780873411332
. Retrieved
1 March
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"fastback"
.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
Gold, Aaron (8 July 2020).
"Exploring Kammback History and Examples?and Why the Design Makes Sense"
.
Motor Trend
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
"fastback"
.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary
. 2010
. Retrieved
1 March
2016
.
- ^
Zyla, Greg (16 November 2020).
"Cars We Remember: AMC Marlin: A fastback family car that was not a muscle car"
.
The Register Guard
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
"What is a fastback?"
.
carkeys.co.uk
. 7 April 2017
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
Dinkel, John (2000).
Road & Track Illustrated Automotive Dictionary
. Bentley.
ISBN
0-8376-0143-6
.
- ^
"1965 Ford Mustang Fastback Guide"
.
autotrader.com
. Retrieved
17 April
2018
.
- ^
"1967 Mustang Specifications"
.
mustangspecs.com
. Retrieved
17 April
2018
.
- ^
Walker, Clinton (2009).
Golden Miles: Sex, Speed and the Australian Muscle Car
. Wakefield Press. p. 16.
ISBN
9781862548541
. Retrieved
24 December
2015
.
- ^
Georgano, Nick N., ed. (2000).
The Beaulieu encyclopedia of the automobile
. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. p. 960.
ISBN
978-1-57958-293-7
. Retrieved
11 June
2012
.
- ^
"hatchback"
.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
. Retrieved
24 December
2015
.
- ^
Clements, Rob.
"EyesOn Design 2007 Report"
.
ultimatecarpage.com
. Retrieved
24 December
2015
.
- ^
Adler, Dennis (2004).
Packard
. MotorBooks/MBI. p. 960.
ISBN
978-0-7603-1928-4
. Retrieved
24 December
2015
.
- ^
Noffsinger, Ken R. (June 2012).
"The G-Series Wind Tunnel Test Report"
.
aerowarriors.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
Severson, Aaron (6 September 2009).
"Step-Down: The 1948-1954 Hudsons"
.
Ate Up With Motor
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
Almeida, Danillo (3 February 2023).
"Kammback Is the Art of Making Air Flow Over Air"
.
automobible.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2024
.
- ^
"The Sloper Page"
.
Hand Publishing
. Archived from
the original
on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
24 December
2015
.
- ^
Walker, p. 18.
- ^
サイドガラスは上ヒンジ! 日本初のファストバックスタイルは三菱の水島製作所が作ったこの車|1968年式 三菱 コルト1000F 2ドアDX Vol.1
- Nosweb.jp
- ^
プリンス自動車のインサイドスト?リ―第5回│プリンスが自作した1900スプリント
- octane.jp
- ^
【?車】初代サニ?ク?ペ「名機A型エンジンを搭載した小さな傑作車」
- Webモ?タ?マガジン
- ^
【昭和の名車 18】マツダ ファミリア ロ?タリ?ク?ペ(昭和43年:1968年)
- Webモ?タ?マガジン
- ^
昔はスタイルを優先していた!? 秀逸なデザインの個性派?自動車5選
- くるまのニュ?ス
- ^
Sobran, Alex (15 May 2017).
"This Toyota Celica Liftback GT Beautifully Couples Japanese And American Design"
.
petrolicious.com
. Retrieved
7 September
2020
.
- ^
Koch, Jeff (1 January 2016).
"1971-'77 Toyota Celica"
. Hemmings Motor News
. Retrieved
7 September
2020
.
- ^
Fets, Jim (3 December 2010).
"Collectible Classic: 1976-1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback"
.
Automobile Magazine
. Retrieved
7 September
2020
.
- ^
"The Forty-Niners"
.
Time
. 24 January 1949. Archived from
the original
on 31 January 2009
. Retrieved
24 December
2015
.
- ^
Pittenger, Donald (11 April 2017), "Buick's Stylish, Impractical Fastbacks",
The Style Critic
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Fastbacks
.