1961 General Motors Two-Door Hardtops

From the late 1940s through most of the 1950s General Motors segregated its sets of basic platforms/bodies by price/prestige hierarchy rank.  For example, in 1950 the A-body was shared by Chevrolet and Pontiac, the B-body by Oldsmobile and Buick, and the C-body by Cadillac and top-of-the-line Oldsmobiles and Buicks.

But in the great GM panic reaction to the redesigned 1957 Chrysler Corporation line, the firm's 1959 brands shared body variations based on a common cowl/windshield structure.  That continued for the 1961 redesign (that seems to have retained some elements of the 1959-vintage bodies).

Today's post presents side views of 1961 hardtop coupes from each General Motors brand.  With one minor exception, passenger compartment greenhouses are identical.  So what interests me here is variations in body styling.  Front and rear ends are ignored because they are more explicitly brand-identification oriented than side decor -- a larger topic for perhaps a later discussion.

Images below are by brand hierarchy rank from low to high.  Most cars are at the middle of each brand's own hierarchy.

Gallery

1961 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe - Mecum Auction photo
Impala was Chevy's top model in '61.  Hence the wide two-tone swath on the side, a residue of 1950s American car industry two-tone flamboyance.

1961 Pontaic Ventura Sport Coupe - Mecum
Pontiac's mid-range Ventura model had a more sculpted side treatment along with a whiff of two-toning.  Note the flowing fender line that changes the car's character slightly from the horizontal belt line seen here and more clearly on the Chevrolet photo above.

1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe - for sale
Olds got a spear shaped rear fender and side sculpting that emphasized it.  The fussiness seen abaft of the rear wheel opening pulls the eye there, distracting from the rest of the design composition.

1961 Buick Invicta - factory image
Buick's spear shape is on the front fender ("the old switcheroo" as practiced by GM Design?).  Vestigial Buick "portholes" are found on the front fender as well.  The rear fender sculpting has fussy touches, but works better than what Oldsmobile did.

1961 Cadillac DeVille - for sale
Cadillac's greenhouse received special shaping of the C-pillar area in order to set these cars apart from GM's lesser hardtop coupes.  Caddy tail fins, a brand fixture since 1948, are retained.  Side sculpting emphasizes the car's length.

1961 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe - Mecum
I think this clean Chevrolet side styling is the best of the lot.