Jaguar XK150 Walkaround

Back in 1957 when the new Jaguar XK150 (Wikipedia entry here) first appeared, I was graduating from high school.  Jaguar XK120s and XK140s were fairly common in the Seattle area in those days, so the appearance of the 150 was shocking to me: What on Earth happened to Jaguar?!?  From lean and mean, Jaguar sports cars were now ... tubby.

I seem to have mellowed a tiny bit over the succeeding decades.  In 2016 I posted "What Were They Thinking?: Jaguar XK150" and concluded, stating:

"From the perspective of nearly 60 after its announcement, the XK150 doesn't irk me as much as it did when new.  Much of that has to do with the fact that the 120 has also receded from view (they're seldom seen on streets and roads these days) dulling my sense of comparison.  That said, the 150 is not a good design. Bulky, with awkward detailing.  William Lyons surely abandoned his good taste with this one."

In 2019 I compared one aspect of Jaguar XK series designs in my post "Jaguar XK120 to 150 Fixed Head Coupe Evolution."

The present post features a walkaround of an XK150 Fixed Head Coupe, photos via Bonhams Auctions.

I'm avoiding comparisons with earlier XKs, attempting to evaluate the XK150 design in isolation (though that's not necessarily an easy task, given my youthful imprinting by the classic XK120).

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The frontal aspect is classical, working well with one exception.  Even though there are many rounded features on the lower body, I find the top windshield framing (and the roof behind it) slightly too curved.

The cowling seems too high.  Perhaps there were engineering reasons for that.  Otherwise, the hood could profitably been lowered and inch or two (25.4-50.8 mm).  And made less rounded, along with the lower windshield framing.

The fenderline seems to sag in the middle.  Its rear fender zone looks odd because its peak is well aft of the wheel opening.  Ideally, the high point should be aligned with the wheel's hub.  The door's aft cutline and related metal stamping structure made a rising curve starting at that point potentially a little awkward.  A rise beginning on the door would interfere with the door handle, so there was no easy solution given the existing front fender design.  Still, a differently centered rear fender profile is needed.

The backlight window is too wide because the C-pillar looks too narrow.

As noted, a flatter, less-curved roof would be an improvement.  There are too many curves, roundings, on this design.  A touch of contrast would improve things.

A flatter, somewhat more angular passenger compartment greenhouse could yield a wider C-pillar and a more squared-off after side window.  That, along with a lower, flatter hood would improve matters.  So would a more curvaceous fenderline.

But the frontal aspect could be retained.

1938 American Rounded Body Styling: Side Views

Around the mid-1930s, American carmakers launched new designs incorporating (in most cases) all-steel tops and all-steel framing.  And where these features were not in place, competing designs had similar appearances to those that did.

This is the first part of a three-part series that presents views of 1938 models that had bulbous kinds of bodies with windows that featured noticeably rounded framing.  An important reason for this kind of styling had to do with sheet metal stamping and automobile glass forming states of the art in those days.  And of course, there was a fashion component, where other brands made use of style-leader General Motors' cues.

I selected the 1938 model year because most mid-priced brands were using such styling at the time -- just before GM redesigned some models for 1939 in a less-rounded manner.

By "mid-level," I used 1938 Oldsmobile list prices for four-door touring sedans as benchmarks -- $995 for the Six, and $1107 for the Eight.  Competing sedans had list prices within about ten percent of that range.

Other posts in this series will show rear-quarter and front-quarter views of the selected models.  Brands are pictured below in alphabetical order.  Unless noted, photos are of cars listed for sale.

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1938 Buick 40 Special
What General Motors was making and many other brands were following.  This '38 Buick is a lightly facelifted version of the 1937 redesign.  Rounded shaping is found nearly everywhere aside from the hood.

1938 Chrysler Royal
Plenty of rounding here, but otherwise unlike the Buick.  Fenders are especially bulbous.  The rear end is more compressed due to shorter overhang.

1938 Nash Ambassador Eight - photo via Nash Car Club
The windows on Nashes were less-rounded than on other cars shown here.  This was also true for '38 Hupmobiles (not shown).  Otherwise, the body shape generally conforms to the rounded fashion.

1938 Packard Six Touring Sedan
This was Packard's entry-level model.  Its profile is oddly high at the after end of the passenger compartment greenhouse.  Were back-seat passengers expected to be wearing hats, thereby requiring plenty of headroom?  This creates an awkward relationship with the after side windows and rain gutter line.  The hood is typically angular-Packard, a necessary marketing touch in those days.

1938 Pontiac Deluxe Eight
Another GM body for reference.

1938 Studebaker State Commander Cruising Sedan
Again, similar in spirit to GM's theme.  Like the Packard, the after side window and roof profile do not related well to one another.  GM and Chrysler stylists and engineers did a better job here, though not a great one.
Readers might wonder why no Ford Motor Company cars are shown.  That's because Ford did not have a brand in the price class used here.  Its Mercury Eight, introduced for the 1939 model year, filled that bill.

Postwar Chrysler Corporation 4-Door Sedans - Profile Comparisons

Years ago I wrote a post titled "Postwar Chrysler: Four Brands, One Body."  I was referring to Chrysler Corporation's policy of economizing product development by having all four of its brands using the same body platform.  This was the case in the late 1930s, though a few 1934-vintage Airflows also continued to be marketed as late as 1937.  It was largely true for 1949-1952, aside from some slow-selling, shorter-wheelbase fastback and long-wheelbase limousine variations on the basic body platform.

The platform featured in the linked post and the present one was in production model years 1940- early 1949, with a hiatus during World War 2.  Aside from limousines, sedans used the same basic body structure abaft of the firewall. with minor variations  The main difference between brands was in wheelbase length, and that mostly affected the parts of the body forward of the cowling.  This is illustrated in the images below, clarifying points made in the earlier post.

Photos below are of cars listed for sale.

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1948 Plymouth: Wheelbase = 117.5 inches (1985 mm)
Plymouth's postwar facelift did not include the extended front fenders found on the other brands.  Aside from that, the body from the cowling aft is essentially that seen on the cars below.  But not exactly.  Plymouth was Chrysler's best-selling brand, competing against Ford and Chevrolet.  So it needed to be more in line with those in terms of weight and price.  Furthermore, Chrysler could afford to invest in the needed tooling adjustments. The result was that Plymouths were slightly modified abaft of the B-pillar: narrower rear passenger doors, shorter quarter window, slightly shorter trunk.  This seems to have been accomplished a minimal amount of totally new tooling.

1947 Dodge: Wheelbase = 119.5 inches (3035 mm)
The extension of the front fender onto the front door is seen here.  That extension alters the door's forward cutline required by the fender reshaping - door hinging relationship.  The added wheelbase length results in a longer hood.  From here on up the Chrysler line, bodies appear to be the same from the cowling to the rear.

1948 DeSoto: Wheelbase = 121.5 inches (3086 mm)
Next up in the Chrysler Corporation brand hierarchy is DeSoto.  Again, longer wheelbase. longer hood.

1948 Chrysler New Yorker: Wheelbase = 127.5 inches (3238 mm)
New Yorkers and Saratogas had the longest wheelbases.  The added frontal length reached the point where the overall design became unbalanced.  The front of the car seems too heavy, not well related to the rest.

1948 Chrysler Windsor
Chrysler Windsors and Royals shared the same wheelbase as DeSoto.  Here the hood is long, yet better integrated with the rest of the design.  I rate this as the best configuration of those shown here, though the Dodge design also works fairly well.

1975 Chrysler Cordoba Walkaround

I last wrote about the Chrysler Cordoba in 2016.  Today's post delves deeper into its styling in the form of a walkaround.

The initial Cordoba was an attractive car with several features borrowed from a few deades earlier.   According to this site: "Built on the [Chrysler] corporation’s B-body intermediate platform with a 115-inch wheelbase, the Cordoba was designed by the Chrysler B-Body Studio staff headed by Allen Kornmiller, a veteran of Ford, AMC and Chrysler."

The first-generation Cordoba sold well: 150,105 for 1975; 120,492 for 1976; 183,146 for 1977; and 124,825 for for 1978.  Then sales fell for 1979, and the less-interesting (though more conventionally-styled) 1980-83 second generation model sales totaled only slightly more than 100,000.

The Cordoba featured below was listed for sale on the Internet.

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The composition is interesting in that much of the car is ornamentation-free, yet there are contrasting areas (mostly the front end) that are elaborate.  Much like early 20th century Spanish Revival architecture in California.

Of course, I like the long hood and comparatively short trunk.

"Opera windows" aft of the B-pillar were a 1970s styling fad in America.  Ditto the Vinyl roof partial-covering -- the feature I like least.

Unlike the front end lighting, the taillight assemblies are rectangular in form.  Note the subtle wind-split on the trunk lid.

Although there is a "shoulder" along the upper part of the side, it is modified by some subtle shaping, as the highlights seen in this image and others.

The front is highly detailed.  The grille is nearly square and framed in classic 1930s British style.  The lights are quite similar to those found on the 1961-1970 Jaguar Mark X.

Rectangular instrument panel framing elements were a 1970s styling fad and found on other Chryslers including the 1975 New Yorker line.  Also recall the rear-end rectangular detailing shown earlier.

1952 Kaiser Overhead Views

Sometimes it can be interesting to view a fine design from unusual perspectives.  Today's post presents some high and near-overhead views of a 1952 Kaiser four-door sedan.  I wrote about the 1951 Kaiser redesign here.

The Kaiser brand had only one complete redesign -- for the 1951 model year, which accounts for the previous link.  A moderate facelift appeared for 1952 in the forms of a cleaner grille design and larger tail lights.  1953 Kaisers were nearly identical to '52s.

Below are images of a 1952 Kaiser as seen from high or near-overhead positions.  Such views are seldom seen in everyday settings.  But they provide some insight into the attention stylists had to pay in order to produce complete, production-ready exterior designs.

Images below are of '52 Kaiser Manhattan sedans listed for sale.

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Establishment shot of a two-door Kaiser -- how one might normally view it.  Compared to contemporary American sedans, Kaisers featured low basic bodies and tall passenger compartment "greenhouses."

Now for our subject car.  The hood is sculpted, of course, but flowing, not with hard folds and creases.  The most salient feature is the upper framing of the windshield, something basically unique to Kaiser.

Large (for the time) backlight window, again with the "heart" dip on the upper frame.

Beltline "shoulders" exist, but are not strongly defined.  The chrome strip enhances the fenderline flow.  The greenhouse has a curved planview perimeter, something not seen so much nowadays in the era of the SUV.

Showing the tapered raised part of the hood.  Something of an old-fashioned touch at a time when hoods were becoming wider and flatter (think 1952 Nash).

High side view of a very attractive design.

General Motors Four-Window Coupe Evolution 1935-1940

During the mid-through-late 1930s General Motors had the largest portfolio of car brands in the USA.  It also was the largest and most profitable firm.  As best I can tell, once GM had switched to expensive-to-tool all-steel bodies, it was still able to afford to produce more than one body platform while offering redesigns every two or so model years.

Styling was at the height of the great evolutionary transition from boxy cars with discrete elements such as fenders, running boards, headlight assemblies, non-integrated trunks and such to designs that blended those features with the appearance of streamlining.  Given the pathbreaking, it's not surprising that most designs of that era seem awkward to us because stylists were groping for attractive themes while constrained by the state of metal and glass shaping art of the time (that also was in a period of change).

Today's post deals with coupé styling by GM's Art and Colour group led by the famous Harley Earl.  Such cars might be expected to be stylish because coupes are intrinsically less massive than four-door sedans.  Yet it wasn't until the 1940 introduction of GM's C-body line that its coupes were really nice looking.

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1935 Chevrolet Master DeLuxe - Barrett-Jackson Auctions photo
Chevrolet Master DeLuxe, Pontiac and Oldsmobile sported new, all-steel bodies for 1935, including this 4-window coupe.  Steel pressing technology at the time required the rounded passenger greenhouse seen here.  Probably stylists drew rounded window profiles as a continuation of the shaping theme.

1935 Oldsmobile Six - car-for-sale photo
However, many coupes with those bodies were two-window affairs such as this.

1937 Chevrolet Master DeLuxe - Mecum Auctions photo
GM introduced new bodies for 1937.  Chevrolet had its own body set, some cars from other brands sharing them.

1937 LaSalle Opera Coupe - Mecum
This is a coupe using the longer-wheelbase 1937 B-body.  Window framing is less rounded, but the curve transitioning the greenhouse to the trunk is similar.

1938 Oldsmobile Six Business Coupe - car-for-sale photo
Small Olds Six coupes looked like this with their 1937-1938 bodies.

1939 Oldsmobile 60 Series - car-for-sale photo
This new body was shared with 1939 Chevrolet and Pontiac's Quality Six series coupes, all with wheelbases in the 111 to 115 inch range.  The front door is similar to that in the previous photo.

1939 Pontiac DeLuxe Eight - Mecum
Coupes with longer wheelbase B-bodies such as this Pontiac got a passenger greenhouse with a horizontal beltline and other crisper, less rounded, details.

1939 LaSalle - car-for-sale photo
Now for a closer look at LaSalle.  Tis coupe has the same basic body as the Pontiac in the previous image.

1940 LaSalle 50 - car-for-sale photo
That body was carried over to Series 50 LaSalles for 1940.

1940 LaSalle 52 - Mecum
But LaSalle was also given GM's new C-series bodies for 1940 on the brand's new Series 52.  These were very attractive cars -- an interesting combination of massive and lean features.  Especially the passenger compartment greenhouse is larger, better-proportioned than previous GM four-window coupes.

Studebaker's 1956 Four Hawk Varieties

Studebaker's 1953 Starliner hardtop coupe is regarded by me and many others as a classic car design.  It was facelifted slightly for 1954, and then more drastically (and unfortunately) for 1955.  I wrote about that here.

During that period, the design was in the form of a coupe with a fixed B-pillar as well as the pillarless hardtop.  For 1953-1954 the basic coupe was named "Starlight" (a carryover name from 1947-52), and as mentioned, the hardtop was "Starliner" (carryover from the 1952 hardtop).  The 1955 facelift led to the respective renaming of "Regal" for those coupe types, along with some sedans.

Model year 1956 saw an even more drastic facelift and re-naming.  Here, consideration was given to Studebaker's primary models -- the six-cylinder engine Champion and eight-cylinder Commander.  Champion coupes became Flight Hawks, Commander V-8 coupes were Power Hawks.  Hardtops were the Sky Hawk (in Studebaker's top-level President line) with a Studebaker V-8 motor, and the Golden Hawk with a larger, more powerful Packard V-8 engine.  These four are this post's featured cars.

For more background, I wrote about early Studebaker Hawk verions here, and some Wikipedia information is here.

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1956 Studebaker Flight Hawk - car-for-sale photo
The newly named Hawk line differed from 1955 coupes, having a new grille-hood combination and a revised trunk lid.  Not all Flight Hawks had one-tone paint jobs like this one.

1956 Studebaker Power Hawk - BaT Auctions photo
Power Hawk coupes had the same exterior appearance as Flight Hawks.  The important difference was its V-8 motor of 170-185 horsepower compared to the Flight Hawk's 101-horsepower inline six.

1956 Studebaker Sky Hawk - Studebaker photo
A Sky Hawk hardtop coupe seen at Studebaker's proving ground a short way west of South Bend, Indiana.

1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk - car-for sale photo
The line-topping Golden Hawk.  Its Packard engine had 275 horsepower compared to the 210-225 HP motors in Sky Hawks.  Goldens listed at $3,061 versus Sky Hawk's $2,477.

1956 Studebaker Flight Hawk - Mecum Auctions photo
Side views.  Besides the presence or absence of B-pillars, the main differences are in the side chrome trim and paint patterns.

1956 Studebaker Power Hawk - BaT
Again, no bodywork differences from Flight Hawks.

1956 Studebaker Sky Hawk - Mecum
The forward chrome trim is the same as seen in the previous two images.  Then there is that curious checkmark.  Its longer stem aligns with the after edge of the C-pillar, which is a professional touch.  My problem here is the checkmark itself.  A simple upkick linking the two horizontal strips / paint dividers would have been a cleaner, more sensible solution.

1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk - car-for sale photo
Here the primary chrome strip continues after its checkmark interruption.  And there's another strip aligned with the lower cutline of the door.

1956 Studebaker Flight Hawk - unknown photo source
As mentioned, trunk lids were restyled for 1956.

1956 Studebaker Power Hawk - BaT

1956 Studebaker Sky Hawk - BaT
Same rear styling as on Flight and Power Hawks.

1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk - car-for sale photo
Golden Hawks received small tail fins.  This is interesting, because Chrysler Corporation, famed for 1950s fins also modestly moved in that direction for model year 1956.  Note that two-toning extends to the aft panel the trunk lid.  The upper chrome frame of the backlight window is wider than found on the other Hawks.