First-Generation American Panoramic Windshields

General Motors usually set the styling theme pace for American carmakers from the late 1920s through the 1960s.  Of course there were exceptions.  Other firms sometimes introduced features before GM -- an example is placing headlights in front fenders.  And GM sometimes designed cars that didn't sell well -- the late 1950s, for example.

One styling feature that briefly dominated American design was the panoramic (or "wraparound" as we usually termed it in those days) windshield.  It was a pet project of GM's design supremo Harley Earl.  They first appeared 1950-51 on the LeSabre and XP-300 "dream cars."  Model year 1953 saw them on Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Fiesta convertibles.  And for 1954, Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs were redesigned with panoramic windshields.

Model year 1955 saw most models from the other carmakers sporting such windshields, although it took until 1956 for a few other brands to catch up.  Some models such as Studebaker coupes and Nash Metropolitans never went panoramic.

Not all brands from each manufacturer are shown below.  Only examples of each new windshield design are presented in the interest of keeping this post from becoming too long.  The only major omission is the 1956 Lincoln whose windshield was similar to other vertical A-pillar designs.

Gallery

1954 Cadillac Coupe de Ville - BaT Auctions photos
Here is GM's C-body version.

Windshield is tall and framed by A-pillars that are essentially vertical.

1954 Oldsmobile Super 88 - RM Sotheby's photos
GM B-body windshield.

Also tall, but the A-pillar slants forward.

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air - car-for-sale photos
C-body cars were redesigned for 1955.

A-pillars are essentially vertical, a common solution.

1955 Ford Customline - car-for-sale photos
Fords were massively facelifted for 1955.  Roofs were flatter and windshields became panoramic, but not as high as the GM versions.

Again, a vertical A-pillar.

1957 Continental Mark II - car-for-sale photos
The Mark II appeared for model year 1956.  Its panoramic windshield is unlike the others shown here.  It does not intrude into the roofline.

A-pillars slant to the rear.

1955 DeSoto Firedome - Barrett-Jackson photos
Windshields used for Chryslers and DeSotos.  Not as tall as General Motor's versions.

The main difference was the aft-slanting A-pillar.  Same sort of pillar as before, but anchored farther aft.  This gave Chrysler cars a more conventional appearance and seems to have reduced or eliminated the distortion found on GM cars.  In 1956 my father test-drove Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets, experiencing annoying distortion.  So he bought a DeSoto instead.

1955 Dodge Coronet - GAA Auction photos
The panoramic on CHhysler Corporation's entry brands.  Its upper frame is aligned with the upper side window framing.

Another aft-slanting A-pillar.

1955 Packard 400 - Daniel Schmitt photos
Packard's strong '55 facelift included a panoramic windshield.

It's pretty much like the GM vertical A-pillar designs.

1955 Studebaker Champion - car-for-sale photos
Studebaker added panoramics partway in to the 1955 model year.

Similar to Chrysler's solution.

1955 Nash Ambassador - photo via Hemmings
Another facelift, but not as strong as Ford's or Packard's -- changes were at the front end, plus the windshield.

1955 Nash Ambassador - car-for-sale photo
Again, a largely vertical A-pillar

1956 Nash Rambler - car-for-sale photos
Rambler was redesigned for 1956, so its panoramic windshield was probably intrinsic to the styling.

From this photo, the pillar is vertical.  But back in the day, I always felt that the A-pillar tilted slightly aft.

Lincoln's Rare 1942 Convertibles: Basic and Continental

The 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor triggered the entry of the United States into World War 2.  Domestic automobile production ceased before the following March, making model year 1942 a drastically shortened one.  For example, Ford Motor Company's Lincoln built only 327 convertible coupes, 191 of which were basic Lincoln-Zephyrs, the remaining 136 were classic Lincoln Continentals.

Today's post compares the Zephyr and Continental convertibles.   The Wikipedia entry for Lincoln-Zephyr is here, that for the Continental is here.

Both models were built on 125 inch (3175 mm) wheelbases, but Continental's proportions differed, as can be seen in the Gallery.  The Zephyr convertible's list price was $2150, Continental's was $3000.  So the Continental was 40 percent more expensive than the Zephyr alternative.  Put another way, a Zephyr convertible could be had for 72 percent of the price of a Continental.

Lincoln-Zephyrs, launched for model year 1936, were redesigned for 1940, and the '40 design was given a significant facelift for 1942.  When car production resumed after the war ended, 1942 styling was retained until the 1949 redesign.  With one major exception: grille bars were completely revised, making '42 Lincolns distinctive as well as rare.  I wrote about the 1942 Lincoln facelift here.

The Lincoln-Zephyr images are via BaT Auctions.  Lincoln Continental photos are from Mecum Auctions -- likely the same car, but via publicity for different auctions.

Gallery

1942 Lincoln-Zephyr Convertible Coupe
Showing the new, wide, grille design promoted by Ford's styling chief Bob Gregorie, who later felt that it made the rest of the car seem a bit diminished (see my link above).

1942 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet
The Continental is lower, but doesn't seem much different from the Zephyr at first glance from this perspective.

Now differences show up.  A minor instance: the door and lower body sides flow over the running board, a very early-1940s American thing.  The Continental's running boards are tucked in below the doors and body sides: no flow.

The Continental's passenger compartment is shifted aft of the Zephyr's.  The result is a long hood and longer front fenders.  The hood and beltline are slightly lower, creating a more elegant appearance.

Greatest differences are at the rear.  Here we find a rounded trunk lid related to previous Zephyr practice, and contrasting the new, more angular front.  The rear fenders were redesigned for 1942, largely in the form of the raised tail light assemblies.  This is another contrast that seems a trifle odd given its juxtaposition with the nearby trunk.

Rear fenders are shared with the Zephyr, but the rest of the car's back end is standard Continental design.

Ferrari Luce: Electric Sedan for 2027

Ferrari's recently announced Luce electric sedan (Wikipedia entry here) has generated a lot of controversy.  Criticism centers on the idea that its styling is bland, not at all Ferrari-like.  Some observers thought the car could ruin the brand's reputation.

This post is my initial take on the Luce (Italian for "light," though there are some other connotations).

I need to state that I've never been much of a Ferrari fan.  I respect the brand.  But like other exotic, expensive, high-performance brands, I can't seem to relate to it.  My favorite Ferrari models from a styling standpoint are almost entirely from the 1950s.

Perhaps that might make my analysis more objective than that from a Ferrari true believer.  Well, I hope so, though I too have biases.

One complaint regarding Luce styling is that the designers,  Jony Ive and Marc Newsome, are basically industrial designers lacking automobile design experience.  Newsome did design the odd, toy-like 1999 Ford 021C concept car, but that's all, aside from the Luce.  Ive is best known for his work at Apple.  This lack of experience does not guarantee failure, though designs by industry outsiders have tended to be unsatisfactory.

Luce styling follows the general electric vehicle (EV) theme characterized by simple forms lacking sculpting and decorative brightwork.  Nothing intrinsically wrong with that, given the styling fashion in recent decades for complicated details on wind tunnel formed basic shapes.

One complaint (that I share) is that Ferraris should not be EVs.  Ferrari, at its core, is V-12.

Another deviation from the Ferrari norm is that the Luce is a four-door, four-seat sedan.  That in itself potentially means that its design could not be Ferrari-like because Ferrari has been a sedan-free brand.  As it happened, Ferrari did start building four-door, four-seat cars in 2023.  The model is called the Purosangue (Italian for "pureblood").  Its Wikipedia entry is here.

Ferrari.com's Purosangue page stated (as of June, 2026):

"The Ferrari Purosangue is the first ever four-door, four-seater car in Ferrari’s history, but models with two rear seats have played a significant role in the company’s strategy since the very beginning.  Now, in the culmination of 75 years of leading-edge research, Ferrari has created a unique car and the encapsulation of the Prancing Horse’s DNA, where performance, driving pleasure and comfort coexist in perfect harmony.  And that’s why this new model was called Ferrari Purosangue – Italian for thoroughbred."

So a brief comparison with the Luce follows at the end of the Gallery below, where images are via Ferrari.

Gallery

EVs often seem odd because they lack the radiator-grille car-face mouth required by conventionally powered cars.  Here, the black areas above and below the front bumper strike band mimic conventional air intakes.  There's little inherently wrong with the design aside from not evoking Ferrari's image.  The basic fault is that the shape is too soft.  Were the sculpting enhanced even moderately, the design would be improved, its themes (such as they are) enhanced.

I'm guessing that the black thing abaft of the front wheel opening is an opening to exhaust hot air from the front wheel brake.  Rear styling is simple.  I notice no chrome trim whatsoever.

Simple, flowing shapes.  But even the red paint and yellow fender crest do not make this a convincing Ferrari.  Put some Auto Union linked rings at the front, and this could be a nice, sporty Audi EV.

As mentioned, sedans are traditionally foreign to Ferrari, which might be a subtle factor in the criticism leveled against the design -- basic proportions are not of the sports car or GT sort.  It's hard to see here, but the aft cutline of the rear side door drops vertically from a point slightly abaft of the leading edge of the C-pillar.

2023 Ferrari Purosangue
Here is Ferrari's other 4-door, 4-seat model.  Its wheelbase is only 2.2 inches (57 mm) longer than the Luce's, so side-view comparisons are fair.  I could easily be wrong, but the Luce appears to be based on a basic body structure similar to the Purosangue's.  Note the side window upper profile, the B-pillars.  Clearly major proportional differences, due to the V-12 motor up front on the Purosangue, creating an aggressive, Ferrari-like stance.  But the need to economize tooling costs might have led to the noted similarities.

The Oldsmobile 88 Hardtop Coupe Saga: 1950-1974

The American "hardtop convertible" originally was a body based on true convertible coupes (that lacked B-pillars) but had racy, metal tops.  That type was in production in the USA from 1949 into the mid-1970s, with a few four-door versions lasting until the end of that decade.

What killed hardtop convertibles was government car safety regulations relating to body structures in rollover accidents.   The lack of a B-pillar meant a greater chance of a roof collapsing on rollover. 

Today's post presents Oldsmobile 88 versions of hardtop coupes, the idea being to feature a single make/model as basis for comparison of passenger greenhouse designs over the period they were offered.

Cars pictured below are from the first model year of each design, aside from the 1974 facelift.  Unless noted, images are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

1950 Oldsmobile 88
Although Olds 88s appeared using General Motors' new A-bodies for the 1949 model year, A-body hardtop convertibles on Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Olds 88s didn't arrive until 1950.  I consider this passenger compartment greenhouse design the "classic" for hardtop convertibles.  Probably because they were new when I was a schoolboy, and my mind was imprinted by them.

1951 Oldsmobile Super 88 - Mecum Auctions photo
Partway into the '51 model year, GMs' new B-body Oldsmobiles appeared as Super 88s, while A-body Oldses continued as 88s.  All 88-type Oldsmobiles used B-bodies for 1952.  The wide C-pillar is shrunken and the backlight window narrowed, all in the interest of nearly-unobstructed exterior vision.  That desideratum continued until the mid-1960s.

1954 Oldsmobile 88
Model year 1954 saw the advent of panoramic (wraparound) windshields on Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs.  Backlight window profiles are similar to the previous design's.

1957 Oldsmobile 88
Here the backlight profile (including three-segment glass) returns to the 1950 type, but with a narrower C-pillar.  This was replaced in the massive 1958 facelift by a design similar to that of 1954.

1959 Oldsmobile 88 - Mecum
Model year 1959 saw GM's most extreme quest for panoramic exterior visibility.  Side-window profile is extremely long, the windshield and backlight window wrap towards the roof, and the C-pillar is long and narrow.

1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 - BaT Auctions photo
Panoramic windshields are now history, but panoramic fenestration continues.

1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88
Perhaps due to Ford Thunderbird influence, wide C-pillars became the vogue in the 1960s.  Here the backlight is comparatively narrow and the rear quarter windows also are comparatively narrow.

1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88
That theme continued in the '71 redesign, though the backlight has been widened again.

1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88
A major facelift.  Google AI says the quarter windows could be rolled down, though most photos such as this one show them rolled up.  Note the heavy side pillar -- a concession to the regulations noted above.  Oldsmobile 88's 1977 redesign featured a wide B-pillar: hardtop coupes were dead.

Mecedes-Benz R230 in Context

When I was young, I was seriously interested in sports cars.  I subscribed to Road&Track, bought Motor Trend and similar car buff magazines monthly, in part to keep up with the latest foreign and domestic sports car offerings.

Of course, I couldn't afford a new sports car of any kind, being a high school student, next a university student, and after that an Army enlistee and graduate student.  Finally, age 31, I bought my first and only sports car, a Porsche 914.  That was in the early 1970s, entering a time when small coupes and some sedans were approaching and even matching sports car performance.

So affordable sports cars began falling by the wayside.  Most two-passenger sports cars were expensive.  Think Porsche 911s, Ferraris, some Mercedes and such.  I gradually reduced paying attention to such vehicles.  Which is why I seldom write about post-1975 sports car styling.

I need to correct that.  As it happened, a few days before I drafted this post (late May 2026), I spotted a black Mercedes sports car in the artsy-poo town I live near.  It looked really nice.  Did some research, finding the car might have been 20 years old!

It was a Mercedes-Benz R230 SL500.  The general Wikipedia entry for SL-Class Mercedes covering the various models over time is here (scroll down for links to more detailed information on specific models).  For instance, the link to R230 cars is here.

The title of this post mentions Context.  Which means that a R230 SL500 is compared to previous (R129) and subsequent (R231) examples.  All three sports cars are attractive, but I find the R230 marginally better, a pure judgment call.

Gallery

1990 Mercedes-Benz R129 500SL - BaT Auctions photos
Mercedes sports cars in those days tended to follow detail cues from the firm's upscale sedans.

2006 Mercedes-Benz W211 E-Class - factory photo
Compare front end styling to the that of the car in the following image.

2005 Mercedes-Benz R230 SL500 - BaT Auctions photos
Simple frontal design with details such as the grille shape and oval headlight assemblies adapted from the contemporary (2002-vintage, each) W211 design shown above.

2012 Mercedes-Benz R231 SL500 - BaT Auctions photos
The next generation design.  Headlight assembly shaping is more complicated.  Grille bar is larger, something like early 1950s American heavy-chrome grille bars.  The chin air intake is more angular, departing from the rounded theme on the R230.

All three designs follow a "wedge" profile theme.

Although there are similarities, the R230 body is not the same as the R129's.

However, the R231 looks suspiciously like a facelift of the R230 design.  Wikipedia's detailed R231 link from the general SL entry cited above suggests that the design was a new one.

Rear quarter view.

The above design is sensible, but I find the R230's aft end more interesting.

I dunno. It does seem like a facelift.

Below are more images of a R230 Mercedes.  It's black, similar to the one I saw that inspired this post.

2003 Mercedes-Benz R230 SL500 - BaT Auctions photos
Like the car I saw, the retractible hard top is raised.

Rear quarter view.

I find the frontal styling more appealing than fronts of the R129 and R231.

That said, I wonder if the ovals would look better separated, somewhat like the headlights on the W211 sedan pictured above.

Nevertheless, the subtly rounded frontal design, with only the grille bars as contrast, works very well for the overall styling.