France's "Big Three" Styling Variations 1937

In the late 1930s automobile manufacturers were largely concentrated in five countries: United States, England, Germany, France and Italy in descending order of production.

France, like the USA, had three dominant carmakers plus a number of lesser firms.  Unlike America in those days, styling offerings by those companies -- Renault, Citroën and Peugeot -- was notably varied, also true for most French competitors.  I posted "Styling Variety: 1930s French Cars" here.

The present post focuses on berlines (4-door sedans) listed in the 20,000-22,000 francs range, a step up from entry-level.  The Renault is the Primaquatre, Wikipedia entry here.  The Citroën is the 11 CV Légère, general Traction Avant entry here.  Finally the Peugeot is the short-lived model 302, entry here.

The Gallery below presents three-views of each example plus single views of contemporary American "Big Three" models, illustrating styling variability or its lack.

Gallery

1939 Renault Primaquatre Sport Berline - car-for-sale photos
Renault was France's leading carmaker in terms of production.  Styling of most models, including the one pictured here, was the most conventional in the context of its time.  I have trouble finding usable images of many French cars, so this 1939 model will have to represent one from 1937.  The main difference seen here is the grille.

1937 Citroën 11 BL Légère Berline - RM Sotheby's Auctions photos
The basic Citroën Traction Avant design appeared for the 1934 model year, so some details were already old-fashioned by 1937.  On the other hand, its front wheel drive feature permitted a lower-to-the-ground body, creating a racy appearance difficult for conventional rear wheel drive competitors to match.  Note the lack of a running board, radical for 1934.

1937 Peugeot 302 Berline - Bonhams Auctions and car-for-sale photos
Peugeots have tended to feature conservative styling.  But that was not the case in the late 1930s on its xx2 models.  The most radical feature is the Chrysler Airflow- like front end with Peugeot's own positioning of the headlights behind the grille.  Also no external running board.

1930s French cars often featured beltlines that fell off to the rear, as can be seen here.  All three cars shown here have doors hinged on B-pillars.  Related to that, the C-pillar zones are wide.  The attached trunk is the other main 1939 feature.

The low profile slightly exaggerates the already large height of the windows.  Front wheel drive places the grille at about the same point as the front axle line; late '30 cars were tending to have grilles moved forward, as can be seen in the Renault image above.

Profile is similar to the 1934 Chrysler Airflow, though lower and more streamlined than the CU sedans.  Also similar are the spatted rear wheel openings and their winged decorations.

As mentioned, the trunk was added for 1939.  Citroëns began to get such trunks model year 1951.  Note the Renault's large for its time, one-piece backlight window.

I don't have a left-facing rear view photo of this car: sorry.  Again, note the proportionally massive passenger compartment greenhouse.  The lower body and fenders seem more fragile by comparison.

Rear styling is similar to that to 1934 Chrysler CU Airflow 2-door coupés, aside from the exposed spare tire cover.
For some context, below are three 1937 sedans from America's leading carmakers. Their styling is more uniform than what was pictured above.

1937 Chevrolet Master Deluxe - car-for-sale photo
General Motors was the styling leader in those days, so competitors tended to follow its lead.

1937 Plymouth De Luxe - car-for sale photo
Chrysler's entry level Plymouth's styling is in the same general vein as GM's entry-level Chevrolet's, as seen above.

1937 Ford DeLuxe - car-for-sale photo
Fords were more individualistic, perhaps because Henry Ford did not like to copy competing cars' features such as inline-six cylinder engines and independent front suspensions.  He wasn't much interested in styling, a domain of his son Edsel.  The individuality here is front end styling.  Note the headlights blended into the fender-hood catwalks instead of free-standing as on the other cars.  All told, less individuality here than on the contemporaneous French cars.

Peugeot 203 Walkaround

Peugeot is, and was for decades, one of France's three leading domestic automobile brands, along with Renault and Citroën.  World War 2 and its economic aftermath retarded development of replacements for its prewar line until the 203 was announced to the public in the Fall of 1948, the same time as Citroën's famous 2CV.  Renault's 4CV debuted in the Fall of 1946 and began production a year later thanks to development work done during the war..

Shown here is a Peugeot 203 displayed at the October 1948 Salon de l'Automobile in Paris, the 203's début.

The Wikipedia entry for the 203 is here, and my earlier post about the car is here.

I don't have a complete walkaround image set for the Peugeot 203, so below is a composite from two different cars.  The pale blue Peugeot is a 1949 model that was auctioned, though I don't have the exact photo source.  The wine-colored car is a 1958 model listed for sale.  As can be seen, exterior differences are trivial, despite the large model year difference.

Gallery

The license indicates that car was in the Bouches-du-Rhone département, where Marseilles is located.  My general impression is that it seems more American than sometimes quirky French designs such as Peugeot's own prewar "Fuseau-Sochaux" 202, 302 and 402 models.

What I see here is a scaled-down version of 1942-1947 General Motors styling.  Proportions are not the same due to its smaller size, but note some similarities.  These include the front fender overlapping the front door, the hood profile, the sides of the car flowing over the running board, the horizontal belt line (French ones usually dropped downward towards the rear) and the fastback profile.  A non- postwar GM feature is the front door's "suicide" hinging on the B-pillar.

Aft end styling reminds me of the Saab 92 that entered in production in 1949, its prototype appearing in 1947.  The two designs were likely developed independently of one another.

Rear styling was rather spartan in those days.  Note the shape transfer where the fastback meets the fender-aligned part of the trunk lid.

Wide C-pillar zone.  A three side-window arrangement could easily be called for from a practicality standpoint.  Perhaps the added cost of materials and assembly nixed the possibility.

Aesthetically, however, the two-window design seems more attractive than a three-window version would have been.

The flat windshield was old-fashioned from an American perspective, but practical from a postwar French one.

Simple grille, unlike the distinctive ones found on the prewar Peugeots mentioned above.  Lacks character and brand identity.  But it's practical, maybe a result of French logique.

1959 Pontiac Bonneville Hardtop Coupe Walkaround

Pontiacs and the rest of General Motors were redesigned for model year 1959 (aside from Cadillac's line-topping model 75 nine-passenger cars).

This was in reaction to Chrysler Corporation's sleek 1957 line that made GM's more rounded new 1957 (Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac) and 1958 (Chevrolet and Pontiac) designs seem dumpy.  Those designs were the final ones entirely developed under the direction of long-time styling chief Harley Earl.  His staff rebelled, being shocked and impressed seeing some pre-release Chrysler models.  The result was a crash redesign for 1959; those '57 and '58 designs normally would have remained in production for three or four years.

Earl did not reach retirement age until 1958, so the new '59 designs were technically created under his direction.  What I do not know is how much input was his and how much came from those rebellious staffers.

My guess is the the flat rooflines on the new cars (clearly influenced by Chrysler) and the tail fins on all brands save Oldsmobile (also via Chrysler) along with lower hoods were what the rebels wanted.  But the trim and other details were more in Earl's line of thinking.

That said, let's take a look at an example of Pontiac's most expensive model line.  Images below of a 1959 Pontiac Bonneville Sport Coupe are via Raleigh Classic Car Auctions.

Gallery

The general impression I get is fussiness.

GM's wraparound windshields introduced 1953-54 have mutated to "wrap-over" as well, a short-term industry fad.  The fussiest segment is the rear fender zone.  Here we see tail fins, the after segment of a chrome strip, teardrop-shaped wheel opening and four chromed horizontal dashes, three of which crowd the chrome strip too closely.

That fussiness seen from another perspective.

The V-shape dual tail fins are an odd touch that adds nothing positive to the design.  It's a "Hey, we're different!" kind of thing.

Those projections at the edges of the bumper mostly relate to the side profile of the car while negating the purpose of the bumper.  And the bumper's functional part is the narrow band along its top that partly frames the taillight assemblies.  From a practical standpoint, the car has minimal rear-end protection coupled with features (the projections) that could unnecessarily damage another car.

Note the sculpting on the upper part of the front fender.  As seen here, it does not seem helpful to the overall design.

In actuality, that sculpting is an extension of grille framing.  So it's somewhat logical, but not attractive.  The front bumper functionally is a narrow, upper band, as was the case at the rear.  At least there are no pointed projections to spear another car. 

Viewed from the front, the design becomes more simplified.  The two segment grille theme that became a Pontiac "trademark" appeared here for the first time.  It disappeared for 1960, but returned for '61 and beyond.

The dashboard features plenty of chrome that might yield blinding light reflections.
I didn't comment about the passenger compartment greenhouse design because it was the same as on other GM brands' hardtop coupes.  My focus was on Pontiac-specific features.

Cadillac's Last Coupes (So Far?)

Cadillac last marketed coupes in model year 2019.  Since then, only four-door sedans and SUVs have been offered.  That seems to be a consequence of the shift in American car sales away from traditional sedans and coupes to SUVs.  Not enough demand to justify coupe-related tooling expenses.

Today's posts features the Cadillac CTS coupe produced 2011-2014 and the Cadillac ATS coupe of 2015-2019.

CTS coupes had a wheelbase of 113.4 inches (2880 mm), ATS coupe wheelbases were 109.3 inches (2776 mm).

The styling theme was a continuation of Cadillac's use of planes with sharp (tight radius) edges in various parts of the designs.  Something like early "stealth" combat aircraft such as the F-117 Nighthawk and superstructures on modern warships.

Gallery

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe - BaT Auctons photos
Smooth, curved sides with some visual activity by the rocker panel. Crisply folded details are atop the fenderline by the side windows and, more extensively, at the front end.

2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe - factory publicity photos
Low, Honda-like hood profile.  Also faceting at the hood's edges.  Similar frontal theme to that of the earlier CTS in the image above.

The side seems too plain to me.

More sculpting here provides a more aggressive appearance.  Note the passenger compartment greenhouse design.  Very similar to that of the CTS coupe, aside from the slant of the B-pillars.  I wonder if some CTS tooling was used.

The "stealth" theme is strong on the rear end.

But more subdued here.  Both designs are attractive, though I prefer the leaner ATS.

Rolls-Royce Silver Clouds, Standard and Long

For 1955, Rolls-Royce finally joined the post- World War 2 trend to "envelope" bodies, where fenders were largely or entirely integrated with the main car body.  The resulting Silver Cloud was perhaps the best Rolls-Royce design of the 1949-to-present era when RR supplied complete all-metal bodies.  (Previously, Rolls-Royce bodies were created by coachbuilding firms.)

I posted a Silver Cloud Walkaround here.  The Wikipedia entry for the Silver Cloud is here.

Basic Silver Clouds could be owner-driven, supposedly a step down from the aristocratic/luxurious practice of the owner seated in the rear, the driver being a chauffeur.  Since that didn't comport with Rolls' position at the apex of the motoring world, a lengthened version was introduced for 1957.  Standard and lengthened Silver Clouds are compared in today's post.

Wheelbases, regular and long: 123 ionches (3124 mm), 127 inches (3226 mm).

Lengths, regular and long: 213 inches (5410 mm), 215.7 inches (5480 mm).

Lengthening was achieved in the rear passenger compartment, its exterior form being a wider door.  Now a chauffeured Rolls could carry its back-seated owner in proper comfort.

Both cars in the Gallery below were listed for sale on the Internet.

Gallery

1957 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I - car-for-sale photos
The standard, first-generation Silver Cloud.  Designer John P. Blatchley included the then-traditional Rolls-Royce grille and hood, an essentially-envelope body, and a 1950-vintage British sports car fenderline.  An odd assortment, but he made it work very well.  When the subject of Rolls-Royce comes up, this is one of a few designs that comes to my mind immediately.

1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, Long Wheelbase - car-for-sale photos
Second-generation Silver Clouds differed from the first generation mechanically, not styling-wise.

Differences are best seen in side views.  This is the initial, classic profile.

Long wheelbase version with its larger passenger compartment greenhouse.  The retractible rear door main window is clearly wider, as is the fixed window abaft of it.  Door cutlines on the rear fender seem the same.  The C-pillar is narrower here.  The overall effect is a moderate downgrade from the standard's profile.

Note the slight sculpting forming the C-pillar's profile transition to the roofline.  A subtle, useful touch.

It's missing here, the C-pillar - roofline - backlight window zone becoming curved, softer.  And less visually interesting.

Saab Sonett II and Sonett III Evolution

The Saab Sonett (Wikipedia entry here) was one of the "popular price" sports cars available in the American marketplace in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Others included MGs, Fiat 124s, and beginning around 1970, Datsun 240Zs and Porsche 914s.

As the link mentions, there was a very low-production Sonett I competition car in the mid-1950s.  The Sonetts that concern us today are the Sonett II (1966-69) and Sonett III (1970-74).

The United States was the target Sonett market.  In addition to Wikipedia's entry content (as of early September 2026), I suspect a reason for Saab's dropping the Sonett line was the prospect of increasing costs required to deal with safety-related and other regulatory requirements in the USA.

All images below are via Bring a Trailer Auctions.

Gallery

1969 Saab Sonett II V4
Very early Sonett IIs were powered by Saab's two-stroke inline three motor.  Most had Ford V-4 engines.  The design has 1960s sports car coupé features such as a flowing fender line and "power bulge" on the hood, but the overall impression I get is that the appearance is rather crude.

1971 Saab Sonett III
Sonett IIIs received a more professional styling effort, mostly in the form of a refined front end.  The black horizontal lines under the grille opening are the front bumper sections.

1968 Saab Sonett II V4
Long hood line, with the driver's head positioned aft of center.

1973 Saab Sonett III
Besides the changed front end, a small side window was added abaft of the B-pillar, and the area behind it blanked off.

1969 Saab Sonett II V4
The latter point is more clear when seen from this perspective.  Here, the backlight window is large and panoramic.

1971 Saab Sonett III
Now the backlight is smaller, becoming a hatchback entry point.  Aft end detailing is more conventional and attractive, complementing the frontal changes.

1974 Saab Sonett III
American regulations required substantial bumpers, so final-year Sonetts got that large slab.  Also a 1973 grille design a little more in line with Saab 96 passenger cars.

1968 Saab Sonett II V4
The backlight window is fixed in place, so I don't know what those two bright round spots by its forward edge represennt.

1969 Saab Sonett II V4
A view of the Sonett II "chassis."

1968 Saab Sonett II V4
Sonett IIIs had a small, but more conventional hood design, unlike what you see here.