Oldsmobile Aeroback Design

The October 1973 Yom Kippur war triggered a fuel shortage that in turn resulted in the initial set of U.S. government fuel economy restrictions in 1975.  General Motors and other American carmakers reacted, planning next-generation models as being smaller and lighter than their larger existing mid-1970s production cars.  (All four firms were already marketing "compact" lines, so it was the medium-to-large models that required action.)

Many redesigned cars sold well.  Some others did not, including the subject of this post, the "Aeroback" (fastback) version of the fifth-generation (1978-1988) Oldsmobile Cutlass produced model years 1978-1980.  Buick built its fastback version, Century sedans and coupes 1978-1979, continuing the coupe into 1980, but decent Internet images of '78 Centurys are lacking for some reason, so the Olds is shown below.

The marketing problem clearly had to do with Aeroback styling -- Aeroback was not an official term, as best I can tell, but is used for that particular fastback design by writers, auctioneers, and so forth.  

Here is an intersting take regarding the origin of those cars with chopped-off rear ends:

"While the Aeroback resembled a hatchback, it offered none of a hatchback’s usefulness. The rear glass was fixed in place and the trunk opening was small and narrow. The giant rear side windows were stationary as well, generating claustrophobia for the rear seat passengers. Reliable sources at GM say the bodies were indeed designed as hatchbacks, but the function itself was eliminated as a cost-saving measure, leaving only an odd-looking sedan."

Back in the late 1970s it never occurred to me that Aerobacks were likely neutered hatchbacks.  But their styling only makes sense for that reason.  But to me and likely others, it simply looked like the chopped-off rears were a strong reaction to downsizing.  Other GM cars built on the same platform were notchbacks, proof that the downsizing could taken other forms.

I covered some of the same ground here in 2020, but without reference to hatchback design.

Gallery

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham Aeroback - car-for-sale photo
The four-door sedan body.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Coupe - car-for-sale photo
And the two-door version.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham Aeroback - car-for-sale photo
Yes, this looks like it might be a hatchback.  On an actual hatchback the backlight window framing and other bits would have required some beefing up.

Sedan with its trunk lid open.  Car-for-sale photo.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Coupe - GAA Auction photo
The slanted rear seems less odd on the two-door version.  The simpler fenestration abaft of the B-pillar might be a factor.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham Aeroback - car-for-sale photo
The "chop" seems linear at first glance, creating the appearance of a crude means of downsizing.  Yet GMs highly skilled styling staff gave the aft passenger greenhouse-cum-trunk very subtle curvature.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Coupe - car-for-sale photo
As noted, the coupe is better-looking.  Still, the trunk part of the profile seems oddy sawed-off front this viewpoint.

Lincoln's 1946 Postwar Facelift

The Lincoln-Zephyr was introduced for the 1936 model year as a streamlined, upper-middle price bracket addition to the luxury Lincoln line that was slowly fading away due to the Great Depression of the 1930s.  It was successful, and the classic K series Lincolns were phased out after the 1939 model year.

Even though the large Lincolns were gone from the Ford Motor Company portfolio, the name Lincoln-Zephyr persisted through the war-aborted 1942 model year.  The first Zephyr generation lasted 1936-1939 with a major facelift for 1938.  They were redesigned for 1940, and facelifted in 1942.  When production resumed following the war for the 1946 model year, the name "Zephyr" was dropped and Lincolns were simply named Lincoln.

Those 1946 Lincolns were given a facelift of the 1942 design, and remained essentially unchanged through 1948.  A complete redesign appeared in 1949.

This post deals with that 1946 facelift.

In the Gallery below, a 1947 Lincoln represents postwar 1946-1948 Lincolns: they were virtually identical.  The cars in the images were listed as for-sale on the Internet.

Gallery

The 1942 facelift included larger, "suitcase" style fenders and a redesigned grille,

Postwar Lincolns such as this 1947 model received a new grille that fitted within the confines of the 1942 version.  Even though the appearance is notably different, it was an inexpensive job because little or no front end sheet metal re-tooling was needed.

Besides the new grille and front bumper, a front end change was deletion of the small air vents on the sides of the hood.

Side details are essentially the same, though note that the hood ornament is new.

Minor detail changes for trunk lid features along with a new bumper design.

1980 Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar

Those 1980-1982 8th-generation Ford Thunderbirds and 5th-generation Mercury Cougars sold poorly compared to equivalent previous and subsequent cars.  For example, 284,141 Thunderbirds were produced in 1979 followed by 156,803 in 1980.  By 1982, only 45,142 were built.  The new aerodynamically styled 1983 model tallied 121,999 units.  Respective numbers for Cougars were 166,547, 58,028 and 75,743.  I should note that these featured cars were marketed during a major economic recession, and that would have accounted for some of the lower sales levels.

Note that while Thunderbirds were only coupes since model year 1966, Cougars were originally coupes, but evolved into a line with several body types for 1977-1979, reverting to only coupes starting 1980.  That might have created some confusion regarding what "Cougar" meant in the minds of some potential buyers.

Cougars were generally priced lower than Thunderbirds, being simply a sporty line in the mid-range Mercury brand's portfolio.  Thunderbirds, on the other hand, had a product history of being sporty in special ways.  The first Thunderbirds were two-passenger cars.  These were replaced by four-passenger cars with unique styling and continued sporty flair (scroll upwards on the link above for some history).

What went wrong with those 1980-1982 Thunderbirds and Cougars?  Though their styling was contemporary and attractive, they just seemed ordinary.

Gallery

1980 Thunderbird - Mecum Auctions photo
Shorter than previous-generation Thunderbirds, the design is mainstream 1970s angularity with a visually low main body and tall passenger compartment greenhouse.  Note the not-rounded wheel openings that continue the basic theme.  Also the strong character sculpting on the side of an otherwise simple design.  The main "ornamentation" seen here is the vinyl roof covering.

1980 Cougar XR-7 - car-for-sale photo
Cougars differed little from Thunderbirds.  The after side windows are partly covered by decorative louvers.  The car shown here lacks vinyl, though vinyl was common on Cougars.

1980 Thunderbird - car-for-sale photos
Hoods on these cars were commendably long.  Those rectangular headlights helped support the angular styling theme.

1980 Cougar - car-for-sale photos
This Cougar's grille rests in the same frame as the Thunderbirds, but the bolder vertical bars on it recall the vertical-bars theme on post- World War 2 Mercurys.  Headlights are rectangular quads.  The fender-front lighting is less elaborate than that seen on the Thunderbird in the previous image.

More side-views.

Vinyl on Cougars covered only the after part of their roofs, unlike the full coverage on Thunderbirds.

Thunderbird aft ends featured wide taillight/reflector assemblies since 1967. 
The design seen here is similar to that found on 7th-generation models.

Cougars had taillights separated by the trunk lid.  Otherwise, rear ends are structurally about the same.  The vinyl on the Cougar encroaches on the backlight window, whereas the Thunderbird's does not.

Notchback B-Body Cadillac Series 63: 1941 and 1942 Only

Cadillac had a Series 63 in its product portfolio for model years 1941 and 1942 only.  Some information can be found here (scroll down for mention of Series 63).

Series 63s are something of a puzzle.  Production levels were low: 5,050 for 1941 and 1,750 for the war-shortened 1942 model year out of total Cadillac numbers for '41 and '42 of 66,130 and 16,511.  So Series 63 shares for the two model years were 7.6 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively.  Yet their General Motors B-bodies were slightly differently shaped than conventional B-body GM cars, which required some special tooling that perhaps cost more money than sales ever justified.  (Series 63 sedans were priced 17.3 and 14.0 percent more than B-body Cadillac Series 61 sedans for '41 and '42.)

As far as I've been able to discover, the version of the B-body used by Series 63 Cadillacs was unique in GM's product line.

All cars shown below are 4-door sedans for comparison purposes. Unless noted, images are of for-sale cars.

Gallery

1941 Cadillac 63
Series 63 Cadillacs had the same 126.0-inch (3200 mm) wheelbase as Series 61 and 62 Cadillacs.

1941 Cadillac 63
Nearly all General Motors B-body sedans were fastbacks, but 63s featured a mild bustle back.

1941 Cadillac 61
This is a standard fastback B-body 4-door sedan Cadillac 61.

1941 Cadillac 62
The other 126-inch wheelbase Cadillac was the Series 62, based on GM's C-body.  C-body 4-door sedans were four-window style, not 6-window as on B-bodies.

1941 Pontiac DeLuxe Torpedo - Historics Auctioneers photo
Note that GM's A-body 4-door sedans also were 6-window format.  This car's passenger compartment greenhouse is similar to the of the Series 63, but not the same.

1942 Cadillac 63
Differences from the A-body version are apparent when comparing this 63 to the Pontiac in the previous photo.  The differences are small, but required their own tooling: little or no sharing.

1941 Cadillac 61
Comparing 1941 61s and 63s.

1941 Cadillac 63 - unknown photo source
The 63s had the roof profile altered about halfway down the C-pillar zone.  Also a revised trunk shape.

1942 Cadillac 61 - Barrett-Jackson Auctions photo
Most 1942 GM cars featured front fenders that continued onto front doors.

1942 Cadillac 63
The same different shaping as in 1941.

2022 Kia EV6 Walkaround

For some reason, I find the styling of many new battery-powered cars more interesting than that of many conventionally-powered cars.  Is this a marketing-based strategy to entice potential buyers to the government-demanded future?  At the time this post is being written (April, 2024), sales levels of all-electric cars have declined from a year previously.  So the distinctive styling does not seem to over-ride the clear limitations of the electric power trains.

Today's post features the strikingly styled Kia EV6 (Wikipedia entry here).  There's one in the town by where I live, and it looks better in person than some of the images in the Gallery suggest.

Images below are publicity photos from Kia.

Gallery

Whatever justifies the opening below the bumper has the happy result of suggesting the EV6 might have a radiator up front.  Better than those characterless front ends of some other electric cars.

Plenty of angularity up front.  But complemented by comparatively featureless sides.

The mid-side character fold is less obvious on the EV6 I am familiar with.  That apparent smooth curve from beltline to rocker panel is an important styling feature.  I wonder what the effect would be if that dark C-pillar area was silver like its surroundings.  Less fussy than the pinched zone seen here, but possibly it would have added a bit too much visual weight.

The interrupted curve from the rocker panel to the tail light assembly is bad aesthetics, but good brand identity.  Note how rounded the car's side appears in this photo.  Rear end details of this European EV6 differ slightly from those seen in the image below.

Interesting taillight package and related, lower sculpting.  The dark zone at the bottom to the rear has little obvious mechanical function.  But it nicely prevents the rear being dominated by a sculpted silver blob.  That said, its profile does not relate to the sculpting above it.

Another view of the European version.  The backlight window is short -- likely marginally adequate for driver's rearward visibility.

The passenger compartment greenhouse is quite low.  (Compare to proportions of many 1970s cars.)  Note the short overhang on both ends.  The wheelbase is 114.2 inches (2900 mm), quite long for a car of its 184.8 (4680 mm) length.

I think the spoke design of the wheels is silly.

1948 Hudson Sedan Walkaround

The last true standard-size Hudson design was launched for the 1948 model year, and continued in production into 1954.  Some Hudson Motor Company history is here.

Those '48 Hudsons were distinctly different from competing brands.  Besides a streamlined-appearing shape, they were lower than competing cars in part due to the use of unitized bodies rather than conventional body-on frame.  For example, 1947 Hudson height was 68 inches (1727 mm), the new, competing 1948 Oldsmobile 98's height was 63.8 inches (1621 mm), and the 1948 Hudson Commodore was only 60.375 inches (1534 mm) high.  All these cars had road clearances of approximately 8 inches (203 mm).

The Gallery below features walkaround views of a line-leader Hudson Commodore sedan along with images of other cars mentioned above.

Gallery

1947 Hudson Commodore Sedan - for-sale photo
The previous Hudson design.  At its core is a 1936 model year body that experienced many facelifts over the years.  Its grille design has some features that were carried over to the 1948 model (horizontal bars and the upper frame theme).  Otherwise, all was changed.

Factory photo of a 1948 Hudson Sedan
General view of a '48 Hudson.

1948 Oldsmobile 98 - factory photo
An example of styling leader General Motors' redesigned for 1948 C-body 4-door sedans.  This was the new postwar American industry norm.  The new Hudsons were quite different.

1948 Hudson Commodore sedan - for-sale photos
Now for the walkaround.  As mentioned, the grille theme retained some features from 1947 Hudsons.

Postwar American redesigns featured flow-through fenderlines.  The result sometimes resulted in a slab-sided appearance.  Hudson's low height eliminated that possibility.

Even so, stylists took a few steps to visually reduce a slab look.  The fenderline is slightly below the passenger compartment greenhouse beltline.  Also, there is a character line crease partway down the fender.  The result is that the side looks sleek.

Rear ends were simple in those days.

The backlight window has curved glass, but its area is not very large because curved glass technology was not quite ready for larger sizes.  Note the curved plan form of the passenger compartment roof.

The broad chrome strip along the base of the body might have helped to draw viewers' eyes downward, helping to give Hudsons a low appearance.

Again, glass forming limited the windshield to two sections and not a unrestricted panorama.  The Oldsmobile pictured above also had a two-piece windshield.