Fastback

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A fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. [ [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastback fastback. (2008). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.] Retrieved on August 14, 2008.] [ [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fastback.html fastback. The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press.] Retrieved on August 14, 2008.] The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.

Automobile designs that were ahead of their time when exhibited during the early 1930s included "teardrop streamlining at the rear, similar to what would become known as 'fastback' 25 years later." [cite book | last = Georgano
first = Nick N. (editor)
title = The Beaulieu encyclopedia of the automobile
publisher = Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers
date = 2000
pages = page 960
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bxMUKaqcUPoC&pg=RA1-PA960&dq=fastback+automobile+origin&ei=9UekSIWuNqXKjgHvsuj6BA&sig=ACfU3U2x66dFaaC7O3xIU32-MyNr1TW_TA
isbn = 9781579582937 ] 'Fastback' was first recognized as a definition by Merriam-Webster in 1954, many years before the term 'hatchback' was popularized and entered the dictionary in 1970. [ [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchback hatchback. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.] Retrieved August 14, 2008.] Opinions vary as to whether the terms are mutually exclusive.

A contributor to an automotive-interest website singles out the unusual Stout Scarab from the early 1930s as " [p] ossibly the epitome of the early fastback definition". The Packard 1106 Twelve Aero Sport Coupe, [ [http://www.carsbase.com/photo/photo_full.php?id=24527 Packard 1106 Twelve Aero Sport Coupe photo] , retrieved on August 15 2008] introduced in 1933, is cited elsewhere as a fastback that foreshadowed trends which continued into the 1940s. [cite book | last = Adler
first = Dennis
title = Packard
publisher = MotorBooks/MBI
date = 2004
pages = page 960
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9VByLctg5UAC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=Packard+fastback&source=web&ots=cM5rlF1ukc&sig=bn6M5KkEU2yJQeOmcMxJLAckwj0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=16&ct=result
isbn = 9780760319284 ]

Early European fastback automobiles include: Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic, Porsche 356, Saab 92/96, Standard Vanguard, GAZ-M20 Pobeda, and Bentley Continental R-Type.

Numerous fastbacks were also made in America, where the style was previously called "torpedo back". [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,799725-2,00.html "The Forty-Niners", "Time" magazine" January 24 1949.] Retrieved on June 20, 2008.] They included Cadillac's Series 61 and 62 Club Coupes as well as various models from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

At a 2007 U.S. car show, entries from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s in a class called "Fabulous Fastbacks" included Nash Ambassador, Buick Roadmaster and Hudson Commodore models. [http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/event/146/2007-EyesOn-Design.html Clements, Rob. "EyesOn Design 2007," Report and images for Ultimatecarpage.com] , retrieved on August 14, 2008.]

At a 2007 "concours d'élégance" in England, a similarly-named class for 1950s cars attracted examples from Maserati, [ [http://www.italiaspeed.com/2007/events/goodwood_fos/cartier_style_et_luxe/gallery_goodwood/102.html 1954 Maserati A6G54 Zagato photograph] . Retrieved on August 15 2008.]
Lancia, [ [http://www.italiaspeed.com/2007/events/goodwood_fos/cartier_style_et_luxe/gallery_goodwood/110.html "circa" 1958 Lancia Flaminia Zagato photograph] . Retrieved on August 15 2008.]
Fiat [ [http://www.italiaspeed.com/2007/events/goodwood_fos/cartier_style_et_luxe/gallery_goodwood/108.html 1958 Fiat 8V photograph] . Retrieved on August 15 2008.] and Ferrari. [ [http://www.italiaspeed.com/2007/events/goodwood_fos/cartier_style_et_luxe/gallery_goodwood/122.html Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France photograph] . Retrieved on August 15 2008.]

Aerodynamic advantages

Fastbacks provide an advantage in developing aerodynamic vehicles with a low drag coefficient. [ [http://www.superbird.com/gswtt.html Noffsinger, Ken R. "The G-Series Wind Tunnel Test Report"] retrieved on 2008-05-23.] The Kamm tail is a related concept.

The trend towards a more steeply raked rear window on traditional "three-box" sedans blurs the distinction between fastback and notchback designs. The current Lexus LS460 exemplifies the trend.fact|date=August 2008 However, the roof of a true fastback design slopes down continuously to the rear, most often to the base of the trunk at the rear bumper. There is no distinct change of angle to a rear deck, whereas most four-door cars with steeply raked rear windows have less angled trunk lids; also high tails to maximize cargo space.

In 2008, the fastback design appeared on a concept car that almost defies categorization, the Chrysler ecoVoyager, that "Jack Telnack, former design chief for the Ford Motor Company, declared, 'It’s a fastback van.'" [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/automobiles/autoshow/20DESIGN.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Fastback%20automobile%20design&st=cse&oref=slogin Patton, Phil. "Looking at the Slope of Things to Come," "The New York Times", January 20, 2008] , retrieved on August 14, 2008.] New types of crossover vehicles and different body proportions made possible by technological advances and new powerplants, are changing the shape of automobiles. Traditional nomenclature describing distinct vehicle bodies, such as the three-box sedan (engine compartment, passenger cabin and trunk) will vanish.

Comparison with hatchback and liftback cars

When the rear window of a car with a fastback profile is integral to a lid or 'fifth door' (i.e. a hatch) giving access to the trunk area, the car may also fit the classification of hatchback or liftback. (The Rover 800 is an example.) "Road & Track"'s definition of a fastback addresses this distinction: "A closed body style, usually a coupe but sometimes a sedan, with a roof sloped gradually in an unbroken line from the windshield to the rear edge of the car. A fastback naturally lends itself to a hatchback configuration and many have it, but not all hatchbacks are fastbacks and vice versa." [Dinkel, John (2000). "Road & Track Illustrated Automotive Dictionary", Bentley. ISBN 0-8376-0143-6.]

Some small family cars have evolved over time from fastbacks into liftbacks without altering their profile - the Fiat 127, Volkswagen Passat, and Citroën GS for example.

Examples of two-door fastback cars

*1931-1936 Stout Scarab [ [http://info.detnews.com/redesign/joyrides/index.cfm?id=671 King, Jenny. "EyesOn Design show focuses on breathtaking aerodynamics" "Detroit News", June 26, 2007] , retrieved on August 14, 2008.]
*1934-1937 Pierce-Arrow [ [http://auto.howstuffworks.com/pierce-arrow-cars2.htm "1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937 Pierce-Arrows" by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide of Consumer Guide, June 20, 2007] , retrieved on August 14, 2008.]
*1936-1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
*1947-1966 Volvo PV
*1948-1965 Porsche 356
*1948-1949 Cadillac Series 61 and Series 62 Club Coupe Sedanet(te) [Gunnell, John: "Catalogue of Cadillac 1903-2005" p. 136. KP Books 2005, ISBN 0-87349-289-7]
*1948-1952 Hudson Commodore
*1949-1951 Nash Ambassador Airflyte
*1949-1979 Saab 92/96
*1950-1950 Martin Stationette [ [http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/your_garage/cars/7271.shtml "Jay Leno’s Garage" "1950 Martin Stationette" article dated March 15, 2008] . Retrieved on May 31, 2008.]
*1953-1955 Bentley Continental R-Type
*1961-1975 Jaguar E-type [Smale, Glen: "The sleek fastback shape of the rear bodywork..." "Jaguar E-type: Portrait of a design icon" p. 77, Haynes Publishing 2007. ISBN 1-8442-338-4] [Thorley, Nigel: "roof slopes back (fastback) to form a side-opening door with...rear screen..." (author’s parentheses) "Jaguar All the Cars" p. 71, Haynes Publishing 2005, ISBN 1-84425-001-6]
*1963-present Porsche 911
*1964-1969 Plymouth Barracuda
*1965-1967 AMC Marlin
*1965-1973 Ford Mustang GT (several generations)
*1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado
*1966-1967 Dodge Charger
*1966-1973 Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback (dates are from U.S. lineup)
*1967-1973 Maserati Ghibli
*1968-1973 Ferrari Daytona
*1968-1978 Lamborghini Espada
*1968-1973 Ford Fairlane Torino/Torino SportsRoof
*1968-1972 Oldsmobile 442 and Cutlass
*1968-1974 Volkswagen Type 4
*1969-1976 Audi 100 Coupé S
*1970-1977 Ford Maverick
*1970-1975 Mitsubishi Galant GTO
*1971-1980 Ford Pinto
*1970-1981 Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro
*1978-1979 Buick Century
*1978-1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon
*1980-1991 Audi Quattro
*1986-1988 Pontiac Fiero GT
*1989-1998 Nissan 180SX
*1992-2003 Ferrari 456
*1993-2002 Toyota Supra
*2003-2005 Smart (automobile) Roadster Coupe
*2004-Present BMW 645Ci
*2004-Present Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
*2004-Present Bentley Continental GT
*2008-Present Altima Coupe

Examples of four-door fastback cars

*1933-1935 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow [ [http://auto.howstuffworks.com/pierce-arrow-cars1.htm "1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow" by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide of Consumer Guide, June 20, 2007] , retrieved on August 14, 2008.]
*1934-1938 Tatra T77
*1948 Tucker [ [http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tucker-cars.htm "How Tucker Cars Work" by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, June 13, 2007] , retrieved on August 14, 2008.]
*1948-1952 Hudson Commodore
*1948-1954 Hudson Hornet
*1949-1951 Nash Ambassador Airflyte
*1946-1958 GAZ-M20 Pobeda
*1955-1958 GAZ-M72 (M20 4x4 conversion)
*1951-1957 FSO Warszawa (Polish M20 clone)
*1955-1975 Citroën DS
*1968-1974 Volkswagen Type 4
*1969-1978 Citroën Ami 8
*1970-1979 Citroën GS
*1972-1982 Lancia Beta Berlina
*1973-1981 Volkswagen Passat
*1974-1990 Citroën CX
*1975-1984 Lancia Gamma Berlina
*1978-1980 Buick Century
*1978-1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham
*1988-1999 Rover 800
*2005-Present Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
*2006-Present Citroën C6

ee also

* Car body style
* Sedan
* Hatchback
* Coupé
* Combi coupe
* Kammback
* Notchback
* Liftback
* Station wagon

Notes