Notchback Explained

A notchback is a car design with the rear section distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment.[1] Notchback cars have "a trunk whose lid forms a distinct deck."[2] In profile view, the body has a step down from the roof with a downward inclined passenger compartment's rear window to meet an almost horizontal trunk lid extending to the rear of the car.[3]

The category may be characterized as having a three-box design where the trunk volume is less pronounced than the engine and passenger compartments.[4]

Many models of sedans, coupés, or hatchbacks could be classified as notchbacks. However, the category has limited salience outside American car manufacturers, who distinguish the three-box models from other body styles in the same model range. For example, the Chevrolet Vega range included both a notchback coupe and a fastback coupe.

North America

One of the first cars marketed as a notchback is the 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special.[5] [6] [7]

In a major design change among U.S. automakers for the 1952 model year, a notchback version of the Nash Ambassador was introduced.[8] [9] This was in contrast to the previous fastback aerodynamic body shape that made the 1949 through 1950 Nash Ambassadors the "most streamlined form on the road."[10] The new cars had a distinctive reverse slanting C-pillar and featured boxier styling that became a design trend.[11] [12]

In 1971, Chevrolet marketed the three-box sedan models of the Chevrolet Vega as a notchback to differentiate them from the fastback Vega models.[13] [14] For the 1973 model year, the car's name was changed to "Vega Notchback".[15]

English-speaking countries

While many car models have notchback characteristics, the category is largely unused outside North America, with their body style being described using other terms. For example, a three-box sedan[16] is more generally known as a "saloon" in British English.[17] "Notchback" has appeared in a few British English publications; however, it is not a term that is used in common parlance in Britain.[18] [19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Notchback definition and meaning . Collins English Dictionary . 1 April 2021.
  2. Web site: Definition of Notchback . Merriam-Webster Dictionary . 1 April 2021.
  3. Web site: Tudose . Sergiu . Fastback Revolution: Here's Why You'll Soon Be Saying Goodbye to All Four-Door Sedans . autoevolution . 30 September 2023 . 11 January 2024.
  4. Web site: ((Hearst Autos Research)) . What is a Sedan? Car Buying Tips . 11 January 2024.
  5. Web site: 1940, The Cadillac Sixty Sets Another Styling Trend . General Motors: Generations of GM Wiki Timeline . 7 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110817224323/http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/1940,_The_Cadillac_%22Sixty%22_Sets_Another_Styling_Trend . 17 August 2011 . dead .
  6. Web site: 1938-'40 Cadillac Sixty Special . hemmings.com . Mark J. . McCourt . 23 September 2018 . 11 January 2024.
  7. Web site: Take Me to Your Style Leader: The 1938–1942 Cadillac Sixty Special . ateupwithmotor.com . 16 June 2018.
  8. Floyd . Clymer . The Owners Report on the 1952 Nash Ambassador . Popular Mechanics . September 1952 . 98 . 3 . 90–94 . Google Books. 11 January 2024.
  9. Book: Gunnell, John . Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975 . 1992 . Krause Publications . 468 . 9780873412049 . There was new styling for the Ambassador and Statesman. A new notch back body created by Italy's Pininfarina was the fashion hit of the marque's 50th year . Google Books . 11 January 2024.
  10. Web site: ((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) . 1949-1951 Nash Airflyte . auto.howstuffworks.com . 11 January 2024 . 6 November 2007.
  11. Book: Foster . Patrick R. . The Nash Styling Sketchbook . 1998 . The Olde Milford Press . 9780966201901 . 1 . 1 - The Designers . Google Books . 11 January 2024.
  12. Book: McClurg . Bob . The History of AMC Motorsports: Trans-Am, Drag, NASCAR, Land Speed and Off-Road Racing . 2016 . CarTech . 9781613251775 . 20 . Google Books . 11 January 2024.
  13. Web site: Chevrolutionary! - 1973 Chevrolet Vega GT Millionth Edition, 1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega . hemmings.com . 16 June 2018.
  14. Web site: How the Chevy Vega Nearly Destroyed GM . popularmechanics.com . 16 June 2018.
  15. Book: Chevrolet. Chevrolet Vega brochures- years 1971–77.
  16. Web site: sedan . Chambers 21st Century Dictionary . en . 18 April 2017.
  17. Web site: saloon . Chambers 21st Century Dictionary . en . 18 April 2017.
  18. Encyclopedia: a car with a back that extends approximately horizontally from the bottom of the rear window so as to make a distinct angle with it. . Concise Oxford English Dictionary. notchback . Luxury . 978 . Oxford University Press . 2011. Angus . Stevenson . Maurice . Waite . 9780199601110 .
  19. Book: Barnard, R.H. . Road Vehicle Aerodynamic Design . Longman . 1996 . 9780582245228.

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