The Cadillac Eldorado models sported fender skirts from 1971 thru 1974. Starting in 1977 only the Pontiac Bonneville retained the use of fender skirts on General Motors downsized cars. In 1980 the Oldsmobile returned the fender skirts to its 98 model. By 1985, fender skirts would disappear from all standard General Motors cars.
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In 1989, fender skirts were used again on the Cadillac front wheel drive Fleetwood models until 1993. For the 1991-1996 model years, General Motors generally incorporated fender skirts into the design of their full size sedans for the Chevrolet Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, and Cadillac Fleetwood. The General Motors EV1 had fender skirts later.
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The 1955 Ford Thunderbird introduced rear "fender shields" as a type of fender skirts with an edge molding and a gravel shield. In GM parts accessories books, fender skirts are known as fender shields.
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Fender skirts remained for some time longer on a few cars, particularly large American luxury cars. Fender skirts were often paired with whitewall tires. The extent of the skirt also varied, before the 1950s it was common for all but the very bottom of the rear tire to be covered, while by the 1960s fender skirts only covered some of the top of the tire, and were largely absent on cars other than top line models. For example, up until 1976, the Chevrolet Caprice, Oldsmobile 98, Buick Electra, Pontiac Bonneville and the Cadillac Fleetwood, DeVille and Calais models used fender skirts.
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When making Kustoms, fender skirts are a must accessory to close the rear fenders and add a special kind of sleekness. In European automobile design, Citroën notably used fender skirts on nearly all models produced between 1950 and 1990, most prominently in the DS, 2CV, Ami, GS, SM, BX, and CX. As of 2015, the last mass-produced car with fender skirts was the 1999-2006 Honda Insight, although they are available for some new cars as aftermarket accessories (the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Volkswagen Beetle being some examples). Some cities, such as Los Angeles, have fender skirts on municipal buses for safety purposes, as they can prevent items in the road from slipping under the tires. In 2013, the limited production Volkswagen XL1 reintroduced fender skirts on modern cars.
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First described as "pants", they were used for the streamlining effect by Frank Lockhart on a 1928 Stutz land speed record attempt car. Factory production of fender skirts began with the 1932 Graham-Paige. Aesthetically streamlined designs were copied to mass-produced models. The innovations introduced by Amos Northup, such as the V'd radiators, fender skirts, and sloping beaver-tails, became common after 1933. However, by the 1970s, fender skirts began to disappear from mass market automobiles.
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The biggest difference between their bikes and the Sons' lies in ape hanger bars, fender skirts and bikes of all colors.
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Rear fender skirts and bumper impact strips were also standard. A new 2.41:1 axle ratio became standard to improve fuel economy.
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Rear wheel partially covered by a detachable fender skirt on 1969 Buick Electra 225 1952 Nash Rambler non-detachable front and rear fender skirts 1986 Citroën CX Los Angeles Bus Fender skirts, known in Australia and the United Kingdom as spats, are pieces of bodywork on the fender that cover the upper portions of the rear tires of an automobile.
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The Aero was a range of concept car studies created by General Motors as a testbed for future aerodynamic improvements to car bodies. The first model was the 1981 Aero X, a five-door hatchback. In 1982 the Aero 2000 was shown, a smaller two-door car, it had several unique features, such as front and rear fender skirts, a kammback design, and a smoothed underbelly. Almost all of these features have been incorporated into modern hybrid car designs at some point, with the exception of front fender skirts.
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Fender skirts are often made as extensions of the body panels of the vehicles and cover the entire wheel wells. Much like smooth wheel covers this modification reduces the drag of the vehicle by preventing any air from becoming trapped in the wheel well and assists in streamlining the body of the vehicle. Fender skirts are more commonly found on the rear wheel wells of a vehicle because the tires do not turn and the design is much simpler. This is commonly seen in vehicles such as the first generation Honda Insight.
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Fender skirts are implemented for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons. Rather than air flowing into and being trapped in the rear wheel well, it flows smoothly over the bodywork. They are generally detachable to allow for tire changes and installation of snow chains. Automakers have also experimented with integral front wheel fender skirts, as on the 1949–1954 Nash "Airflyte" models and the compact 1950–1954 Nash Rambler, but with success limited by the fact that the front wheels must pivot for steering, extending out from the side of the vehicle slightly.
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Front fender skirts have the same effect on reducing drag as the rear wheel skirts, but must be further offset from the body in order to compensate for the tire sticking out from the body of the vehicle as turns are made.
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Rectangular parking lights were built into the top outer corners of the grille. Headlights were now built into the nose of the fenders,and provision for built in accessory fog lights was provided under the headlights. Three chrome spears appeared on the rear section of all four fenders. Rear fender skirts were standard.
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The whitewall stripe width began to diminish as an attempt to reduce the perceived height of the wheel/tire. During the decade, increasingly lower vehicle heights were in vogue. During the 1950s, Fender skirts also covered up white wall tires. Wide whitewalls generally fell out of favor in the U.S. by the 1962 model year.
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An early form of unibody construction was employed, making them extremely strong. It was one of the first vehicles with fender skirts. The public was put off by the unconventional styling and did not buy the car in large numbers. The failure of the Airflow cars in the marketplace led Chrysler to be overly conservative in their styling for the next 20 years.
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Common on almost all automobiles produced today, this feature was first found on 1961 Thunderbirds. Depending on variable options Thunderbirds for 1961 could be purchased with options like air conditioning, power windows, power seats, AM radio, fender skirts and white wall tires. Several standard features, like power steering and power brakes, back up lights and bucket seats were costly options on most other automobiles of the time.
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Three chrome spears appeared on the rear section of all four fenders. Rear fender skirts were standard. The Series 62 offered the only 4-door convertible built by Cadillac in 1941 and it would be the last time this bodystyle was ever made by the marque. All Cadillacs shared the same 135 hp (101 kW) L-head V8 that year, with power rising to 150 hp (112 kW).
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A one-deck jeweled rear grille insert was seen. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, back-up lamps, windshield wipers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror and oil filter. The convertible model had power windows and a two-way power seat. Plain fender skirts covered the rear wheels and 4-doors were available in either four-window or six-window hardtop configurations.
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Standard equipment power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual reverse lights, windshield washer, dual speed wipers, wheel discs, plain fender skirts, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror and oil filter. Rubberized front and rear coil springs replaced the trouble prone air suspension system. Four-barrel induction systems were now the sole power choice and dual exhaust were no longer available. A mild face lift characterized Cadillac styling trends for 1962.
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To offer a higher- performance version of the Marauder, Mercury introduced the Marauder X-100. While nearly all features of the X-100 were cosmetic, the Marauder X-100 offered a choice of twin comfort lounge seats, bench seat or bucket seats with a floor console housing a U-shaped automatic transmission shift handle. The X-100 also featured Kelsey-Hayes road wheels along with rear fender skirts.
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The original version was the 102D3, entering production in 1994. The 102D3 has large, block fender skirts and a rear-mounted radiator fan side-by-side with the intercooler fan. It has an air intake covered by a large grille, two piece engine door, small headlight/taillights, and a black roof cap. The seating capacity was 46 or 47 passengers, or 49-53 with the high-density configuration.
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For 1934, Studebaker trimmed its model lineup and streamlined its vehicles. The company designed a new body, the Land Cruiser, which was offered on the Dictator, Commander and President. The Land Cruiser models were easily identified by their extreme streamlining features, unusual 4-piece rear window, trunk and the full fender skirts on the rear of the vehicle. The new Presidents were smaller and less impressive than their predecessors, though still fine automobiles.
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As with the XK120, wire wheels and dual exhausts were options, with most XK140s imported into the United States having the optional wheels. Cars with the standard disc wheels had spats (fender skirts) over the rear wheel opening. Factory spec 6.00 × 16 inch crossply tyres or optional 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67 radials could be fitted on either 16 × 5K½ solid wheels or 16 × 5K (special equipment) wire wheels.Paul Skilleter, Jaguar Sports Cars, pp.
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The car's smooth shape, waterfall tail and rear fender skirts gave it a distinctive appearance. The EV1 had no analog dials, and all instrumentation readouts were displayed in a single thin curved strip mounted high on the dashboard, just underneath the windshield. Thanks to the on-demand torque output of the electric motor, the EV1 could accelerate from in 6.3 seconds, and from in eight seconds. The car's top speed was electronically limited to .
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From 1971 to 1976, Oldsmobile's full-sized Custom Cruiser station wagon shared the wheelbase and 455 cubic-inch V8 with the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, and shared its interior and exterior styling, in particular the Ninety-Eight's distinctive front fascia and rear quarter panels complete with fender skirts. The number of body styles was reduced to four for 1971. The convertible was gone as were the 4-door sedan body styles. A new body style was the Luxury Coupe.
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The original version was the 102DL3, entering production in 1992 and entering service by early 1993. The 102DL3 has large, block fender skirts, a rear-mounted radiator fan side-by-side with the intercooler fan, and air intake covered by a large grille, two piece engine door, small headlight/taillights, and a black roof cap. The seating capacity was 54 or 55 passengers, or 57-61 with the high-density configuration. The 102DL3 was renamed D4500 in 2001.
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A wide hood with full-length windsplints, a prominent center crease and hidden windshield wipers was seen. A Cadillac crest decorated the nose and new indicator lamps appeared atop each front fender. A horizontal beltline molding ran from behind the front wheel housing, almost to the rear stopping where an elliptical bulge in the body came to a point and where thin rectangular side markers were placed above and below the chrome strip. The rear wheel openings were again housed in fender skirts.
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Horsepower from the engine was now at . Sparkling "studs" decorated the wide new grille, while the rubber-tipped bumper guards were moved further out towards the edges of the car – leaving a lower, wider look. Four headlights, a style that appeared on last year's Eldorado Brougham, were adopted for all Cadillacs, including the $6,117 Sixty Special. Full fender skirts practically hid the rear wheels from sight, and the massive ribbed stainless steel trim occupied the lower half of the rear fender.
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The engine was the same 346 in³ L-head V8 used by other Cadillacs that year. Standard equipment included large wheel discs, fender skirts, hood, side and lower beltline moldings and stainless steel runningboards. Unchanged in all but minor details for 1947, the big Series 75 continued to use the touring sedan body with a stately prewar appearance. It came in the same five configurations marketed the year before and had the same assortment of standard equipment geared to the luxury class buyer.
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The DeVille Series had script nameplates on the rear fenders. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, back- up lamps, windshield wipers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows and two-way power seats. Plain fender skirts covered the rear wheels and 4-doors were available in either four-window or six-window hardtop configurations. Over 53,000 DeVilles were sold in their first year as a separate series, accounting for roughly 37% of all Cadillacs sold.
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1970 Imperial Crown The 1970 models differed only in minor ways. The grill pattern changed to a larger egg- crate design; the front cornering lamps were now rectangular instead of the "shark gill" pattern of 1969 models. A wide chrome strip was added at the rocker panels, vinyl side trim was made optional, and (for this year only) the fender skirts were gone. It was the final year for the Crown series; afterward Imperial would have only two models, a LeBaron hardtop sedan and coupe.
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A wide hood with full-length windsplints, a prominent center crease and recessed windshield wipers was used0. A larger Cadillac crest decorated the hood face and new fiber-optic lamp indicators appeared atop each front fender. A horizontal beltline molding ran from behind the front wheel housing, almost to the rear stopping where an elliptical bulge in the body came to a point and where thin rectangular side markers were placed above and below the chrome strip. The rear wheel openings were again covered by fender skirts.
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All models had removable spats ("fender skirts" in America) covering the rear wheel arches, which enhanced the streamlined look. On cars fitted with optional centre-lock wire wheels (available from 1951), the spats were omitted as they gave insufficient clearance for the chromed, two-eared Rudge-Whitworth knockoff hubs. Chromium-plated wire wheels were optional from 1953. Factory standard 6.00 × 16-inch cross ply tyres were fitted on 16 × 5K solid wheels (Pre–1951), with 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato radial tyres available as a later option.
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A wide hood with full-length wind splints, a prominent center crease and hidden windshield wipers was seen. A Cadillac wreath and crest decorated the nose and new indicator lamps appeared atop each front fender. A horizontal belt line molding ran from behind the front wheel housing, almost to the rear stopping where an elliptical bulge in the body came to a point and where thin rectangular side markers were placed above and below the chrome strip. The rear wheel openings were again covered with fender skirts.
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Town and Country for 1972 borrowed most of its exterior trim from the New Yorker. Die cast grille inserts were shared with New Yorker, and rear wheel openings once again wore fender skirts. Brushed bright metal moldings about two inches wide ran the length of the car from front bumper to rear, and served as the lower border for the standard simulated wood grain side panels. Standard wheel covers were shared with the Newport, and were identical to the 1969 wheel covers, then shared with the New Yorker.
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Typical of the era, Figoni was heavily influenced by the advances in aircraft design and aerodynamics, resulting in the distinctive Italian style of goccia d'acqua goutte d'eau (tear-drop) elliptical silhouettes and enveloppantes (tear-drop shaped pontoon fenders) which gave his designs their characteristic fluid grace and inherent motion. In the pursuit of both aerodynamic form and function, he utilized fender skirts to fill not only the rear wheel openings, but often those in the front fenders as well. Windshields were steeply raked back and headlights, door handles, etc. were fitted flush to the body.
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1955 Ford Thunderbird Ford unveiled the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The first production car came off the line on September 9, 1954, and went on sale on October 22, 1954 as a 1955 model, and sold briskly; 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. While only 10,000 were planned, 16,155 cars were sold in 1955. The Thunderbird came with fender skirts and a removable fiberglass top as standard equipment, with a fabric convertible top as a commonly specified option.
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American Motors commissioned Richard Arbib, a leading industrial designer of the 1950s, to develop a futuristic concept car. Built in four months, the Astra-Gnome represented the work of product stylists to create "new and exciting shapes, textures and colors in a functional car." Arbib had the wheels and tires hidden behind full fender skirts to achieve "a floating special quality" and to suggest a spacecraft or hovercraft. The vehicle was featured on the 3 September 1956 cover of Newsweek magazine and a highlight at the 1956 New York International Auto Show.
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He opened a gas station in Lincoln Park, Michigan, with an attached custom shop later the same year. His first custom, built in 1941, was a 1941 Buick, with molded fenders, widened rocker panels, cut-down doors (a Hines trademark), fender skirts, Appleton spotlight, and single-bar flipper hubcaps; he repainted the original turquoise to red, claiming every custom should be red with a white interior.Hemmings.com (retrieved 12 September 2018) He would later add a tailfin in the center of the trunklid, a feature earning so much ridicule, he changed back to a stock lid.
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DeVille models featured front series designation scripts and a lower body "skeg" trimmed with a thin, three-quarter-length spear molding running from behind the front wheel opening to the rear of the car. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual backup lights, windshield washer, dual speed wipers, wheel discs, plain fender skirts, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows and 2-way power seats. Rubberized front and rear coil springs replaced the trouble prone air suspension system. Four-barrel induction systems were now the sole power choice and dual exhausts were no longer available.
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Buick added a 7-way tilt steering wheel and a new cruise control as an option. 1964 Buick Electra 4-Door Sedan Rear view of 1964 Electra 225 four-door pillarless sedan (six-window) The large General Motors C-body was used to create the 1964 Electra 225, Buick's richest full-size car. Vertical, narrow taillamps were found in the nearly straight-cut rear fender ends, and the so-called "Deuce-and-a Quarter" came with fender skirts. Four traditional VentiPorts were found on the front fenders, with heavy die-cast grille accenting the frontal aspect.
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1949 Oldsmobile Futuramic 98 1953 Oldsmobile 98 convertible Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta style "spinner" hubcap 1952 Oldsmobile 98 convertible For the first time since 1940 Oldsmobile offered totally different styling during a single model year. The top of the line 1948 Oldsmobile 98 drew heavily from the Futuramic styling concept that would be used on all 1949 Oldsmobiles. Standard equipment on 98s included a solenoid starter, fender skirts, E-Z-l rearview mirror, and foam rubber seat cushions. The 98s also included front and rear bumper guards, vacuum booster pump, plastic radiator ornament, dual horns, dual sun visors, and cigarette lighter.
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With the De Villes and 2-door Eldorados in their own series sales plunged to only 70,736, the lowest since the 1950 model year. The 1960 Series 62 had smoother, more restrained styling. General changes included a full-width grille, the elimination of pointed front bumper guards, increased restraint in the application of chrome trim, lower tailfins with oval shaped nacelles and front fender mounted directional indicator lamps. Series 62 models were distinguished by plain fender skirts, thin three-quarter length bodyside spears and Cadillac crests and lettering on short horizontal front fender bars mounted just behind the headlights.
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The Rambler was designed to be lighter and have smaller dimensions than the other popular cars. A strategy of efficiency, Nash could save on materials in its production while owners would have better fuel economy compared to the other cars of the era. The Nash Rambler rode on a wheelbase, and power came from Nash's proven L-head (flathead) straight-6 cylinder engine that produced . Following the design of the larger "senior" Nash models, the compact Rambler's styling was rounded in form and also had an envelope body Nash's characteristic styling with fender skirts that also enclosed the front wheels.
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Designed in-house by Citroën's chief designer Robert Opron, the SM bears a family resemblance to the Citroën CX and Citroën GS, and to some extent the Maserati Mistral. Like the CX, the SM retains the rear fender skirts, and seen from above, the SM resembles a teardrop, with a wide front track tapering to a narrower rear track. The SM was unusually aerodynamic for its era, with Kamm tail and low drag coefficient of 0.26.'Motor Trend' magazine (USA), May 1970 issue The ventilation intake is located in a "neutral" area on the hood, which makes the ventilator fan regulate the interior ventilation at all road speeds.
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4-BBL V8 producing 215 net horsepower and net torque. Even so, the updated Town and Country with its more imposing grille and nicely integrated fender skirts set sales records, with 6,473 six passenger and 14,116 nine passenger wagons produced for the model year. 1973 was the 5th and final year of what had been planned as a four-year platform cycle. A federal mandate to equip MY 1973 cars with bumpers that could absorb up to impacts with no functional damage was a major challenge, since the large cars Chrysler Corp had designed to comply with this standard were delayed until MY 1974.
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For 1959, the Super Marauder was discontinued, with the standard engine rated at 345 hp, retuned to 310 hp in 1960. All Park Lanes were equipped with a 3-speed Merc-O- Matic automatic transmission. For 1960, the Park Lane saw a minor styling update distinguished by new taillamps, rear fender skirts, 5 chrome accent bars ahead of the rear wheel openings, wide rocker panel moldings, and the addition of a padded dashboard. In 1961, the Park Lane name was dropped (along with the Montclair) as the division reorganized its marketing efforts towards the better-selling Monterey alongside the introduction of the Mercury Comet compact.
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In place of the flat windshield that most cars had (and which caught the brunt of on coming winds as cars moved through the atmosphere), the Airflow split the windshield into two panes of glass, each angled to better redirect the air around them. Front and rear fenders received smoother, more form fitting curves. In the rear, Airflows encased the rear wheels through the use of fender skirts. 1934 DeSoto Airflow coupe In addition to the benefits of its smoother exterior design, which translated into a quieter passenger compartment than on previous DeSoto models, the car featured wider front seats and deeper back seats with more leg room.
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In a major break from American luxury car tradition, the rear wheel openings of the Mark IV were designed at the same height as the front wheels (similar to the 1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado); its large fender flares precluded the use of fender skirts. In 1973, the front bodywork underwent a major redesign, necessitated by the addition of 5 mph bumpers; in various forms, the front body style would be seen on Continentals and Lincolns until 1989. For 1974, a 5 mph bumper was added to the rear body work, moving the taillights from the bumper into the rear bodywork. All Mark IVs were equipped with a vinyl roof.
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The Monterey (model 72C) was introduced in 1950 as a high-end two-door coupe as part of the Mercury Eight series in the same vein as the Ford Crestliner, the Lincoln Lido coupe and the Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri coupe in order to compete with the hardtop coupes General Motors had introduced the previous model year. Montereys had either a canvas covered top for $2146 or vinyl for $2157. Standard features included leather faced seats, simulated leather headliner, wool carpets, chrome-plated interior garnish moldings, two-toned dashboard, special black steering wheel, fender skirts, dual outside rearview mirrors, full wheelcovers & gold winged hood ornament. For $10 more all leather seats were an option.
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As a result of its longer-wheelbase chassis layout, the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser effectively existed as a hybrid of the Delta 88 and the Ninety Eight. From the Ninety- Eight, the Custom Cruiser adopted the front fascia and rear quarter panels (and fender skirts); the Custom Cruiser adopted interior trim elements from both the Delta 88 and Ninety-Eight. As with its Buick and Pontiac counterparts, to compete with the Mercury Colony Park and Chrysler Town & Country station wagons, the Custom Cruiser was offered with simulated woodgrain siding, with nearly 80% of buyers ordering the option. Following the exterior of the Ninety-Eight, the Custom Cruiser was given a new front bumper for 1972.
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For wide body vehicles that cover the tire, the fender forms the wheel well surrounding the tire, and is not directly visible from above the car body. The fender's openings for the wheel wells tend to be much larger than the diameter of the tire, because they do not move with the tire suspension and consequently must be large enough to allow the full range of tire motion on the suspension without touching the interior of the wheel well. The streamlined 1949 Nash 600 and Ambassador design was first to feature fenders that enclosed the front wheels. More elaborate designs include fender skirts for enclosing the outside edge of the wheel well, and stylized pontoon fenders for exposed fenders.
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Reithard's beautiful symmetrical dashboard contained a full ration of instruments, including an electric oil pressure gauge adapted from the One Sixty. Options included Packard's Electromatic clutch, which let the driver ignore the clutch pedal in ordinary driving; "Aerodrive" (overdrive); an effective auxiliary under-seat heater, leather upholstery, fender skirts, and, for $275, air conditioning—a Packard first, introduced on all eight-cylinder 1940 models. Introduced in April 1941, as a single four-door sedan model, the Clipper was by no means a cheap or even medium-priced car. It sold for around $1,400, in a market niche between the One Twenty and One Sixty, competing with the Cadillac Sixty-One, Lincoln Zephyr, Buick Roadmaster and Chrysler New Yorker.
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The Airstream was based on the 1933 Chrysler "CO" model, which was carried over into the 1934 model year as the Chrysler "CA". When the Airflow failed to capture the attention of the buying public, Chrysler retrimmed the "CA", gave the car rear fender skirts, and rolled out a model that they hoped would appeal to Depression-era buyers. By marketing the Airstream alongside the Airflow, Chrysler could meet the needs of the public while hoping to produce enough Airflows to offset their development. 1935 Chrysler Airstream Coupe During its two years of production, the Airstream outsold the Airflow five to one in its first year, and nearly nine to one in 1936.
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This mimicked the longtime practice Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) that allowed for maximum manufacturing economy. Anderson set up separate design studios for Nash, Hudson, and Rambler. Also for 1955, George Romney quickly moved to get rid of the unpopular front fender skirts on Nashes and Ramblers, which were widely disliked by customers due to the difficulty they created when steering the cars and changing tires, and reportedly retained due to the insistence of George Mason, who liked the appearance of them. Even with the merger forming AMC, they were held to a total of about four percent of the market and thus were under pressure to lower expenses and tooling costs for new models, perhaps by innovation.
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New rear-slanting front pillars with a reverse-curved base as first used on the 1959-60 Broughams with a somewhat less expansive windshield was incorporated. The Eldorado Biarritz featured front series designation scripts and a lower body "skeg" trimmed with a thin three quarter length spear molding running from behind the front wheel opening to the rear of the car. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual back up lights, windshield washer, dual speed wipers, wheel discs, plain fender skirts, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, 6-way power bench seat or bucket seats, power vent windows, whitewall tires, and remote control trunk lock. Rubber-isolated front and rear coil springs replaced the trouble prone air suspension system.
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Except for the brakes, there were no hydraulic parts on original models; damping was by tuned mass dampers and friction dampers. The 1948 car featured radial tyres, which had just been commercialised; front-wheel drive; rack and pinion steering mounted inside the front suspension cross-tube, away from a frontal impact; rear fender skirts (the suspension design allowed wheel changes without removing the skirts); bolt-on detachable front and rear wings; detachable doors, bonnet (and boot lid after 1960), by "slide out" P-profile sheet metal hinges; flap-up windows, as roll up windows were considered too heavy and expensive.; and detachable full length fabric sunroof and boot lid, for almost pickup-like load-carrying versatility. Ventilation in addition to the sunroof and front flap windows was provided by an opening flap under the windscreen.
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Rear three-quarters view The exterior of the Dubonnet Xenia features many aviation and Art Deco inspired details owing to the time period and Dubonnet's history as a fighter pilot in World War I. These details include the wraparound windshield, the large slatted grill extending below the long hood, and the unconventional rear-hinged doors that operated by sliding out and back towards the rear of the car. Dubonnet's focus on aerodynamics can also be seen in the exterior design of the car. The flared front fenders taper off in a teardrop shape towards the rear, as does the tail of the car. Notably, the Dubonnet Xenia has fender skirts that cover almost the entirety of the rear wheels to reduce drag, a technique pioneered 10 years earlier on a land speed record attempt car.
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Wheelbase is not a good indicator of body; check rear legroom. The 1971–76 GM full-size bodies, at front shoulder room and rear shoulder room set a record for interior width that would not be matched by any car until the full-size GM rear-wheel drive models of the early to mid 1990s. The Estate also shared the Electra 225's interior and exterior styling from 1971 to 1974 (complete with the prerequisite four VentiPorts). Door trim and seats were not as plush in 1971–74 wagons and no door pull strap was included as it was on the Electra. Although from 1975 to 1976 the number of VentiPorts were reduced by one, and the front fascia was downgraded to a LeSabre's (as was door trim and seats), the Electra 225 style chrome rocker panel moldings and distinctive Electra 225 style rear quarter panels (albeit without fender skirts) remained.
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1960 Cadillacs resemble 1959 Cadillacs, but with smoother, more restrained styling. General changes included a full-width grille, the elimination of pointed front bumper guards, increased restraint in the application of chrome trim, lower tailfins with oval shaped nacelles and front fender mounted directional indicator lamps. External variations on the Seville two-door hardtop and Biarritz convertible took the form of bright body sill highlights that extended across the lower edge of fender skirts and Eldorado lettering on the sides of the front fenders, just behind the headlamps. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual back-up lamps, windshield wipers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, six-way power seats, heater, fog lamps, Eldorado engine, remote control trunk lock, radio with antenna and rear speaker, power vent windows, air suspension, electric door locks, license frames, and five whitewall tires.
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1996 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 Starting in 1986 the Caprice would replace the Impala for the retail, taxi, and police markets based on the third generation model which was launched in 1977. Like its civilian counterparts the car would get a facelift in 1987 and would remain the same until 1990. The Caprice 9C1 was available with either a V6 or V8 in this generation. When the fourth generation 1991 model came, the V6 was dropped and only two choices of V8 were offered (the 5.0 V8 carried from the former generation and 5.7 V8) and featured a digital instrument cluster unlike its civilian version's analog interface, which would remain until 1993 when the LTZ version was introduced. When the 1993-96 model cars lost its rear fender skirts design, this increased the 9C1's sales and appeal to law agencies, as this feature wasn't popular on the 4th generation Chevrolet Caprice for the 1991-92 model years. From 1994 to 1996, the detuned LT1 350 c.i.
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In theory, passengers could enjoy fresh air even when the car was moving slowly or stopped, as in heavy traffic. In practice, however, it didn't work. Within weeks of the 1971 models' debut, however, Buick—and all other GM dealers—received multiple complaints from drivers who complained the ventilation system pulled cold air into the car before the heater could warm up—and could not be shut off. The ventilation system was extensively revised for 1972. From 1971 to 1976, Buick's full-sized Estate Wagon shared the wheelbase and 455 cubic-inch V8 with the Electra 225, and shared its interior and exterior styling from 1971 to 1974 (complete with the prerequisite four VentiPorts). And although from 1975 to 1976 the number of VentiPorts were reduced by one, and the front fascia was downgraded to a LeSabre's, the Electra 225 style chrome rocker panel moldings and distinctive Electra 225 style rear quarter panels (albeit without fender skirts) remained. These were the first Buick station wagons to be built on Buick's largest chassis since the Roadmaster Estates of 1947–53. The Estate Wagons, as did other GM full-sized wagons during these years, used a unique rear suspension with multi-leaf springs instead of the coil springs used on other full-sized Buicks, and other full-sized GM cars.
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