Fastback

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Fastback (disambiguation).

Early fastback: 1949 Saab 92.

A fastback is a car body style with a roofline that slopes continuously down at the back.^[1]^[2] The term refers to a vehicle with a fixed rear window.^{[citation needed]} While 'fastback' was first recognized as a definition in 1954, decades before the term 'hatchback' was popularized, it is commonly understood that these terms are mutually exclusive.^{[citation needed]}

Examples of European fastback automobiles from the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s include: Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic, Porsche 356, Cadillac Series 61 and Series 62 Club Coupe, Saab 92/96 and Bentley Continental R-Type. American fastbacks of the same era include the Nash Ambassador, Buick Roadmaster, and Hudson Commodore.^[3]

The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.

1 Aerodynamic advantages
2 Confusion with hatchback and liftback cars
3 Examples of two-door fastback cars
4 Examples of four-door fastback cars
5 See also
6 Notes

[edit] Aerodynamic advantages

1950 Chevrolet, one of several American fastbacks

French fastback: Citroen CX

Fastbacks provide an advantage in developing aerodynamic vehicles with a low drag coefficient.^[4] 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. 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.

[edit] Confusion with hatchback and liftback cars

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Fastback is a U.S. term - in the UK, true fastbacks are so unfamiliar that no word exists for them. They are often mislabeled as hatchbacks, which by definition are different vehicles where the entire rear portal or 'fifth door' including the window will open. For example, the Rover 800 liftback is not a fastback.

In profile, hatchbacks and fastbacks can occasionally be confused, since both are two-box designs. A hatchback that looks like a fastback, but has a rear window integral to the hatch and a luggage compartment integral to the cabin, is properly termed a liftback. All liftbacks are hatchbacks with a fastback's profile, but a true fastback is neither a liftback nor a hatchback. For example, a combi coupé (liftback) versions of the Saab 900 can be confused with a true fastback.

Some fastbacks have a trunk area that is not discrete or separate from the cabin, while others are just like notchback sedan/coupé layouts but with a very steep rake for the rear window.

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