In the 1970s and 80s, other than a few notable exceptions, North American car design seemed to lag behind Europe. U.S. car manufacturers were mildly updating their over-large, slab-like sedans, while smaller Japanese cars picked away at U.S. market share. Finally, in the 1990s U.S....
The 1960s saw the final flowering of the separate chassis luxury car. These huge, heavy, traditional, and opulent cars were gradually replaced by fighter, more efficient, modern, monocoque luxury models, with significantly higher performance and sleeker, lower lines. The decade also saw the appearance of...
Post-war prosperity in the United States brought the most indulgent and flamboyant period ever in car design, as car makers at all levels of the market dressed up cars with ever increasing amounts of chrome plating and styling excesses: fins, bullets, and aircraft-inspired detail. Cars...
By the late 1950s American car design had reached a new level of exuberance. The tailfins, two-tone paint schemes, whitewall tires, and wraparound screens that typified most US models had inspired many European car-makers, with the likes of sober Humber and sensible Simca producing cars...