Fastback
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- For the DC Comics superhero, see Fastback (comics).
A Fastback is an automotive bodystyle characterised by a continuous slope from the roof to the base of the decklid. Fastbacks can be two-door coupés or two- or four-door sedans. Unlike the hatchback, a fastback car has a fixed rear window and a trunk separate by a bulkhead from the passenger cabin.
Fastbacks are often designed for dramatic impact, but the form is also an advantage in developing aerodynamic vehicles with a low drag coefficient. The Kamm tail is a related concept.
Confusion with Hatchback and Liftback cars
In profile, hatchbacks and fastbacks can occaisionally be confused, since both are two-box designs.Like hatchbacks, some fastbacks have a trunk area that is not discrete or separate from the cabin, while others are just like notchback sedan/coupe layouts but with a very steep rake for the rear window.
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.
The Fiat 127 presents a challenge to these distinctions, as one model had a prototypical hatchback outline (e.g., the Volkswagen Golf), but a separate trunk. Technically, it is not a fastback, but can be considered with them for sake of convenience.
While very few true fastback designs have been made, the liftback has seen a great deal of popularity, especially in the United States, where the traditional hatchback shape was widely shunned through the 1980s and 1990s.
Examples of two-door fastback cars
- 1953-1955 Bentley Continental R-Type
- 1965-1967 AMC Marlin
- 1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado
- 1966-1967 Dodge Charger
- 1965-1973 Ford Mustang GT (several generations)
- 1968-1973 Ford Fairlane Torino/Torino SportsRoof
- 1968-1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sport
- 1970-1977 Toyota Celica
- 1970-1977 Ford Maverick
- 1971-1980 Ford Pinto
- 1978-1979 Buick Century
- 1978-1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon
- 1964-1969 Plymouth Barracuda
- 2003-2005 Smart Roadster Coupe
Examples of four-door fastback cars
- 1970-1979 Citroën GS
- 1974-1990 Citroën CX
- 1973-1981 Volkswagen Passat
- 1978-1980 Buick Century
- 1978-1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham
- 2005-Present Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
See also
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