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A 'fastback' is a car body style 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 typically a trunk that is separated by a bulkhead from the passenger cabin.

Contents

Aerodynamic Advantages

Confusion with hatchback and liftback cars

Examples of two-door fastback cars

Examples of four-door fastback cars

See also

Aerodynamic Advantages

Fastbacks provide an advantage in developing aerodynamic vehicles with a low drag coefficient. The Kamm tail is a related concept.
Possibly because of these aerodynamic advantages, the angle of the rear window on traditional ''three-box sedans'' has been steadily increasing, blurring the distinction between fastback sedans and notchback cars. The current Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is an example of this trend. However, a true fastback design has a continuous slope from its roof down to the base of the trunk at the rear bumper. It would have no distinct change of bodyline for the rear deck. Most of the four door sedans with steeply raked rear windows (including the new Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class) have trunk lids that are not as sharply angled and they terminate with high rear ends in an attempt to retain maximum cargo space volume.

Confusion with hatchback and liftback cars

''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 (hatchback) 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.

Examples of two-door fastback cars

★ 1936-1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic

★ 1947-1966 Volvo PV

★ 1949-1979 Saab 92/96

★ 1953-1955 Bentley Continental R-Type

★ 1963-present Porsche 911

★ 1964-1969 Plymouth Barracuda

★ 1965-1967 AMC Marlin

★ 1965-1973 Ford Mustang GT (several generations)

★ 1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado

★ 1966-1967 Dodge Charger

★ 1966-1973 Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback (dates are from U.S. lineup)

★ 1967-1973 Maserati Ghibli

★ 1968-1973 Ferrari Daytona

★ 1968-1978 Lamborghini Espada

★ 1968-1973 Ford Fairlane Torino/Torino SportsRoof

★ 1968-1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sport

★ 1968-1974 Volkswagen Type 4

★ 1969-1976 Audi 100 Coupé S

★ 1970-1977 Ford Maverick

★ 1971-1980 Ford Pinto

★ 1970-1981 Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro

★ 1978-1979 Buick Century

★ 1978-1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon

★ 1980-1991 Audi Quattro

★ 1986-1988 Pontiac Fiero GT

★ 1989-1998 Nissan 180SX

★ 1992-2003 Ferrari 456

★ 1993-2002 Toyota Supra

★ 2003-2005 Smart (automobile) Roadster Coupe

★ 2004-Present BMW 645Ci

★ 2004-Present Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

★ 2004-Present Bentley Continental GT

★ 2006-Present Pontiac G6 Coupe

Examples of four-door fastback cars

★ 1934-1938 Tatra T77

★ 1948-1954 Hudson Hornet

★ 1955-1975 Citroën DS

★ 1968-1974 Volkswagen Type 4

★ 1969-1978 Citroën Ami 8

★ 1970-1979 Citroën GS

★ 1973-1981 Volkswagen Passat

★ 1974-1990 Citroën CX

★ 1978-1980 Buick Century

★ 1978-1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham

★ 2005-Present Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

★ 2006-Present Citroën C6

See also

★ Car body style

★ Sedan

★ Hatchback

★ Coupé

★ Combi coupe

★ Kammback

★ Notchback

★ Liftback

★ Station wagon