NOTCHBACK

'Notchback' is a very common form of car body style characterized by a sharp vertical drop-off from roof to the boot, as opposed to hatchback or fastback. All notchbacks are what is known as ''3-box'' designs - seen from the side, three separate volumes - the engine area, the passenger area, and the boot area.
The notchback is usually a synonym for sedan, although many coupé cars are notchbacks as well. Notchback can also refer to liftback or hatchback vehicles, if there is a discontinuous line from roof to rear bumper. The term has been used for the European Mark III Ford Escort and the Ford Sierra, although the shape of these hatchbacks is officially called the ''Aeroback''.
This was sometimes called a "formal roof" on American cars, and was popular in the 1980s on premium car lines such as the Mercury Cougar and the General Motors C- and G-body cars.

As fuel consumption has become a larger focus in automobile design, the ''notchback'' is rapidly being replaced by a steadily smoother angle of the rear window on four door saloons - the traditional near vertical rear notch shape is apparently not optimal for aerodynamic performance.

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Examples

See also

Examples

★ Plymouth Barracuda

★ Pontiac Trans Am

★ Chevrolet Vega

★ Volkswagen Notchback

★ Ford Mustang

★ Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

★ Nissan Laurel

★ Nissan Cefiro

★ Pontiac Fiero

See also

★ Car body style