4 Proto-Hatchbacks that Predate the BMC Mini and Fiat 500
The unassuming, utilitarian hatchback—once a symbol of the economy class—has become ubiquitous in an automotive world dominated by SUVs rather than sedans and coupes. Though bigger, heavier SUVs tend to be worse-handling and less fuel efficient, the utility of a hatchback storage area is undeniable. With the cargo hold integrated into the passenger compartment and accessed through a rear-hinged door, hatchbacks provide maximum flexibility for hauling people, cargo, or both.
Remember: for most of the automobile’s existence, cargo was carried in separate compartments, accessed through trunk lids. It was only the success of the highly popular 1957 Fiat 500, 1959 Austin 7, and 1959 Morris Mini Minor economy cars that turned the tide. By the decade’s end, these cars would establish hatchbacks as de rigueur mass-market automobiles, defining affordable, ordinary transit for an entire era.
Still, it’s worth recognizing the proto-hatchbacks that helped pave the path. As far back as 1938, designers were experimenting with hatchbacks to improve everyday utility. Check out four of the most interesting attempts, both in Europe and the United States.
1938 Citroën 11 Commercial
The 1938 Citroën 11 C, or Commercial, was a larger version of the Citroën 7, also known as the Traction Avant. The Traction Avant was the world’s first front-wheel-drive car with monocoque construction. Being 4.7 inches wider and 7.9 inches longer than the 7, the 11 C could be fitted as a family car or utility vehicle, and it had a 1102-pound (500 kg) payload. Power came from a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine producing 45 horsepower.
Its most remarkable feature, however, was its two-piece rear hatch featuring a roof-hinged top half and a floor-hinged bottom half. The 11 C’s predecessor, the 7, featured only the bottom half of the hatch, like a pickup truck tailgate. Many consider the 11’s two-piece opening to be the first hatchback.
1946 Nash Ambassador Suburban
The same could be said of the 1947 Nash Ambassador Suburban, which is really a pre-war Ambassador Fastback built using ash framing and mahogany panels. But check out the back, which is really more of a large trunk lid than a true hatchback. The interior features a key component of all future hatchbacks, as well: fold-down rear seats. This allows trunk volume to expand into the passenger compartment.
Power in the Ambassador Suburban came from a 3.9-liter inline six-cylinder engine that produced 112 horsepower through a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive. Being that this was Nash’s most expensive model, it’s hardly surprising that a mere 980 were built from 1946 through 1948. Fewer than 20 are known to survive.
1949 Kaiser Special Traveler and Custom Vagabond
The Traveler was a new idea from a new automaker, Kaiser-Frazer Corporation. The company was founded by steel magnate Henry J. Kaiser and auto executive Joseph Frazer, who had worked at Chrysler, Willys-Overland, and Graham-Paige. The Vagabond and Traveler came about because the company didn’t have the money to tool up to produce a station wagon. Instead, it’s said that Henry Kaiser himself came up with what the company called a Utility Sedan. As in the Citroën, its two-piece hatch opened to reveal an expandable cargo hold, thanks to a folding rear seat. To make room for cargo, the spare tire was mounted on the left rear door, which was welded shut.
Power came from a 3.7-liter L-Head six-cylinder engine that produced 112 horsepower. Priced at $2088 for the Special Traveler and $2288 for the tonier Custom Vagabond, the hatchback accounted for a quarter of sales in 1949. The model would continue to be produced through 1954.
1953 Aston Martin DB2/4
Aston Martin’s DB2 was crafted using Lagonda parts, as Aston Martin had recently acquired the firm. It was designed by W.O. Bentley, who was no longer associated with the automaker wearing his name. Bentley’s design for Lagonda used a fully independent suspension and a 2.6-liter twin-overhead-cam engine. It was followed by a 2+2 version of the DB2, the 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4. The new model not only boasted a rear seat, it came with an upgraded engine: a 2.9-liter Lagonda inline six-cylinder engine good for 140 hp with 178 lb-ft of torque.
More interesting was its body, built by H.J. Mulliner. It sported a true hatchback door in the rear. Certainly, the look proved influential, as the Jaguar E-Type would later sport a hatchback door as well.
These models were all aimed at the “business coupe” market –probably worth explaining what that was and how these were an improvement in access. Take the example of some of the Dodge business coupes from the 40s that basically look like the passenger compartment is a gunner turret off a bomber plane. The long trunk on these opened up to a trunk area with rear seat deletes. Some of them even had pull-out trays like we see aftermarket fitted on trucks.
Business coupes were at the lower-end of the model line whereas station wagons were high-end (often the top end). This is also when “Suburban” was a type of vehicle rather than a GM exclusive name.
For the Nash and the Kaiser we need more pictures to show what the article is talking about.
Acceptance of hatchbacks in North America has a lot to do with sporty models using them and the Japanese imports of the 70s. I think Europe embraced this much sooner which is the point the article uses.