Which Vehicle Has the Best Silhouette?
Perhaps the best silhouette isn’t a minivan from Oldsmobile in the 1990s, but it clearly gets the ball rolling for Hagerty’s According to You series. Admiring the beauty of the profile view has been a thing for portraits of human beings for thousands of years, so it’s no surprise we apply that aesthetic preference to objects around us, like the automobile. This angle has endless appeal, and I’ll assume I am not the only person in the Hagerty Community who stops in their tracks when the long lines of a well-designed automobile crosses my path.
Car designers spend an inordinate amount of time ironing out the side view to ensure the front and rear ends will look proper for the entire vehicle. So let’s make a big deal about it and see which vehicle has the best silhouette in the eyes of our readers. To start things off, here’s my choice.
As a late Gen-Xer, I saw these Thunderbirds everywhere during my childhood. While their front end wore sealed-beam headlights that didn’t necessarily work with the aerodynamic body, that silhouette was to die for. It was a little bit cab backward, possessed a great mix of soft curves and hard muscles, and included window trim that harmonized beautifully with the overall shape.
But I really started noticing these 1983–86 Thunderbirds after the 1987 redesign eliminated the aggressive drop in the trunk lid, the integrated ducktail, and the muscular contours in its thick C-pillar. The first three years of the “Aero Bird” looked like nothing before or since, and the car and its lovely profile passed far too quickly.
The way this C-pillar reflected the light at dawn or dusk was impossible to overlook, and though the overall shape wasn’t nearly as aerodynamic as the designs that replaced the 1983 Thunderbird, this truly was an automotive silhouette for the ages.
Which leads us back to our initial question: Which vehicle do you think has the best silhouette?
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Without a doubt, my 1954 MG-TF is a constant head turner with classic vehicle lines (running boards, smooth curvature in fenders, spoked wheel on the exterior of the gas tank, etc.). A timeless beauty.
1953 Studebaker Coupe
1955 Mercury Monterey Hardtop
1984-1990 C4 Corvette. The concave rear bumper is just cool. On the other hand, the convex 1990 ZR-1 bumper and its use on the 1991-1996 models are strong candidates. In my C4-centric world, the Corvettes nailed the Silhouette Sweepstakes.
The word wrap is still messed up. Or messed
up
.
Hagerty don’t seem to care or be aware of it. I even emailed a screenshot example to them… but no response. It’s so annoying and distracting. HAGERTY: wake up your IT guy!!
They found him at the snack machines in the breakroom and got him on the case. It looks like it’s fixed (at least in all the articles I’ve looked at this morning). Thanks to the Hagerty Team for preserving our sanity for at least a few more days! 👏
‘97 XK8
I have always liked the 1961-1963 bullet Thunderbirds.
There was just something perfect about their profile.
Certainly agree that the C3 Corvette has a profile worth a second or third glance. And I would add to that the Land Rover (Series) and first generation Defender and I would also suggest the frequently under appreciated Volkswagen Corrado.
I liked the regal and cutlass in the ‘80s, but in Chicago, they (along with le sabres and 88s) were being stolen and stripped about as fast as they rolled out of the dealer lots. I really liked the t-bird though because it totally broke away from the wedge/dust buster look. For ‘85 there was a special 30th anniversary edition, but I couldn’t swing the price, so I bought a regular one that was the same color as the special edition. It was a great car. Nice ride lots of options. A added bonus was that while the gm cars were being stolen left and right, nobody ever bothered the bird. Kept it for 10 years. I might have had it longer but I loaned it to my cousin and she wrecked it.
Thirdgen Firebird/Formula/Trans Am. One of the best designs to come out of GM. Still looks exotic today.
C3 Corvettes – especially the 80-82 models.
In ’56, my uncle bought a ’53 Jaguar XK-120 FHC and I have been enamored with that gorgeous profile ever since, especially with the disc wheels and the spats (skirts)! The Series 1 E Type FHC is right up there with that 120 though!
I might be biased but the Aston Martin project vantage concept, which became the vanquish, is the most cohesive and accomplished shape of all time.
All Aston Martin cars this century have that car to thank for their dna.
Late 1950’s Porsche Speedster, mid – 2000’s Mercedes E Series.
65/66 Mustang Fastback, 61 bubble top Impala.