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I had a random thought on the way to work today. If you could distil the general style behind car design for each decade into a single description, what word would you use?


Here are the ones I came up with:

1910's - Mechanical
1920's - Enclosed
1930's - ? (don't know)
1940's - Streamlined
1950's - ? (couldn't think of one that fit well enough)
1960's - Moulded (as in clay)
1970's - Carved (as in wood)
1980's - Constructed (as in blocks)
1990's - Grown (as in organic)
2000's - Sculpted (as in stone)

Don't forget Volvo Brick Design.

1950s: finny/spacey

what i wanna know is, can I put fins, a 2 tone paintjob, and a dome canopy on a car made in 2006?

According to this book, "Car Design" by PaoloTumminelli, there are 24 styles of car design, until new ones are invented .

I'll put up a short description and examples of each when I'll have some time.

Premodern Design(till the 1940s):

Form followed function and the car had clearly identifiable components. Aerodynamic principles were just coming into effect in design, examples bellow.

Citroen 11CV Traction Avant 1934


Lincoln Zephyr 1935


Citroen 2 cv 1949


VW Beetle 1938-1949

Classic Design 1950s-1960s

Cars became very curvy and integrated more componentes into the body, but retained the lines and had similar proportions of the prewar cars. They were long and high, they retained the fender lines, the radiator was still integrated into the hood and had little developed tails.

Examples below:

Cadillac Sixty One Sedanet 1949


BMW 502 Coupe 1954


Jaguar XK 120 1948


Bentley type R 1950

Soft Shell Design 1950s

The cars had rounded, flowing forms and continous horizontal lines between the fenders. The tails section was more developed and contained a trunk. These shapes were better suited for easy mass production.

Studebaker Champion 1947


Chrysler Newport Town and country 1950


Alfa Romeo 1900 1950


Fiat 600 1955

Flow Shell Design 1950s-1970s

The features of this design were inspired by racing cars. Vehicles benefited from improved aerodynamics and weight reduction; they were more compact, had clean lines and modern proportions, the radiator and hood were lower than on previous cars, had better visibility and a flowing tail.

Cisitalia Tipo 202 Berlinetta 1947


Porsche 356 1951


Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1954


Lancia Aurelia GT B20 1951

continue?

Rocket Design 1950s

During the Second World War the airplane developed very fast. Many engineers from a wide variety of industries were involved in that development and they fell in love with the look. This style of design took off in the 1950s when both jet travel and the space age were in their infancy and there was a wide fascination with rockets and airplanes. A variety of concept cars were produced during this period merging car with airplane and evoking outer-space.
These cars had features like domed roofs, projectile styled fronts and of course wings, fins and jet-pipes. Although these cars never went into production, they influenced the style of many cars of the era. Cars started sporting fins, bullet like front bumpers, rocket type noses and jet like tails. They also used a lot of chrome and achrylic glass.

Buick Le Sabre concept 1951


Chrysler 300 S Dart concept 1955


Alfa Romeo 1900 BAT 5 concept I 1953


Ford La Tosca concept 1955

more please ?

I advise more patience.

Oh Snap

New Line Design late 1950s early 1960s

This design style featured cars with flatter and wider bodies and a low center of gravity, intended to improve both looks and performance. Other significant characteristics were flatter and more straight metal work, an horizontal side line cutting the body in 2 and the the side trim became an important design element. Though the trend of this design was going towards straighter lines and more geometric shapes, the lack of alternatives for the traditional round headlights meant that it had to keep a stronger link with the past.

Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe 1955


Nash Ambassador concept 1955


Lincoln Continental Mk II 1956


Lancia Flaminia Berlina 1963