Fastback

Fastback /fahst-bak/ noun (countable)

A fastback is a car body style, typically a type of coupé or saloon, where the rear of the car has a single, continuous slope from the roofline to the rear bumper. This is the term for the swooping, aerodynamic roofline that signals a car has sporting intentions, or at least wants to look like it does. It is the automotive equivalent of a sprinter's lean at the finish line, a single, unbroken curve that suggests speed and efficiency. The fastback rejects the formal, upright stance of the traditional three-box saloon in favour of a more dynamic profile. While most famously associated with the great American pony cars, the British motor industry also produced some magnificent examples.

The Full Story of the Fastback

The fastback design was born from the earliest experiments in automotive streamlining. Engineers and designers realised that a smooth, tapering tail, approximating the rear half of a teardrop, would allow air to flow over the car with less turbulence, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag. Early, avant-garde cars like the Czechoslovakian Tatra T77 showed the principle in its most extreme form, but it was in the post-war era that the fastback became a mainstream styling statement.

The car that cemented the fastback in the public imagination was the 1965 Ford Mustang. While the standard Mustang was a "notchback" coupé, the optional 2+2 Fastback version, with its dramatic, flowing roofline, became an instant icon of American youth culture. This, along with cars like the Dodge Charger, established the fastback as the definitive silhouette for the American muscle and pony car.

The British motor industry, with its own rich history of sporting cars, produced its own elegant interpretations. The style was perfectly suited to the grand tourer. The most beautiful examples came from Aston Martin, whose DB4, DB5, and DB6 are arguably the most handsome fastback GTs of all time. Jensen used a distinctive "glasshouse" fastback for its Interceptor, a design that culminated in a huge, top-hinged rear window. The British also applied the style to more affordable cars. The Rootes Group produced a series of handsome Sunbeam Rapier coupés, which used a fastback roofline to distinguish them from the staid Hillman saloons on which they were based.

The great weakness of the pure fastback design was often practicality. A car like the original Mustang Fastback still had a conventional, small boot lid below its vast, curved rear window. This meant that while the car looked large and practical, access to the luggage space was poor. This led to the evolution of the "liftback." This was a design that combined the sleek profile of a fastback with the practicality of a hatchback, by hinging the entire rear glass and tail section at the roof. Great British examples of the liftback include the Ford Capri and the Rover SD1, a large, five-door executive car whose sleek fastback shape was inspired by the Ferrari Daytona. In the modern era, the term has been resurrected by marketing departments for a new wave of four-door "coupés" and even SUVs, a development that continues to infuriate purists who believe a fastback should have two doors and genuine performance credentials.

For The Record

What is the difference between a fastback and a coupé?

A fastback is a type of coupé or saloon. "Coupé" usually refers to any two-door, fixed-roof car. "Fastback" refers specifically to the style of the roofline. A car can be both, like the Ford Mustang Fastback. A "notchback" coupé, like an early Ford Capri, has a more defined, three-box look to its rear.

Is a fastback more aerodynamic?

In theory, yes. The unbroken roofline helps maintain smoother airflow compared to a conventional saloon where the air detaches abruptly at the back of the roof.

What is a "liftback"?

A liftback is a fastback where the rear door is hinged at the roof and opens to include the rear window, providing a large opening for luggage. It is essentially a fastback-styled hatchback. The Rover SD1 is a classic example.

Does a fastback have less rear headroom than a saloon?

Almost always. The stylish, descending roofline has to come down somewhere, and it is usually at the direct expense of the space available for the heads of any unfortunate passengers in the rear seats.

What is a "Kammback"?

Named after the German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm, a Kammback is a style where a fastback roofline is abruptly chopped off with a flat, vertical surface. Aerodynamically, this "Kamm tail" is very efficient, as it tricks the air into behaving as if the long tail were still there. The Ford GT40 is a famous example.