The Mercedes-Envy Years

I suppose one could write it off as a zeitgeist thing, but at the time there were plenty of not-quietly-spoken words to the effect that American cars were being styled as wannabe Mercedes'.

On the zeitgeist side of the argument, I could mention that, since automobile styling has a significant fashion component, the late 1970s and early 1980s marked a shift away from somewhat rounded bodies such as Chrysler Corporation's "fuselage" styling from 1969, Buick's Riviera with its curious "boat-tail" greenhouse, and Ford's Torinos.  That shift wasn't all that great, but nevertheless a visible change to more angular bodies with thin roofs and proportionally taller greenhouses and proportionally shorter lower bodies.  At the time, the effect struck potential buyers as being clean and crisp as opposed to soft and sometimes fussy.

There was another factor: the reaction by the market and the federal government to the 1973 oil crisis that for several months featured gasoline shortages and higher prices.  In response, automobile makers introduced smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

Finally, there was the growth of sales of non-American cars in the American market.  At the low end of the size-price continuum were Japanese cars.  But the higher-price part of the market saw inroads by German brands, especially in the form of the Mercedes-Benz W116 series.  For some time, Mercedes cars had featured flat roofs and proportionally tall greenhouses.  But now Detroit styling was adopting these styling cues, perhaps in part because of the fact that Mercedes was challenging Cadillac as the leading prestige mass-market brand in America.

And it is here that the zeitgeist explanation loses some of its force, because American stylists began mimicking Mercedes grilles on the Mercedes-like bodies they were crafting.

Gallery

1972 Mercedes-Benz W116 (280 SE)
Here is a Mercedes that American stylists would have been familiar with when they were working on redesigns for the late 1970s.

1979 Chevrolet Caprice
Caprice/Impala styling in the late 70s wasn't as Mercedes-like as the designs shown below.  But it nevertheless was typical of the times.

1978 Ford Fairmont
The Fairmont is technically a six-window rather than a four-window sedan.  Aside from that, it follows the Mercedes formula.  Note that the grille is horizontally sectioned into thirds using larger chrome strips, like the grille on the Mercedes shown above.

1976 Plymouth Volaré

1977 Dodge Aspen
The Volaré and Aspen are pretty much the same car, part of the long-term Chrysler practice that culminated in the termination of the Plymouth brand.  Here again, the styling seems Mercedes-inspired.  Moreover, the Volaré, like the Fairmont, has its grille sectioned horizontally Mercedes-style.

Plymouth's All-Metal Station Wagon

In the United States, a large share of passenger vehicle sales are for what are essentially station wagons.  I'm referring to SUVs (sport-utility vehicles) and "Cross-overs," (passenger car platform versions of SUVs) whose market share in the USA for the first six months of 2013 was 37 percent.  Their market share where light-duty trucks are added to the mix was 23 percent.

When I used the phrase "essentially station wagons" (or "brakes" as they are called in Britain and some other parts of Europe) my point is that the interior layout of the cabin for SUVs is the same as it was for traditional station wagons.  That layout is comprised of: (1) a front seat area for the driver and passenger; (2) a seat behind that for passengers, the seat back designed to fold forward to increase cargo space; and (3) a roof-high area at the rear for cargo or, in some cases, a third row of seats.

What made station wagons and SUVs practical was the 1949 Plymouth's introduction of an all-steel body for the station wagon type car.

Original 1920s and 1930s station wagons, in the American sense, were sedans or perhaps light trucks that were given a long, box-like passenger/cargo area that extended to the rear bumper.  These vehicles were used to meet people and their luggage arriving at a (usually) rural train station for further transport to a hotel, resort or country residence -- hence the name "station wagon."

This special bodywork extended from the cowl/windshield of the car to the rear bumper and was constructed mostly of wood.  Since most cars of the 1920s and early 30s had bodies framed in wood (with metal cladding), this was simply an inexpensive means for yielding handy station wagons, a very low-production sort of car in those days.  By the late 1930s, car construction became all-metal, yet station wagons continued to have wood for the passenger/cargo area (though roofs might be metal).  These station wagons could not be integrated into a normal production line, thanks to the use of wood.  So cars with partly completed bodies would be pulled off the line and sent to a special shop or an outside contract builder for construction and installation of the station wagon bits.

By the 1940s, use of wood construction for station wagons had become a matter of tradition rather than practicality.  For example, the special assembly mentioned above usually made wagons the most expensive body type for a brand.  Then there was the matter of maintenance of the wooden bodies.  They came from the factory varnished for weather protection, and the varnish had to be maintained, an expensive, time-consuming task.  (Many owners gave up maintenance after their wagon was a few years old, so older models often got pretty ratty looking.)

The obvious way to reduce purchase and maintenance costs -- in turn, encouraging increased sales -- was to simply eliminate the use of wood.  But it took until the 1949 model year for that to happen in the form of the Plymouth Suburban.

This is publicity material for the 1949 Plymouth station wagon, a traditional model with wood components.  The roof and rear fenders are clearly metal.  The front door could be metal (or partly so) as well, because the front fender fade-away can be seen on the panel which might have a dark wood pattern decal laid over it.

And here is the all-metal Plymouth Suburban.  Unlike the traditional station wagon, this car is a two-door rather than a four-door.  But it was practical to maintain and less expensive to buy, now being cheaper than Plymouth's fanciest convertible.  Over the next few years, all-steel station wagons became the norm in America.

Look-alikes: Mid-1970s Ford LTD & Dodge Monaco

Though I'm a firm believer in the existence of styling fads and fashions, there are times that cars from different manufacturers are so similar that even I am surprised.  One instance is from nearly 40 years ago when the last generation of really large American cars was on the road, before the 1973 oil crisis' impact could affect design.  The cars were Ford's LTD four-door sedans that first appeared for the 1973 model year and Dodge's Monaco four-door sedans launched the following year.

At the time the Monacos started appearing, I was familiar with the '73 LTD styling and regarded the Monaco as a copycat design.  Then I began to wonder about Chrysler Corporation's viability if it was becoming a styling imitator rather than an innovator.  Actually, this concern proved to be well-founded, because Chrysler's financial position deteriorated to the point that it had to accept a federal government bail-out in 1979.

In retrospect, aside from the possibility that Chrysler hires of Ford stylists around 1971 tipped off what Ford was planning for 1973, it's likely that similarities were a matter of parallel thinking in terms of product packaging for full-size sedans as well as the prevailing styling zeitgeist.  There must be retired Chrysler stylists active at the time who could step forward to explain what probably did cause the lookalike situation.

For now, let's take a look at the cars.

Gallery

The upper image is of a 1975 LTD that, aside from grille details, was similar to the 1973 model.  The lower image is a Monaco, also a 1975 model and posed with the principality as background.  Similarities include the upper bodies whose general shapes, window shapes and even the little fender line notches at the lower rear of the back side window framing.  Lower bodies differ in details, but their basic forms are similar enough that they look like they could have been sheet metal variations on the same underlying structure.

The Ford is at the top of this pairing too; it's a 1973 model. The Monaco in the lower photo is a 1975 model. That's the Hôtel de Paris in the background and a bit of the Monte Carlo casino is visible at the left.  Similarities here include the shape of the back windows, the centerline creases on the trunks, and the rectangular taillights.  Side sculpting differs somewhat, but easily might have been a matter of treatments for different brands from the same manufacturer.

What Were They Thinking?: 1951 Chrysler Grille

Facelifts for cars aren't always improvements.  That's usually because the initial design is conceived as a whole by the (notional) committee of stylists, styling executives and, finally, members of corporate top management who have the duty of signing off on a new design.   Facelifts normally deal with only a few details, and are intended to "freshen" the appearance of the automobile -- to make it look a little different, in other words -- so as to maintain marketplace appeal.

Usually, minor facelifts merit nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders. But there are occasions when the proper reaction is pure puzzlement. Consider the case of Chrysler's facelift for the 1951 model year
 

Here is a photo of a 1950 Chrysler, itself a minor facelift of a body style introduced for the 1949 model year.  I should add that the car shown is unusual in that it has a rare, prized "woodie" treatment.  Not quite a real woodie, however; by 1950, Chrysler eliminated wooden body parts and retained some now-superficial wooden "framing" as exterior trim.  The trunk lid, at least, was non-standard.

From the perspective of more than 60 years later, it doesn't seem to be a bad design.  But around 1950, Chrysler Corporation cars of all its makes -- Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler -- shared the same basic body, and that body was taller, more angular and a little more awkwardly styled than competing designs from General Motors and Ford, especially, and even from Hudson and Studebaker.  Chrysler sales were beginning to suffer, so a facelift was in order for 1951 that hopefully would tide things over until 1953 when completely restyled cars would appear.

Aside from minor changes to chrome trim on the sides, the facelift resulted in a smoothed-off hood front and a new grille.  Below is a photo I found on the Web that provides a better view of the grille design.

The 1950 Chrysler and previous models dating back to 1946 featured an egg-crate grille bar pattern.  Cadillac had been using this general motif since the late 1930s, so it's possible that someone at Chrysler decided that Chryslers would be better off if their front ends weren't imitating a competitor's.  Or maybe it was thought that it was simply time to do something different.  The 1951 grille design was definitely unusual for its time in that from some angles and in certain lighting conditions, the grille was simply a dark hole framed by lots of chrome trim.  It boldly stated ... almost nothing.

Rolls-Royce Wraith for 2014

Rolls-Royce is reviving the Wraith name for a new "fastback" coupe design.

Whereas I recognize that Rolls styling had to finally abandon much of its traditional look to keep pace with 21st century technology and the need for improved aerodynamic efficiency, I find the latest designs hard to like.  Proportions of their lower bodies strike me as being too similar to that of a common brick.  I suppose management and stylists were trying to create a car that was as imposing as its price, but otherwise the design makes little aesthetic sense.  Besides, classic custom Rolls-Royces from the 1930s were often graceful designs.

As for the new Wraith, I'll withhold some judgment until I actually see one.  Trouble is, they are sure to be rare.  Perhaps one will turn up next Spring when I'll be in the ritzy Palm Springs part of California for a few weeks.  My preliminary reaction to Wraith photos is below.

Rolls-Royce Wraith - 2014
Three publicity photos of the new Rolls Wraith.  The side view suggests that the fastback might be too heavy-looking.  But the other views contradict that impression to some extent.  The fastback probably counteracts the brick-like appearance of the Rolls body, whereas a bustle-back coupe would have tended to reinforce the heaviness.

Comparison: 1948 Cadillac 61 fastback
This image I found on the Web shows a fastback design on a high-priced car from 66 model years earlier.   The wire wheels were not stock items, obviously added at least a few years later than 1948.   The exhaust pipe extension isn't an original item either.  Regardless, this Cadillac shows how fastbacks were designed when the style was at, or perhaps a little beyond, its initial heyday.  I prefer its styling to that of the Wraith because it's lighter, more graceful.