Coke bottle styling

United States

Studebaker introduced the Raymond Loewy-designed Avanti gran turismo with pronounced Coke bottle look in 1962.[9] The 1962 Pontiac full-size models also "had a subtle horizontal crease about halfway down [the bodyside] and a slight wasp-waist constriction at the doors which swelled out again in the rear quarters"[10] One of the cleanest examples of the "Coke bottle" styling was the 1963 Buick Riviera,[11] a pioneering personal luxury car. Chevrolet first applied the Coke bottle look on Bill Mitchell's 1963 Corvette Sting Ray.[12] The styling of the 1962 through 1968 versions has been described "like a bottle of Coke on wheels" because of the long hood and "powerful wheel arches".[13]

By 1966, the General Motors A-body sedans received a mid-riff pinch and "hop up" fenders. Intermediates such as the 1968-1970 Dodge Charger and Ford Torino followed suit, as well as compacts such as the Ford Maverick and Plymouth Duster. General Motors also styled their "B" body full-size cars from 1965 to 1968 with this style, which is most prominent on the "fastback" 2-door hardtop models. Chrysler's "interpretation of the Coke-bottle styling treatment to its struggling B-body cars ... [resulted in] ... smooth lines, subtly rounded curves, and near perfect proportions."[14] Notable automobiles with this style include many of the muscle cars during this era, such as the Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Charger.[3][2]

Design "themes" such as the "hop up" fenders became so pervasive across the industry that American Motors' all-new 1967 Rebel was criticized because "viewed from any angle, anyone other than an out-and-out car buff would have trouble distinguishing the Rebel from its GM, Ford, and Chrysler Corp. competition."[15][16] However, AMC discovered that compared to slab styling with deeply sculpted ridges, "the rounded "Coke-bottle" panels would be easier to make and the dies would last longer — an important cost consideration."[17]

Author Clinton Walker described the archetypal product of Australian suburbia, the muscle car, with its "Coke bottle hip bump but the midriff of a go-go dancer?"[18] According to automotive historian Darwin Holmstrom, Chevrolet "took it to its illogical extreme with the 1968 Corvette, though that car more closely resembled a prosthetic phallus than a Coke bottle".[19]

By the late-1970s and early-1980s, cars like the Ford Fairmont and Chrysler K-cars moved towards straight lines. The Audi 100 (C3) and Ford Taurus led towards functional aerodynamic styling.

International markets

This styling "was to be seen right across the marketplace and, before long, around the world".[11] Japanese, European, and Australian automobiles also adopted this style during the latter 1960s and into 1970s.

In Japan, Toyota released the curvaceous limited production Toyota 2000GT in 1967, characterized by its "flowing design" and "Coke Bottle Shape".[13] Other period Toyota Coke bottle designs include the 1972-1976 Toyota Corona Mark II and the Toyota Celica. Japanese automaker Nissan offered this appearance on the 1970s-era Nissan Cedrics, Nissan Glorias, Nissan Laurels, Nissan Bluebirds, and Nissan Violets. Mitsubishi also adopted this appearance on the 1973 through 1980 Galant and the 1973-1979 Lancer. The smallest car with this style is usually considered to be the 1967 Suzuki Fronte 360, which was less than 3 m long,[20] while the Subaru 360 also used similar styling elements, notably the curvaceous "belt line".

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