I’m still waiting to find a CRX and a CRZ side-by-side to do some comparison shots, but in the meantime these two will have to do. And they do share that transparent vertical panel on the rear end, to make visibility with such a high tail possible. It suddenly occurred to me; where did that originate? Now I took one stab at it, because I have another CC for today to write up. Mine is after the jump. But before you follow me there, make your own guess. And…I might very well be wrong, so if you find an earlier example, add the link to your comment.
My teen-aged years’ heart throb, the Lamborghini Espada first comes to mind. I thought it might have been its concept predecessor, the Marzal, but the shots I found seem to say no, although it certainly had plenty of side visibility with its transparent gull-wing doors:
And check out those louvers on the Marzal! So, what’s the verdict?
I don’t know about first, the Espada was my guess, though I know about the most beautiful, the Maserati Khamsin. Notice how the rear lights are magically floating in the glass panel:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Maserati_Khamsin_rear.jpg
With the Italians penchant for haute couture automobilia, I’d guess the first glass rear panel was done by an Italian firm.
The Khamsin is absolutely gorgeous, and is easily my favorite Maserati of all time.
It’s amazing how many great designs and concepts have been
doneproduced by Lamborghini that were just eclipsed for a younger generation (myself included) by the baroque Countach. My adult favorite? The forgotten Islero.Now I’m going to peruse the interblags for an unmolested CRX and, consquently, sadness.
My forgotten classic lambo is the Jarama, So clean, and yet so brutal. Like it was designed by Tonka Toys.
http://www.netcarshow.com/lamborghini/1973-jarama/800×600/wallpaper_05.htm
Yes, I loved it too…looks like it got slammed a couple of inches.
Back in the days when there would be a new Lambo every couple of years to keep one’s interest…unlike now.
My “forgotten classic” is the LP400. The original Countach, with clean spare lines, minimalist detailing, and a coherent styling theme. Before it was bastardized into a bewinged, bespoilered, flared, bulged, overwrought parody of itself.
http://www.sportscaradvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lamborghini-countach-lp400-1977-greenwich.jpg
To me, the CRX-style glass on the Insight, CR-Z and even the Accord Crosstour is further proof that Honda’s completely out of ideas. The spirit of creativity and innovation that put this company on the map. Now they’re reduced to selling selling cut rate Priuses and putting CR-V engines in the Civic Si. Sad.
Another pre-CRX whip with tail glass is the TVR Tasmin 280i. Of course, it’s a latecomer compared to the Espada, but in TVR’s case I’m a little surprised they hadn’t entertained the idea earlier. For some reason this seems to me like an English styling idea, something one would encounter on odd ducks like the Jensen CV8, Bristol, and AC 428. None of those had glass tails, though.