We’ve all seen good cars ruined by bad spoilers and wings. Well, this isn’t that post: Today I want to talk about cars whose looks were actually improved by the manufacturer with the addition of a well-chosen wing or spoiler.
Maybe it’s because I grew up with too much Smokey and the Bandit, but to me, there is something that looks oh-so-right about a 70’s Trans-Am with the factory spoiler. The little kick-up, the extra space for logos and text, it just seems right.
OK, the whitewall tires and wire wheel covers aren’t doing any favors.
In comparison, the base spoilerless Firebird (and Esprit) models always seemed to me to have a saggy, droopy rear end.
Strangely, spoilerless Camaros of the same vintage don’t seem to bother me nearly as much. Maybe it is the smaller wraparound taillights or the chrome bumpers.
Yes, before you go there, I know that Jim Rockford drove a Pontiac Firebird Esprit sans-spoiler for years on The Rockford Files. But I remain unconvinced. To me, the Pontiac Firebird was markedly improved with the addition of the factory spoiler.
That’s my hot take. What car do you think is most improved by the addition of a spoiler?
The one piece spoiler on the 1970 Z28s looks really good to me. King of the spoilers will always be the 1970 Plymouth Superbird.
The 70-73 Firebirds look fine without the spoiler, I think the body colored bumper and larger taillights from 74 and beyond made the rear end a bit unbalanced.
My pick however would be the Fox Mustang hatchback. They look weird without the spoiler, so weird it became standard equipment on even base 2.3 models.
Ha you beat me to it!
“They look weird without the spoiler, so weird it became standard equipment on even base 2.3 models.”
I can agree the base cars looked weird, but in ’86 Ford made the spoiler standard to mount the third brake light, per regulation. You can argue that cosmetic reasons entered into the decision, but this approach also saved on tooling costs and simplified things on the production line.
I think it’s not so much the body coloured bumper as such but rather its unfortunate shape. It kinda has a double-bar effect, and my eye reads it as though the lower bar sticks out beyond the upper, leading the eye downward and making it appear droopy. Two narrower bars rather than one deeper one. It’s a sneaky way to meet the regs without having a cliff face or the saggy diaper effect of a deep bumper.
Good point, and I think in effect that’s why the spoiler works so much better, with the spoiler shape effectively mirroring that lower bar up top it almost has a cancelling effect.
I was going to say similar. With the top line narrower than the lower line and the quarter extensions curving downward and slightly out makes the car look like it has a sad face much like a person with a down turned mouth.
The red Firebird immediately reminded me of the Peugeot 504 rear with the droopy trunk lid and the sad/frowning rear fascia.
Good question. My example is close to home, as I own it. I ordered my 2011 Mustang GT new and one of the stand alone options was spoiler delete. I did not check that box because I think it looks kind of naked in back without it.
I also don’t like the larger spoiler that came with the backup camera option or big aftermarket spoilers. The stock GT is just right, in my opinion.
First picture is a Grabber Blue car with the standard spoiler
I always found the rear end of this era challenging and would have to agree the spoiler positively helps it. The 05-09 however looks significantly better with the spoiler delete option IMO
I agree the 05-09 and the 13-14 both have better rear ends while the 10-12 is rather controversial. Aside from the tall butt that many modern cars are afflicted with, I don’t have any specific complaints about it other than the kind of awkward contrived angle on the bottom of the taillights. They corrected that for 2013 but I don’t care for the smoked taillights. I do like the rear end of the latest generation, it’s actually my favorite part.
Yep, same here. I don’t really like the front end or sides of the current generation but the rear end is one of the best the Mustang has had, I just wish the panel wasn’t gloss black. Seems like that was an effort to keep continuity with the 13-14 but it’s not necessary, body color would look great!
FWIW, spoilers ‘do’ have something of a practical use, but it has nothing to do with aerodynamics. Rear spoilers can often be used as a reference as to the rear of a vehicle when backing up/parking. But, other than that caveat, they’re still pretty dumb.
This is a Kona Blue car (same color as mine) with the spoiler delete.
It doesn’t scream ‘I need a spoiler’, but it does look nice with one.
Without a doubt the Fox Mustang hatchback. Though the front clip of the ’87 imitation-aero redesign was at best awkward, the spoiler that became standard at the same time really improved the back end. It looked far more integrated than the same era multi slot SVO version or the larger whale tail versions (were those aftermarket? Not sure.)
Your Firebird example is a close second, though the spoiler-less ‘birds still look good, much better than a pre spoiler Fox Mustang.
The whale tail originated on the Saleens, but the aftermarket produced tons of them. The SVO bilevel looked basically like the GT spoiler at the trunklid section but were black rather than body color, so it doesn’t change the profile much.
Hmmm…
I’m mostly OK with the appearance of a “duckbill” spoiler, if it’s integrated into the body (1968 Corvette), but I don’t care for tacked on versions such as the Trans Am.
I prefer the look of a separate airfoil, but even on factory cars they often look tacked on.
The solution? A winged spoiler integrated into the body lines, as shown.
Much like the Porsche 959 but the taillight extending up is a nice touch.
There are a few examples out there, some more successful than others…
I think these initial 4th generations did it just fine. When it was decided the SS needed a big wing (because early 2000s) this resulted…
Cute how all these wannabes imitated this true pioneer
Right you are, XR7Matt! Clear back in 1970. Will also state that I was a huge fan of the 1969 1/2 Dodge Charger Daytona, which seemed to have the largest spoiler ever, at that time. Of course, I also liked the 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner SuperBird. But liked the Daytona better. Chrysler Corporation, especially in the past, has been a pioneer of many innovations on American automobiles.
Can Am racers, big, mounted to the suspension, moveable and eventually banned
Or how about ground effects where wings are optional.
Functional and bold, but visually I still prefer the later integrated airfoils.
I like the little tell-tale spoilers that tells us in the know that this is something special. Like on an E39 M5. Or the front spoiler of the Volvo 850 T-5R and R.
I also like the three-piece affair on the W124 AMG Hammer.
I think 911s look better without the Turbo spoiler, but few things say “the boss has arrived” like the whaletail on a 930.
I have to nominate the spoiler on the Maverick Grabber as it improved its tush. The one on my 96 Saturn SL2 wasn’t too bad either.
With the few mentioned exceptions, I lump spoilers (and front air-dams, as well) into that category of automotive affectations that simply ruin a car’s appearance. Duck-tails aren’t too bad, but pedestal spoilers are the absolute pits. My favorite in this category was the Toyota Tercel ‘hawk’ series that included a rear spoiler. Likewise, a car that looks infinitely better without the standard rear spoiler was the last generation, Holden Monaro-based Pontiac GTO.
In fact, it reminds me of the story of the auto stylist who was hired by Chrysler in the late sixties and his first assignment was the upcoming Barracuda E-body. His boss flippantly told him, “Go put a stripe on that car”. The guy had just spent years at design school and was so incensed by this task, that he decided to come up with the worst possible stripe. He presented his proposal to his boss and, to his amazement, his boss liked it!
And thus was born the infamous, one-year-only ‘billboard’ stripe that covered the entire quarter panels of the 1970 ‘Cuda. Besides looking like hell, it was also extremely difficult to apply at the factory. Production instructed the styling department to never come up with such a large stripe, again. Ironically, it was sort of the first version of the current body-wrap applique.
It’s bad enough applying as a decal on a 1/24 scale model. It must be murder in full-size!
I guess there wasn’t any adjustment available with the type of permanent stripe adhesive they used back then. So, the line guys only had one shot to get it right. If not, they had to rip the whole thing off and start all over with a brand-new stripe.
The strobe stripe on the AAR ‘Cuda wasn’t much better.
The lip added to the 1964Cobra Daytona coupe.
It looks like the expanded lip on the base of a rifle bullet.
According to the article from which I borrowed this picture, this particular car hit 188 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in LeMans trim, and then averaged 150 mph for 12 hours straight, setting a record for the time (1965).
https://www.simeonemuseum.org/collection/1964-shelby-cobra-daytona-coupe/
Wasn’t it Pete Brock that came up with that? He was met with some disapproval initially with the kammback, but it improved top speeds dramatically, so they eventually knew that he was onto something. The original AC Cobra shape was apparently very unstable at higher speeds and just wouldn’t go any faster with its natural shape.
+1 for Cobra Coupe.
Beautiful and functional.
The looks of the Fox body Mustang hatchback were definitely improved with a rear spoiler. I’m thinking specifically of the piece used on the 1984 – ’86 GT, and also on the 1987 – ’93 LX.
(I’m not crazy about the 1987 – ’93 GT spoiler, and while I think the SVO spoiler looks cool, I didn’t love that it wasn’t body-colored.)
I also agree with you on the spoiler-less Camaros and Firebirds of that era. Spot on.
The spoiler really transformed the 1978 Corvette on the Indy Pace Car Editions.
I know I’m gonna get some haters…
That’s what’s in my garage. My buddy in town has a factory wingless car so we’re quite the pair when we roll into a show together.
I’m mixed on it. It’s functional yet a bit ostentatious for me. I normally hate spoilers but on the other hand, it’s iconic to that car – a hallmark feature. Ya gotta have it!
Speaking of spoilers, a word is warranted on the first production car to get a rear spoiler: the 1966 Dodge Charger. It was a small, lip-spoiler that was dealer installed, designed specifically to make it legal for NASCAR use.
As to the first factory installation, I would guess it was the duck-tail on the following year’s new Camaro Z/28.
Yes, my automotive friend. You are so right. This some years before the huge Daytona and SuperBird spoilers, which were actually a result of wind tunnel studies.
I remember seeing an aerodynamics test on the Superbird, and those backwards facing airducts on the tops of both fenders actually suck air in. There’s something about the low pressure zone there that makes the air cheat itself backwards……hard to believe, but true.
That sounds accurate as I would imagine the same principle would apply to Chevrolet’s cowl-induction hood air intake. The Superbird’s fender ‘scoops’ weren’t actually scoops, at all, but blisters for clearance as the air forced the tops of the front fenders down onto the tires at racetrack speeds.
Saab 900! And this comes from a guy who owned one without a spoiler…
Double tea tray on the back of an XR4i. Mad brilliance.
+1 This is one of my favs as well. It thought it was quite clever when new, though a bit gimmicky from today’s perspective.
I thought the XR4i lost a lot of character, when Ford nixed the second wing later in production. Especially attractive with white bodywork.
Same here. If you’re going to mount a spoiler, go big.
I think it had to be the one on David Saunders Toyota in the Beater Challenge, the one made out of 2×4’s.
Otherwise Superbird, all day long.
If attention from others is your goal then a nice wooden wing is the best way to go! The one I made from the Civic out of pallet wood a couple years earlier actually got more looks likely because it was unpainted.
These were really fleek
Indeed, some of the air deflector styles were quite sharp. I really liked the Dodge Polara/Monaco wagon’s integrated design.
This spoke to my heart……
Ah the Cyclone Spoiler. Bunkie must have been bitter that his proposed “GTO Hood Tach” was rejected
Sure looks like a Judge, doesn’t it? Bunkie might not have gotten his hood tach, but maybe as consolation, the Cyclone Spoiler got its own dash.
And that’s not just the instrument cluster, either. The Spoiler (and maybe all Cyclones) got a dash where the performance gauges were set into the padded dash itself to the right and angled towards the driver. That can’t have been cheap to do.
At the time, I really liked the roof-mounted wings on the Renault R5 Turbo, as well as the Dodge Colt Turbo. The wings subtly gave the designs a more aggressive character. Not so much on the Dodge Shelby Lancer.
Colt Turbo…
To my eyes the Firebirds of the 1970’s just don’t look “Quite Right” without the factory spoiler.
Even though based on the same basic body shell, the same years Camaros don’t look as good with the factory spoiler.
Just me?
I mentioned it earlier, but I think the 70-73 Firebirds look good without it.
1982 Firebird Trans Am.
Tight, clean and neat.
(Plus, anything that stiffened up any part of that car was a good idea!)
Besides, it was good enough for KITT…
On the topic of which is my least favorite, those big wings on the bed cover of some modern pickup trucks look pretty silly.
About as aerodynamic as a row of gargoyles would be.
2nd gen Scirocco. You don’t see many without the spoiler……. which bolsters my point. Perfect spot for Scirocco script too.
Good call Brad!
I forgot about that one.
Damn, that’s a sharp car!
I’m with you, Tom! A previous owner installed a spoiler on my ’74 Esprit, and it looks way better with it.
Daytona and Superbird – totally outrageous and flamboyant. Got the job done on the track, even if some were left on the dealers lots unsold.
They only had to build 500 Daytonas, and they were able to easily sell them all.
The Superbird was the one that was (in dealer parlance) ‘nailed to the showroom floor’. For starters, NASCAR changed the rules so Chrysler had to build two per dealer, which worked out to something like ~1900 cars. And everyone who wanted a wing-car had already bought a Daytona. By 1972, there were still new, unsold Superbirds and I remember a story of at least one of them going for the price of a Valiant.
Very similar to the Trans Am, I also love the ducktail spoiler on the 1977 Pontiac Can Am. The rear of a standard Lemans Sport coupe just looks too low. The spoiler gives it a kick up, and heightens the rear a bit. Much better look to me.
Agreed, Brian. That was sure one sleek and sharp-looking Pontiac!
Guess you could say i’m just a fan of the ducktail spoilers. I also love how the spoiler on the Aspen/Volare Super Coupes makes it from ho-hum to yeaaaahhh!
This style worked well on the Monza.
I agree with you on that one, too, Daniel.
To me an 80s Porsche 911 looks a little off without a whale tail on it. I am not sure if this is because it makes the rear end look droopy like the Firebird or if I am so used to seeing them with the whale tail it looks off somehow without it.
The second generation MR2 looks better with the factory spoiler than without as well.
Mirella TS230
Lovely. And inside beats the heart of an….. Austin Tasman! I’m tempted to say Michael Clancy missed his calling, but he made a pretty good GP.
I always thought that the mustang II hatch back looked a lot better with a spoiler.
Your opinion is backed up by the frequency that Cobra II’s appear at car shows (compared to base model Mustang IIs), but in my initial Soul Survivor post I made the opposite argument:
“The black painted rocker panels on the Mach 1 help lengthen the car visually and none of the lines on the early cars are corrupted by tacked on spoilers.”
Dave’s Soul Survivor Post
1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst
One of the last biggie muscle cars – spoiler was subtle and well integrated. Only around 500 built, one was parked in my neighborhood for nearly a year.
This one???
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1970-chrysler-300-hurst-a-spicy-cocktail-made-by-george-hurst-and-walter-p-with-help-from-linda-vaughn/
Well, I owned an ‘81 TransAm and I’m still partial to it. Better looking, in my opinion, than the ducktails on the later Z28’s after the debut of the angled wraparound tail lights. Though I do like the similar spoiler on the Monza. Others I’ve owned, that I liked, were the retractable roof spoiler on our New Beetle at least when it was retracted, and the roof spoiler on our 2nd gen Forester. Almost any aftermarket spoiler, no thanks.
The ovoid 90s Taurus needed a spoiler because it beefed up its droopy rear end. Unfortunately, the spoiler they used was a bit ugly – – someone suggested it looked like a cow’s tongue.
That tiny spoiler was hilarious!
I just remembered a cartoon in Hot Rod magazine sometime in the late sixties or early seventies. I don’t remember if the car pictured had a small deck spoiler, or something bigger like a SuperBird, but the caption read “I guess that’s why they call it a spoiler. It spoils the looks”.
Personally I love this one even though it’s over the top. Or maybe I love it because it is. I like how the taillights wrap up so high- definitely unmistakable!
As the perennial wagon fan, I have to mention the spoilers on wagons. There were the creative ones like those shown on the Mopars above. Then there were the ones seen on GM and Ford wagons of the late 70’s-early 90’s. These were not at all for performance, but to direct air over the rear window to try to keep it cleaner.
They also visually work, I think. If you see one without it, the rear just doesn’t look as complete.
I owned a couple of these cars and I found they had another advantage. They say in the manual to not drive with the rear window down, but the spoiler does a good job of directing exhaust away from the window. If you roll the driver window and the tailgate window down, at normal street speeds, the wind from both sources neutralize each other and make for remarkably still air inside the car unlike you would usually get from just rolling the side window down. Fresh air with any breeze, buffeting or exhaust smell, it was quite nice in pleasant weather.
My nomination? 1979-1985 Dodge 024/Charger and Plymouth TC3/Turismo. With Spoiler? It looked great, balanced out the back end of the car. Without the spoiler? It looked like a plucked chicken…..
(*spoiler standard on 1986/87 in order to mount CHMSL)
1980s Porsche 930 ducktail spoiler. Definitely one of the best (Dodge Charger Daytona spoilers, though, take second place). BTW, I know this isn’t related, but do any of you know if there is any real-life historical backgroung to The King’s crash in Cars? Charger Daytona got me to thinking about it. I never bothered to look it up, guess I should but this is just as easy.
Since the tall spoiler on the Daytona/Superbird has been mentioned several times, it’s worth noting that the main reason it was so high in the air had nothing to do with aerodynamics. Rather, it was simply for clearance to be able to open the trunk.
I always wondered about that and why Chrysler just didn’t use a simple pedestal spoiler mounted to the trunk lid. The answer may lie in the side supports. Evidently, they also provided side-to-side stability, the same as on an aircraft. So, this was a happy by-product of having the inverted aileron (the pitch of which was adjustable via allen-head screws on the sides) way up in the air.
In early testing, someone driving the car (Bobby Allison?) complained that the rear wing slowed the car down. So, they removed it and sent him back out onto the test track. As one might imagine, the car suddenly became nearly uncontrollable. Allison quickly returned to the pits and requested the wing be put back on.
Actually, the wing helps a ton, as I’ve heard from a professional reviewer of the car, but it only comes into play at speeds of 190mph+. The racecars frequently passed eachother at speeds of 200mph+ though, so it’s kinda surprising why no other cars had that wing. However, probably a lot of the other cars had a wider stance, therefore they didn’t need aforesaid object. And I didn’t know they even had a trunk, seeing as it’s a race-derived road car.
Late to the party here, but the lead in picture is one of my favorites, the Firebird/TransAm spoiler. I really like most of the duck-tail types, actually.
I don’t know if it counts as a spoiler, as it is simply part of the body of the car, but a pre-1974 C3 Vette like the 1972 pictured below as been a favorite of mine since childhood…
On the flip side, this is my least favorite… the WRX…
Although I actually like Dave Saunders’ interpretation of this spoiler better on his Great Beater Challenge Civic from a few years back.
These are gaudy for sure, but on the other hand, without it they just look like the dumpy sedans the plain Imprezas are, same with the EVO/Lancer of the generation prior to yours.
Ok, one more.. the useless (because I’ve never seen her drive over 80!) is the spoiler on my wife’s 2009 Lancer.
While I’m not a fan of the wing type spoiler, a Mitsubishi Lancer really looks naked without this spoiler.
Of course I’ve had many a youngin’ mistake that car for an EVO due to this wing and try to goat me into a Stoplight Drag (I even had an EVO driver do it… you’d think they’d know better!). I have to laugh, because that under-powered 2.0L is not beating anything off the line except for maybe a bicycle!
The one in the Evo 8 is one of my favorites
Jim Klein will know this one.
Audi Coupe (B3, typ89).
The spoiler makes such a difference on it, it looks pretty bad with no spoiler, but it manages to be a beautiful car with it.
Not my favorite car…but the spoiler takes this from terrible to not-bad-at-all.
https://mustangattitude.com/mustang/1977/1977_00017_02.shtml
I usually prefer conservative looking cars, with the exception of that Mustang.
I just love it to death, with its stripes and spoilers and air dams and sad-state V8.
I have always wanted one in spite of it’s gaudy terribleness. I would buy the Farrah Fawcett poster just for the car.
The factory spoiler on the ’06-’07 Honda Accord Hybrid as seen here makes the non-hybrid, no-spoiler car look unfinished or denuded.
The factory spoiler on the ’91-’92 Dodge (US) ’91-’95 Chrysler (Mexico) Spirit R/T improved that car’s appearance, too, to my eye.
Whale tail
I can remember ads in Motor Trend and other car magazines at the time, for at least one manufacturer that was selling ‘whale tails’ for Camaros, Firebirds and other non-Porsche models. As you may have expected, they looked plenty tacky.
Not a popular opinion, but I’ve always loved the massive wing on the Lamborghini Countach LP500S. I think the earlier cars look bare and unfinished without the wheelarch flares and big wing, while the 25th anniversary model is overdone and tacky.
I think everything about the Porsche 944’s stying is perfect and nothing more so perfect than the rear wing integrated into the hatch/rear window.
It has to be the second generation Mustang fastbacks- was it the Mach 1? They were wildly popular with the young and wild of the South, where I’m from. The ones with the user-adjustable spoiler in back. I saw hundreds, but I don’t think I ever saw one set correctly. They wound up being set to match the slope of the fastback. I thought hat showed a serious lack of understanding about how an airplane works, and car at speed.