What Are Car Tailfins? 

If it points out the back of the car with a sharp/sharp looking edge, and it's on both sides, then it's a fin(not always tailfin but a fin nonetheless) even if it's just a few inches/millimeters in length.

This video now strays into the realm of 'conversations I have with myself in my head' territory But you published it! Very enjoyable and entertaining, thanks. 👍

"Today I'm going to force nuance where there is none." -old history car man I like watching

Great subject for discussion! I see tailfins as design objects. They are made by car designers to evoke some sort of design language. May it be a plane, a rocket, or just a dynamic flow of the car shape. It evolved during the years, but I consider every gesture of a raised rear quarterpanel, may it be an exaggerated Cadillac one or a subtle one, a tailfin, or, better said, a design gesture called "tailfin".

I like to think of them all as tailfins (except for modern allusions to tailfins), since just like on a fish, these fins are all to some extent protrusion, affected by airflow, like actual fins are affected by waterflow. Maybe in the process of designing does the differentiation come into play, but from the casual/consumer side - they are all tailfins to me

You could have ended this video with “Fin”.

I totally agree with 'vestigial' - "remaining or surviving as a trace or remnant; rudimentary" according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Having said that, these creased wings (fenders if you're American) are not 'remaining' or left-overs in the 70s, they have reappeared. In that case, I'd say they were rudimentary.

I hope I live long enough to see tailfins make a comeback!

Heh, "vestigial tailfins" is the exact term I use to describe many cars. The styling on the Cadillac DeVille up through the 1999 model year is even my go-to example of vestigial tailfins. I was pleased as punch when you used that term in the video, because I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone use it other than myself. It's a great way to describe something that's not a full-blown tailfin but is quite clearly a toned-down remnant of that design feature. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any '70s cars with proper tailfins, but there are _many_ with vestigial tailfins. I drive a rusted-out '73 DeVille in the winter, and while I don't say it has tailfins, I do say that it has vestigial tailfins. As far as a tailfin definition: I'd say anything that sticks up and/or out past the trunk line at a steep angle can be considered some class of tailfin. _But_ if someone uses the word "tailfin" on its own without a descriptor (such as "vestigial"), the assumption is that they are referring to a very large and distinct fin like you find on many late '50s cars. Tailfins can also include the taillight housing as part of their construction.

SAABs have the best tailfins. Take the Gripen model, for example. :D

To give you even more headache: Take a look at the end of the roofline of a Citroën DS, which ends in a taillight. Is this a tailfin?

I've always heard the tailfin was inspired by the twin tail booms of the USAF Lockheed P-38 Lightning of WW2 in the '49 Cadillac. At 4:51, that's a '66 (grew up in one) it has the oblong taillight divided by a vertical chrome strip.

Somewhere in my large collection of antique car memorabilia; I have an advertisement, or a book with an advertisement, that is from the mid-50’s and it refers to tail-fins as “Rear Stabilizers”. I believe this was to give the form function.

I've thought about this before, and IMO, a "tailfin" has to be part of the main bodywork, not a separate part like a turn signal housing. They only qualify as trim. It must also protrude from the main bodywork as to look like an independent portion

Ed you've made my day posting this, fellow tailfin afficiando! My first car WAS the celebrated '71 Olds 98 four door! It was my grand dad's & he gave it to my mom in around '74 then she gave it to me as in '81! Always loved the looks of the finned fifties cars but missed the era by a few years but was so cool to have this car as a teen! By definition a tail fin ( to me) has to rise from the fender to meet the rear end. So you're right about the late model Caddies & definitely your teacher's Dart! Those are just blunt ends to a body panel! The newer cars have finally taken the the style pill last few years and we see such allusions to fins with Nissan and their kick up lines and bold boomerang taillights! Those skeg fins on Prius are a definite thumbs up! I have a Juke now with custom taillights but no fin. Still, cool damn ride all these years later!

Tailfins were an aesthetic look, to make it resemble fins on a plane in the 40's , jet planes in the 50's and taillights were to resemble jet engines. The look was to "look" faster, and like it's in motion while sitting still. Which was also the purpose of "flying" hood ornaments. 40's interiors resemble interior plane stylings too with the seats, switches, and grilles. And yes, the "vestiges" are still considered fins.

Always a pleasure to spend a little time with your creative wit.

Cadillac CTS/DTS/STS/XLR/SRX etc. This shows that Cadillac still marches with tailfin theme, not just stopping at the 90s/00s.

Fin: Aesthetic feature of narrow, raised bodywork above the rear deck or fender of a car that serves no other structural function, with or without lights fitted. To clarify, the Caddie 'vertical fenders' are not fins because they're fenders, they've just been made to look like fins at the top. I think this lines up with Ed's personal definition nicely.

Please upload more.

I would classify tailfins into two categories: First the „Jet-tailfin“. So basically the classic tailfin popular in the late 50s. In my definition any styling element designed to evoke the look of jet aircraft (or sci-fi rocketships) wings. Second the „Lincoln-tailfin“. Named this way because of the 1961 Lincoln which was the first car to poularise the „strong fender lines“ look popular in the 60s 70s and even to some extend the 80s (Mercury Marquis). To me it‘s any extended/ raised/ seperated rear fender styling not specifically designed to look like Jet aircraft. Generally I would mostly base the differentiation on the feel and intention of the design opposed to size and geomitry mesurements.

Hi Ed its your buddy from Detroit. I think what your trying to define here would be called the DNA of design from earlier year models. The designers pull something from past designs while trying to create something new and fresh. If you look closely across most manufacturers this practice is still going on today. Great topic for your vlog. 👍

Vestigial is not a word typically used in car videos. Well done and very appropriate. Triple word score for the foreign guy.

Tailfins: compelling evidence that the designer has a pair, and it willing to fight corporate for his fancy.

Let me answer with Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous words, "I know it when I see it." I would also very much agree with the term "vestigial", like vestigial pelvic bones in whales (no allusion intended.)

I like vestigial for the later lil fins. Still find it criminal your channel isn't more popular. Thank you for what you do

Anything that has a sharp or pointy edge in the rear of a car

As a guy into aviation and cars, in the sense of old cars, I consider a fin as a raised body line which covers a large portion of the rear section of the car and (Mostly but not always) which gradually increase in height (if not retains significant height (not measured by number but prominence compared to body lines) over the car's main body

Thanks for bringing up the Prius. When I first saw those batwing taillights I thought omg someone at toyota ♥️ the 59 chevy!

You should do a video on the history of whitewall tires

Extremely enjoyable and educational. Thanks.

Tail fin: A "fin-shaped" feature that extends from the dominant horizontal lines of the rear quarter panel's design. Fin shaped: A shape similar to the stabilizing fin of a rocket (not a marine-life fin.)

The Mercedes-Benz 110/111/112 series of the 1960s come to mind. I still remember some of them running as taxis throughout the 1970s. Those had tailfins, though not as extreme as American cars of a few years earlier. The coupé and cabrio versions (4-seat convertible) had little nubs that could be seen as vestigial tailfins. And even the SL-class roadster "Pagoda" of that era had something like slightly raised shoulders to both sides of the trunk. That was all gone with the "/8" series introduced from 1967.

Totally confused now. But I enjoyed every single minute of it Cheers from Colombia South America

You’ve got a good attitude about definitions. Philosopher I. A. Richards says that definitions are invitations, not commands. They are neither true nor false, but rather useful or not. They always reflect someone’s purpose, and no definition can block us from other definitions and purposes.

As long as it looks like a fin it is tailfin. Tailfin shapes vary with designs of the decades.We can not expect tailfin of a box-shaped car same as rocket inspired design. Plymouth Valient seems to have a tailfin with abovementioned perspective.

I'm not going to discuss or argue about fins, but I DO want to commend Ed for another fine quality video. I've missed the telescope!

Really enjoy your car videos. Thanks so much for what you do to bring up burning question so we can wrack our brains with discussions.

Great video to a question I'd never thought of. Yes, I think of tail fins as rear fender extensions. The "fins" of the 90's were just stylized tail lights.

Love it as always!❤️❤️❤️

Very good. I almost didn't watch this because I was certain that I knew. But you opened up a facet of design clearly pointing out that at a minimum there's a gray area. That's for bringing this to us as it's very thought provoking. Here in the USA , it's agreed that the 1964 Cadillac is the last Cadillac with tail fins.

Thank you for discussing this topic ! Especially in Europe, when even intended tailfins were rather modest, often created by elongating the fender further than the surface of the trunk, not by raising the height, it's really complicated topic. Europe in most cases didn't cross over what a '55-'56 GM fin was - a vertically styled rear fender with towering taillights, but not gaining height yet. As for the Cadillac - I coined my own theory, that post '64 Cads are left with what was the jet-exhaust-shaped base for tailfin since '59, just squished more and more each year, coming from round to rectangular form, therefore gaining some height. But it's still that base for the fin, not fin itself.

As long as it protrudes with an increase in distance from the main line of the body it would be a fin, otherwise I would call it a ridge or vestigial fin (as long as there is a clear indication of an attempt to achieve some kind of retro design, which can be hard to confirm without an explicit declaration from the designer)

Raised fenders, I like that description. The Oldsmobiles you showed sure fit that category. From what I have read the first tailfins started to emerge with the 1949 Cadillac. Chrysler Corporation fins started to grow from the mid fifties under Virgil Exners watch, reaching their peak with the gorgeous 1957 models. The story goes that GM executives snuck out to a Plymouth assembly plant and saw the 1957 models waiting to be shipped. They saw long and low cars with minimal chrome, lots of glass areas and fins that blended in. They panicked, over reacted and scrapped what they had on the drawing boards eventually resulting in the 1959 Chevrolet and Cadillac. I know styling is a personal thing but I reckon GM's efforts from that era look ordinary compared to the cars from Chrysler Corporation. They all had character though, the same can't be said of the Lexus and its Toyota cousin and the end of your video. They are just plain ugly full stop.

Tail fins officially got their start on the 1948 Cadillac 62 series. It was the first of the 'new' postwar designs and the little tail light fins were meant to invoke the P-38 Lightning attack plane.

I hope Tailfins return. They look freaking sick!

Tailfins are simply the best styling features for cars EVER!!!! Oh I miss them so much!!

As an American who deals with JDM and Euro fanatics on the daily, I find American car enthusiasts in other countries so interesting!

My understanding is that fins originated with the Cadillac of the late 1940s. Fins died out completely in the early 1960s. I grew up in Detroit in this era and have my opinions about the subject. Tailfins were designed to impart the look of jet aircraft, and, as such, must be overt. They can be an appendage like those of the 1959 Cadillac. Or they may be rear fenders that incorporate the fin look, as with the 1957 DeSoto (we had one, and had to build an extension on the garage to accommodate them). My sense is that fins had to have been obvious. Anything beyond the early '60s was just a styling element. Great topic. Enjoy your videos immensely.

Tail Fin: Takes off from the shoulder line of the car around the C pillar. They not necessarily affect the lower part of the rear end of the car. Ridged side panel: In many cases it goes end-to-end /top-to-bottom, it gives the impression of a fin when seen in contrast with the trunk line, specially if it has a curved downward style, if the trunk line is paralell to the side panel the distintion is clear. Go Ed go!👍

I very much like the term vestigial tail fin to describe the not so tail fin, not so raised fender. To me it just makes sense to use in those cases.

Hey Ed, Maybe one day you can talk about the Australian Domestic Market rather than just edm or usdm? Would be so awesome for you to talk about what you know, so many gorgeous cars that no one has got a clue about outside of our small country.

When we talk about a shark fin, we all know what it means. A slim flat shape extended above the body. And the tail fins on cars was part of an overall contribution to the jet age. Trying to integrate parts on the car body that look remotely like a jet plane. So the tail fin was suppose to represent the vertical stabilizer of a plane. So to be called a tail fin, it would have to be close to be flat and stick out above the rear body height. Anything else would not qualify.

Dad had a 1961 Buick Wildcat, that had tailfins. I propose the definition of a tailfin: They must sick up and or out at least 2.5 times their width and extend rearward past the edge the trunk or boot.

Well thanks Ed! You have now given away the reason why we motorheads aimlessly wander around car shows and auto displays whereby we must explain our absence to our significant other. Our debate/criticism/critiquing of cars has been a closely guarded secret, and now the uninitiated knows it, and expects us home at a certain hour.

Ok Ed, you Proved your worth. It’s time to give your show advertisers and give you a weekly slot to be seen by Multiple Millions of viewers who would enjoy your charisma, and charm.

Tailfins are wonderful things, especially on a 1959 Cadillac!!! 👍

I think tail fins are a section that vertically breaks away from the main body line of the car. That 1963 olds 88 doesn't have tail fins because they follow the main body line of the car. It's more like the trunk is sloping downward. Similarly the valiant at the beginning has a shortened trunk lid

My grandfather and I are car fanatics especially a vintage so much so that he made a dustpan with tail fins and lights, for when we’re in the garden because he also loves farming so so he thought instead of carrying leaves with gloves pick up with the new and improved chev dustpan!

Ed- I absolutely love your content and am begging you for the inevitable “history of the Edsel” video!

In the UK, there were small but distinctive fins on the Austin/Morris 1100 (mark 1, the later models were smoothed off) and also the mark 1 Ford Cortina.

I agree with the concept of vestigial tail fins vs. tailfins.

Glad to see a Plymouth Valiant. My first car was a 72 Valiant. In 1984 it lasted only 15 minutes before it broke down, and straight to the junk yard. I don't even remember what it looks like now.

The way I see it, it has to stick out and not go with the bodylines of the car, if you look at cars from the mid-1960's they have this design where the body at the fenders go past the grill, this is a mid-60's design and not a tailfin (we should perhaps find a term for it, flares perhaps?). Tailfins invoke like spaceship or fighter jet ideas on a car so I think thats another useful point to look at. Nothing has or will beat the '59 Cadillac which is a beautiful, beautiful car!

My personal favorite fins come from three different GM models from 1959, the El Dorado's giant sails and the sleek lay-flat style found on the Impala and El Camino. After that I'd have to say the 59 Chrysler 300 F/ Plymouth Savoy are quite attractive as well.

The "'65 Cadillac" mentioned (in comparison to the 1960 Cadillac, is actually a '66.

Just a note and an interesting fact: the white Sedan DeVille shown at 4:55 (as mentioned earlier in these comments) is actually a 1966, not a 1965 - the only real difference being in the chrome on/around the tail lights, the '66 being the only one with that bar down the center. When it comes to the 1959 Cadillac tailfins, while they are definitely more substantial due to the tail lights being part of the fin, the tailfins on 1958 Cadillacs were actually an inch taller than the 1959 and were the tallest tailfins ever put on a Cadillac (or any car if I remember correctly). Good video.

If it is a sharp/somewhat sharp extrusion from the quarter panel in the upwards/rearwards direction - raised either above the trunkline or behind the back hatch/end of the trunk (depending on the car) then it is a tail fin.

Harvey Earl started the tail fin in 1949 Cadillac. Airplane design features were popular after WWII. Ford had propellers in the grills of the 50, 51, 52 , 53, 54 Fords. The best propeller grill was the 53 ford. Now Ford went with the Jet tail lights instead of fins, although Ford did put a little fin on top of the round tail light. This started in the 52 ford. It was in the 55 & 56 Thunderbird. It stayed in the ford from 52 to 57. The 4 seat Thunderbird dropped it from 58 to 60. The Jet rear lights returned the fords in 61, 62, 63, 64,and was dropped in 65. The falcon had these large round Jet like tail lights.

I think in regards to the 1970, being a 1979 Cadillac owner, tail fins in the 70s for Cadillacs were far more muted that in the 50s and 60s, but they still are present and we’re all through the 80s and 90s.

Im not a car guy, but i really enjoy your videos, keep up!

While I’m not exactly sure when the tailfin died out, it’s origin was on the ‘48 Cadillacs and were inspired by Harley Earl’s love of the P-38 plane.

I think id have to define if its a tailfin in a way we find mostly agreeable. Ed defines the tailfin as a vertical addition or flair going into the taillights. Id say there also has to be a lateral addition. This is to say a tailfin sticks up from the back fender and back past the trunk lid.

Fun post. Thank you. Even Mercedes got tailfins, rather late in the game, around 1963, except for the S class. There were a few Rolls Royce with custom body work including ordered special by some customers in the late 50's early 60's but that doesn't really count. The best looking Cadillac tailfins were their 1957 series 62 and 1967 El Dorados.

One man's fins is another man's design element ... neither one is essential, but how cool they were.

My opinion: Fin: surface with small width, extensive height and length protruding out of the local main volume. Specifically in the rear: the main volume is defined by the intersection of the main top surface of the trunk and the main side surface of the fender. This irrespective to the function (chrome add-on, lamp, or any other). Extended Fender is an impression generated by a fin when this feature has a low width and is protruding out of the volume of the trunk.

By design a Fin is something which directs flow, in car design I would suggest that a "Fin" is that which mimics an actual fin so I agree with your analysis

It wasn't just about looks, fins became increasingly popular because of rust, these divited shapes helped stopped rust from adhering in these locations, hence the streaked lines running down the 16+ feet of cold metal automobiles. So as for Fins, they were just a concept, the definition does not span from "back extended section of automobile that is at least 4 inches higher than the body"

Let's start with a shark fin. When you picture a shark fin from the side, there's a shape that arcs up at an angle from the body of the shark, has a defined point, then slightly tapers back down inwards at the point (ie the downward slope from the point is not at 90 degrees from the shark's body, nor is it tapered out, but is tapered back in.) The back end of the fin may then curve from this inward taper to an outward taper, but it definitely tapers in at the point. For a car to have a fin, this is how it must look. There's a gentler angle upward from the body, it ends in a point, and (MOST IMPORTANTLY) the tailpiece tapers back towards the car at the point, after which it may or may not curve back out. The inward taper from the point **is** the fin. Any car exhibiting all of those qualities 100% indisputably has tail fins. There is a little wiggle room in whether or not the angle outwards has to come upward from the body or if it can remain level while the body slopes down, and these have to be taken case by case, but the taper back in is non-negotiable. Any car that doesn't have that all important taper in, or at least have some trim that evokes tapering back in (usually chrome), merely has raised tail lights or raised trim, depending on how high up the light assembly goes. Not a true fin. This includes designs leading into the fin age that some might define to have fins (they are wrong), and all of the post fin cars that you described. Also, some fins are also raised tail lights, and raised tail lights may be fins, but a fin doesn't necessarily have to be part of the light assembly. For example, the 1970s Cadillacs don't have fins because their raised tail lights don't angle up from the body work (the body work angles down sharply and they angle down only very slightly at a near parallel with the ground, and angle made at the rear point tapers slightly outwards from the car. If they added even a tiny end piece that curved upwards and made an inward angle from the point, like the 1963 Cadillacs had, then it would be a fin. Instead they didn't so they're merely raised tail lights.

"Tailfins" started with the 1949 Cadillac. Should be brought back with modern design. Cheers 🍻

Ed, I recommend that you get a Discord Server up and running, because of this recent “ comment-oriented “ video style, that I really like by the way, it would be better and easier to discuss through a set of organised Discord channels than purely comments alone.

I have never thought of tailfins as fenders. Exaggerated elevation of rear design lines seems more appropriate.

I do agree with the "vestigial tailfins" term. My dad had a Dodge Dart Special Edition, it was the same as the one your teacher had but... with a V8, vinyl roof, air conditioned, full instrumentation (even an ammeter!) and gold sparkle finish.h

In Finnish, tailfins translate into wings, and there's lots of talking about wingcars, which feels contradictory, since most fins are pretty much vertical anyway. Interesting topic, Ed. Very interesting to read different views on what is a fin. I'd say a tri-five Chevrolet or Pontiac have fins, even if they're kinda built in into the quarters/rear fenders, but then the Olds 85 in the video doesn't have fins.

Style, class, looking towards the future.

The tailfins on somes cars are in my opinion are raised style lines ,and some cars had sideways fins like a 60 Ford line up ,great video interesting subject

I suppose is a combination between proportions outside the main fender body and intentionality, if it is integrated to the fender in needs to be raised from the trunk if is not integrated it doesn’t count if is just a tip over the rear light because it lack the intention, is not the sharpness but the proportion of the fin like 5:1 (height: base)outside the main body of the fender, it needs to be like the horns of a bull, something that clearly do not follow the shape of the skull and it’s for display and attack

Even Mercedes had tail fins. Small, but tail fins. Today we find something similiar in the faux ground effects found on the rear of some models. Also in the past we've had non functional side scoops, hood scoops, "power" blisters in hoods etc. The 60s and 70s version of the non functional styling accessory was the vynal top.

Honestly, yeah, the term vestigial tailfins makes sense... and some modern cars (especially SUV's) seems to play with the concept with how they'd molded the shape of the rear lights.

Tailfins are styling cues that hark back to an age of individuality and lots of different manufacturers. These days when modern safety inspired boxes on wheels, with shared platforms gone are the beautiful lines and elegant touches that denoted one years production from anothers. Also I always think that cars particularly in america reflected the growing interest in the jet and space age. This even filtered across into european offerings. However I am at a loss to understand the bland offerings currently being produced. Hence the love of classic cars and the fondness of the times they evoke!

The old Honda(Acura) NSX never had tailfins as a road car, but racing versions where the stock rear spoiler was replaced by a raised wing did have tailfins.

Hello. Its what most of the people think about. Some say yes the other part say no for some cars its difficult to determine.

Ed, the question is.... When do the combined dimensions of a rear fender end QUANTITATIVELY add up to cross a QUALITATIVE threshold into "fin-ness". This will remain an esoteric anesthetic SUBJECTIVE judgment. Still, your concept of "vestigial tailfins" is perfect to describe this gray area nether region of car design. Boffo & spot-on, my good man!

I'd say a good indicator of it is how "long" or "tall" it is relative to its width. the olds F85 doesn't count, as they're too stumpy, and nor do the modern toyotas. the 70s-90s cadillacs maybe barely scrape by. I pose another question though: does the '59 Oldsmobile 88/98 coun as having "tailfins"? even ignoring my definition, the shape of them doesn't really resemble a "fin" at all, though they do protrude out in a similar manner.

I have two different opinions: First, it is fins if it is a thin pointy thing sticking up higher than the main shape of the boot lid to the side panel. So a sudden rise on top of the fenders that extends higher than the rest, it can be low or tall but still a fin. Second thing is that I would like to split it in to lower/horizontal and higher/vertical fins, as in lower finns is the ones extending the shape of the cars fender out behind the car, as in your first “non fin examples”. Higher fins/vertical fins would be the pointy fold sitting on top of the fender.

"Get ready, cause I'm going to contradict myself....a lot here" That was funny, thank you

Great segment Ed. The Citroën SM has vestigal tailfins - the rear quarter window kick up leading to the chrome horns. This reflects the influence of American stylist Henry de Ségur Lauve. Some find this observation controversial - go figure. Shame only 7 examples of the SM's are pillarless coupés.

My own fast and loose personal definition is a designed piece of bodywork on the side edges of the trunk that visually rise above the height of the trunk they're on and are usually but not allways separate from the sholderline So while your English Teacher's 70s Valiant dosent have fins as they extend behind the trunk not above, the 70s Caddie your friend thought had tail fins did imo because the trunk sloaps down while the edges remain at the same hight. Meanwhile the 71' Olds 98 does have very small tail fins that kinda work with the headlights to sorta look like a 50s mentality in the early 70s. And for the 52 Black Buick towards the end of the video, they are visually above the part of the trunk they're on. However the Lexus US and Prius are not at all tail fins in my opinion as there's not any part that rises above the rear trunk on the edges.

Vestigal styling cues are all over 1970s cars. The 70s Monte Carlo had vestigial fat fenders to suggest body lines like a Cord or Auburn from the 1930s.

Dear Ed, I imagine you sitting next to the fireplace in a checkered jacket, smoking a pipe and talking about this topic. This is true car nerdism :D. Regarding the tailfin I would just say tailfins were on American cars between 55 and 64, anything else is a early concept (before 55), a hint (if it is not really a proper tailfin from this period) or an afterthought (after 64). If you want to be very technical, you can, but I think rules of thumb could work much better here.