Toyota Prius' Five-Generation Evolution

I previously wrote about the styling evolution of Toyota's hybrid Prius here.  The present post updates that with views of the 5th-generation model that appeared in the USA in 2023.  The Wikipedia entry for Prius is here.

Aside from 1st-generation Priuses, the basic design concept has continued to the present.  As noted below, 2nd-through-4th generation Priuses retained the same wheelbase -- something a little unusual in an era where car models often become larger generation-by-generation.  That said, the most recent Prius wheelbase grew two inches (50 mm) longer.

Images below are via Toyota

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2000 Prius: Wheelbase 100.4 Inches (2550 mm)
The initial Prius was short and chunky-looking.

2004 Prius: Wheelbase 106.3 Inches (2700 mm)
The next generation design set the theme for Prius styling to date.  Unlike the original design, this body shows greater reliance on wind tunnel testing that required a longer wheelbase to accommodate the new shape.

2010 Prius: Wheelbase 106.3 Inches (2700 mm)
Different in detail, but essentially the same theme.  Note that the high point of the roof is slightly aft of the B-pillar, whereas previously it was a little forward of it.

2016 Prius: Wheelbase 106.3 Inches (2700 mm)
Cladding is more sculpted, in line with current styling fashion.  The roof's high point is forward again, peaking ahead of the the driver's face.  I find this the least-attractive Prius aside from the original: needlessly fussy.

2024 Prius: Wheelbase 108.3 Inches (2750 mm)
The current Prius' roof seemingly peaks abaft of the B-pillar again.  The longer wheelbase permits a more steeply angled windshield, probably improving aerodynamic efficiency.  Sculpting is more subtle, in line with current fashions for all-electric cars.

The sweep from one headlight assembly to the other is also in line with electric car fashion.  The overall frontal styling is attractive -- simple, but not excessively so.

Rear styling contains details that do not relate well to each other, a concession to current fashion.  At least the sculpting is fairly muted, helping to relate to the rest of the car.

First Bristol - the 400

Before the classic Bristol 401 design whose development I wrote about here, there was the 1946-1950 Bristol 400.

As the link explains, when World War 2 ended, the Bristol Aeroplane Company decided to add automobiles to its product portfolio.  To expedite the development program, Bristol bought the small, BMW-oriented English carmaker Frazer-Nash in 1946, also acquiring data on the prewar BMW 328 motor from Eisenach in a war reparations deal.  The result of this complexity was that Bristol used its version of the 328 sports/racing motor for its new car line.

The chassis of the new Bristol was derived from the frame of the BMW 326 sedan, though its body was a coupé more in line with the BMW 327, the coupé variant of the 326.  I wrote about those designs here.

As background, here are relevant wheelbase numbers: The BMW 327 coupé's was 108 inches (2750 mm); the BMW 326 sedan's was 113 inches (2870 mm); and the Bristol 400's was 114 inches (2793 mm).

The Gallery below includes an image of a BMW 327 for reference, even though the Bristol design is not credited as being related.  Bristol 400 images below are from Iconic Auctioneers.  The photo of the BMW is of a car listed for sale.

Gallery

1938c. BMW 327 Coupé
The nearest-related BMW design to the Bristol 400.

1948 Bristol 400 Coupé
A bit contrary to what I noted above, there are indeed some superficial resemblances to the BMW 327 -- though  most cars from the same general era share thematic features.  That said, note the overall profiles, the hood cutlines and the door arrangement.  Passenger compartment greenhouses are similar aside from the B-pillars and related quarter windows.  They share the same turn-indicator wand position abaft of the pillar.  The six-inch (147 mm) wheelbase difference seems to be found forward of the rear fender.

Frazer-Nash style, the Bristol features a BMW-type grille.

The rear is rather dumpy-looking.

Just for fun, here's an all-open view.

The dashboard seems very basic for a high-price car.

1939 Lancia Astura "Málaga" by Pinin Farina

Italy's Lancia firm's model portfolio in the 1930s ranged from small sedans to long-wheelbase luxury cars. One of the latter lines was the Astura.  Some Asturas were sedans, but the most stylish were cabriolets, especially those designed by Pinin Farina.  Iwrote about some of those here.

One of the best-known Farina Astura cabriolets has been called the "Málaga" Astura.  That's because it has been displayed at the Museo Automovilistico y de la Moda in Málaga, Spain, based on the collection of the Portuguese João Manuel Magalhães.

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1936 Lancia Astura Cabriolet Series III "Tipo Bocca" by Pinin Farina - RM Sotheby's photo
An earlier Farina Astura cabriolet.  This post's feature car differs mostly at the front end and the aft fender spats.  Though also note that door hinging is reversed.  It also seems to have a longer wheelbase.

1939 Lancia Astura Cabriolet "Málaga" by Pinin Farina
This photo and the one below were taken by me in 2018 at the museum.  The others are from sources I cannot presently identify.  That black line across the image is a wire serving as a warning device to keep viewers away from the cars on display.  Note the horizontal divider on the windshield -- the upper segment pivots down forward.

The prow of the engine compartment is sharper, more aggressive than on previous versions.  Some date this car to 1938, but its grille design is in line with some 1939 Asturas such as the Berlina built for Galeazzo Ciano.  The museum's information card at the time I visited had this as a 1939 model.

Showing some of the rear end.  Much of the trunk is probably devoted to housing the spare tire.  The openings on the aft fender spats might (1) be for style only, (2) provide more air for brake cooling, or (3) might be for both.  Though if cooling was very important, then no spats should be there.

The design is especially attractive seen from the side.  Though the spat openings detract slightly aesthetically, they add visual interest.

Chrysler 1963 Turbine Car Walkaround

Chrysler Corporation funded studies of turbine power plants that in 1954 resulted in a turbine-powered Plymouth Belvedere followed in 1956 by another Plymouth with a similar engine.  Then in the early 1960s other experimental turbine vehicles were built and tested.  1962 saw the construction of five prototypes bearing Chrysler-styled, Ghia-built bodies and Chrysler innards.  These were followed by a short production run of 50 cars used for both publicity and testing by potential customers.  This is explained in the Wikipedia entry here.  I wrote about some of the styling development here.

After the testing program was completed, 46 of those turbine cars were destroyed.  Remaining cars are either in the manufacturer's hands or in museums.  However, one that at the time was in private hands (2021) was auctioned and later placed in a museum.  Walkaround photos below are of that car.

Elwood Engel became head of Chrysler styling in November 1961 following a career at Ford where he was responsible for the successful designs of the 1961 Continental and Ford Thunderbird.  The character of the latter was carried over to the 1963 Turbine Car.

Black and white photos above are from Chrysler, those in the Gallery are from Hyman, Ltd.

Gallery

Those jet intake designs surrounding the headlights might or might not be functional.  These being concept cars of a sort, front bumper protection is questionable.

Those headlight area assemblies shout "jet-propelled," but unbalance the car's overall design as seen from this angle.

From the side we see early-1960s Elwood Engel styling themes, especially the blind greenhouse quarter panels and the chrome strip atop the fender.

The rear shows more jet-fighter jazz grafted onto what might well be a Ford Thunderbird.

Those "exhaust nozzles" are placed too close to the car's centerline for my visual comfort.  And, though cutlines are hard to spot, there is indeed a trunk lit.  The spare tire takes up the central part of the trunk, leaving little room for suitcases.

The grey area below the low character line helps to visually reduce the body's already low height.  The car looks good seen from the side.

I'm not sure about those parallel strips on the front fender.  They aren't functional in any sense, and add nothing to the design composition.

Interior view.  Note the odd turbine-feature towards the front of the seat divider.  More concept car jazz.

Ray Dietrich's Checker A2 Taxi and A3 Sedan

Raymond H. Dietrich was an important automobile designer, perhaps best known for his work with Thomas Hibbard at their LeBaron coachbuilding firm in the 1920s.  Some background on Dietrich is here, and more detail can be found here.  He was at Chrysler Corporation from 1932 to 1938 or 1940 (sources vary), directing styling beginning in 1935.  After World War 2 he became a styling consultant for Checker, the taxicab manufacturer.  Presumably the styling of the subjects of this post was his work, given their professionally formed appearance.

The Checker model A2 taxi was announced near the end of 1946 and entered production early in 1947.   The non-taxi A3 variant appeared later that year.

Styling was in line with early postwar General Motors and Chrysler Corporation designs that, in turn, were facelifted versions of cars that entered production around 1941.  Their main visual difference from 1941 was front fenders extending back into front doors, a theme GM used on its 1942 models and picked up by Chrysler's postwar Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler brands.

Checkers were fairly large, having a wheelbase of 124 inches (3038 mm). This was necessary because taxis needed to be capable of transporting as many as five or so passengers and their luggage.

Unless noted, I am not sure of the origins of the images below.

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1948-vintage Checker sales material for its A2 taxi and A3 "personal car."

Period photo of a Checker A2 with taxi trim.  The hood is long, covering an inline-six motor.

An A2 located in Finland, shown here at a car show (photo via autodial.fi web site).

Two more views of the same car, these via mööttori.fi.

Right-front quarter view of an A2.

Similar view of an A3.  The tumblehome side sloping is interesting, making the car seem less bulky than many of its contemporaries.

Datsun 1500 (Fairlady) Walkaround

I last wrote about the Datsun 1500 (Fairlady) here.  I mentioned:

"Back in my graduate school days at Dear Old Penn, I longed to own a sports car.  But my budget couldn't be stretched far enough to justify the purchase of the current Datsun sports car, which seemed to be the best fit so far as price and features were concerned."

One set of alternatives included the Triumph Spitfire and Austin-Healey Sprite, but these seemed too small from a practicality standpoint.  As for the alternative: larger Triumphs, Healeys and Corvettes were much too costly.  The closest match was the MGB -- very slightly larger than the 1500/1600 Datsuns and more powerful.  But it also was priced too high.  So was the Datsun, as I mentioned, but to a lesser extent.  (Once I got a decent full-time job I bought a Porsche 914.)

Like the MGB, Datsun 1500 styling was not flamboyant -- or even very distinctive.  I would call the design "practical."  And slightly better than that of the MGB, as I will note below.

Photos below are via Bring-a-Trailer Auctions.

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This is a 1965 Datsun 1500.  The other Datsun photos are of this car.

Comparison photo of a 1963 MGB.  Headlight assemblies and related bodywork are similar.  The MGB grille is more interesting than that of the Datsun.  The latter's front end and hood are more compact and purposeful-seeming.  The Datsun fender line is more varied, more interesting.

A compact-appearing design.  The forward slope of the rear fender trailing edge adds to this -- if a stylist wanted to increase visual length, the slope would be in the opposite direction.

The rear end is unrelated to the sides.  That is, side-sculpting and detailing (the chrome strip) do not curve around to the rear and across parts of it, as is commonly found.

Lights are distinct, not placed in a multi-feature assembly.  In the context of the 1960s and beyond, this appears as a "cheap" solution.  The MGB was better here.

The subtle curve is the rear fender basically saves the design from being a bland box.

No guards on this car's bumper.  Other Datsun 1500s had them, however.

The grille design is functional.  Yet it could use something to make it less bland.  Even a slightly wider frame.  But not the elaborate frontal concoctions often found on 1950s Japanese cars.

Despite my picky comments, this is a nice design.  The faceted hood front is an interesting touch.

Aside from the chopped-off, cheap-looking rear panel, the car looks nice from this perspective.

An all-open view.

The dashboard.

1937-1938 General Motors A & B Body 2-Door Sedan Comparison

This is related to the previous post dealing with 4-door sedans and their bodies.  The repeat that post's introductory paragraphs ...

According to Michael Lamm and David Holls (here, page 97) General Motors' shift to multi-brand body platforms began in 1931 from an analysis of current production bodies by Vince Kaptur.  This took a while to implement, but was in force by the 1936 model year for all GM cars, perhaps aside from luxury vehicles.

Factors that brought this into play were the Great Depression that resulted in fewer sales and lesser income as well as the shift to all-steel bodies that required more expensive production tooling.

Platforms were designated by letter.  The link above states:

"Harley Earl showed Kaptur's conclusions to Fished Body and suggested that all GM cars share four basic body shells.  He designeted these A-B-C-D.  The A-body would be used by Chevrolet, standard Pontiac and small Oldsmobile.  The large Pontiac, mid-size Oldsmobile and small Buick would use the B shell.  The C-body accommodated the big Olds, big Buick, LaSalle and small Cadillac.  And all Cadillac and Buick limousines used the D body."

That was the concept, but details varied over time.

Wikipedia has entries dealing with the bodies dealt with in this post: A platform here; B platform here.  At this time I drafted this (February 2024), some details did not agree with Lamm and Holls, who I am more inclined to trust regarding initial timing.

I lack charts of body dimensions, so the analysis below is simply based on study of photos.  More precise information is greatly appreciated.

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1938 Chevrolet Master DeLuxe - car-for-sale photo
All 1937-38 Chevys had A-bodies.

1937 Pontiac DeLuxe Six - Mecum Auctions photo
This is a fastback A-body that has a different aft side window profile.

1938 Oldsmobile F-38 Six - car-for-sale
A non-Chevrolet A-body with a slightly different rear.

1937 Buick Special - photo via Hemmings
Similar to the Pontiac above, though Wikipedia had this as a B-body.

1937 Buick Century - car-for-sale
A B-body car.  But are not these two-door sedans essentially the same body styles regardless of A and B category?  I discuss this problem in the previous post.