A bottom breather is a front-engine automobile that takes in air from below the front fascia (nose) rather than through a conventional grille at the front of the vehicle.
"In engineer jargon, the Taurus is a "bottom-breather" (it takes in air from underneath the front fascia)" This styling can provide a more aerodynamic front end, or the appearance of better aerodynamics, or the look of a rear-engined sports car such as the

Porsche 911 The Porsche 911 (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in german: Neunelfer) is a two-door 2+2 high performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and origin ...

, which also lacks a front

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

. Unlike the 911, however, most of the vehicles that use this approach have the engines installed in the front, with a water cooled

radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

installed. The airflow from below the bumper is then directed into the radiator to aid in engine cooling, which makes this approach unusual in that a traditional front grille was an evolution from installing the radiator externally for vehicles manufactured since the early days of automobile production. Some of the most well known bottom breathing cars are the

Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a Front-mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations ...

Chevrolet Corvette C4 The Chevrolet Corvette (C4) is a sports car produced by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet from 1983 until 1996. The convertible returned, as did higher performance engines, exemplified by the GM LT engine#LT5, LT5 found in the ZR-1. In ...

, Studebaker Avanti,

Honda Logo The Honda Logo is a B-segment supermini manufactured and marketed by Honda from 1996 to 2001, as a three door and five door hatchback, sharing its platform with the Honda Capa and replacing the second generation Honda City. The Logo was larger ...

Infiniti Q45 The Infiniti Q45 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Nissan's Infiniti brand for model years 1989-2006, over three generations. The first generation Q45 (1989–1999) was based on the Nissan President; the second generati ...

Mazda MX-5 The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-passenger roadster sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United Sta ...

Mazda MX-6 The Mazda MX-6 is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive coupé manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1987-1997 across two generations. Mechanically identical to the Capella/626 and its hatchback platform mate, the Ford Probe, these cars shared t ...

Volkswagen Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a series of D-segment, large family cars manufactured and marketed by the Germany, German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973, and now in its eighth generation. It has been marketed variously as the Dasher, Sa ...

, and the

Volvo 480 The Volvo 480 is a sporty compact car that was produced in Born, Netherlands, by Volvo from 1986 to 1995. It was the first front-wheel drive car made by Volvo and the only Volvo featuring pop-up headlights. The 480 was available in only one body ...

. Some vehicles disguise the lower air intake with a grille above the bumper which is not functional, like the

Dodge Avenger The Dodge Avenger is a front-wheel drive, mid-sized sedan that was marketed by Dodge. The Avenger made its North American debut in 1994 for the 1995 model year as a coupe that was produced until 2000. The model name was reintroduced to the ...

coupe and

Chrysler Sebring The Chrysler Sebring ( ) is a line of mid-size automobiles that was sold from 1995 through 2010 by Chrysler. Three generations of convertibles, two generations of sedans, and two generations of coupes were produced. Although the coupe shared th ...

of the same generation.

References

Automotive styling features {{automobile-stub