A notchback is a design of a car with the rearmost section that is distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment. Notchback cars have "a trunk whose lid forms a distinct deck." In profile view, the body has a step down from the roof with a downward inclined passenger compartment's rear window to meet an almost horizontal trunk lid extending to the rear of the car. The category may be characterized as having a three-box design where the trunk volume is less pronounced than the engine and passenger compartments. Many models of

sedans A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

s, or

hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

s could be classified as notchbacks. However, the category has limited salience outside of American car manufacturers distinguishing the three-box models from other body styles in the same model range. For example, the

Chevrolet Vega The Chevrolet Vega is a Subcompact car, subcompact automobile that was manufactured and marketed by General Motors, GM's Chevrolet subdivision from 1970 to 1977. Available in two-door hatchback, notchback, station wagon, wagon, and sedan deliver ...

range included both a notchback coupe and a

fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style. Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...

coupe.

North America

One of the first cars marketed as a notchback is the 1938

Cadillac Sixty Special The Cadillac Sixty Special is a name used by Cadillac to denote a special model since the 1938 Harley Earl– Bill Mitchell–designed extended wheelbase derivative of the Series 60, often referred to as the Fleetwood Sixty Special. The Sixty S ...

. In 1952, a notchback version of the

Nash Ambassador The Nash Ambassador is a luxury automobile that was produced by Nash Motors from 1927 until 1957. For the first five years it was a top trim level, then from 1932 on a standalone model. Ambassadors were lavishly equipped and beautifully construc ...

was introduced. In 1971,

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

marketed the three-box sedan models of the

as a ''notchback'' to differentiate them from the

Vega models. For the 1973

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

, the car's name was changed to "Vega Notchback". File:1939 Cadillac Series 60 Special rl.jpg, 1939 Cadillac Series 60 Special File:1961 AMC Rambler Ambassador 4-door pink rear.JPG, 1961

Rambler Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

sedan File:71 Vega sedan.jpg, 1971

notchback

English-speaking countries

While many car models have notchback characteristics, the category is largely unused outside of North America, with their body style being described using other terms. For example, a

three-box The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature is the car's roof-supporting pillars, designated from fron ...

sedan is more generally known as a "saloon" in British English. "Notchback" has appeared in a few British English publications, however, it is not a term that is used in common parlance in Britain.

References

{{Automobile configuration Automotive styling features de:Fahrzeugheck#Stufenheck es:Carrocería#Notchback

North America

English-speaking countries

See also

References