Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (2024)

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (1)

New York's Fifth Avenue, in 1974. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystine via Getty Images)

Look at a photo of a street scene from the '70s or early '80s, and a lot of things look pretty much the same as today. Most of the buildings are similar. People's clothes, on the whole, aren't all that different, give or take a few shoulder pads.

One thing stands out: all of the cars look super boxy, especially compared with the curving, rounded exteriors of virtually every car on the market today.

This underappreciated transformation is probably the most distinct design change to come to cars over the past half-century, and for most US cars, it happened within just a few years, starting in 1986. You can even pinpoint the exact year curves arrived for some models — like the Buick LeSabre, which had much harder edges along its hood, roof, and trunk in 1991 (left) than 1992 (right):

In the decades since, cars have just gotten curvier and curvier. Why the big shift?

It turns out it was largely due to three interrelated factors: European style trends, a government-mandated push for fuel economy, and new technologies that allowed manufacturers to more easily design and create curved shapes.

It all started with European luxury designs

By the 1980s, making curved cars wasn't an entirely novel idea — it had just largely gone out of fashion among US automakers. The streamliners of the 1930s, such as the Chrysler Airflow, had a sleek look designed to minimize wind resistance.

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (2)

(Randy Stern)

But the Airflow and other streamlined American models were commercial failures, outsold by bigger, boxier cars. Through the 1970s, almost every American-made car had hard, sharp edges, with few curves. They were uniformly designed as a series of three connected boxes: the hood, the cabin, and the trunk.

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (3)

(Greg Gjerdingen)

In Europe, though, fuel was always more expensive, and designers — especially in Germany — explored aerodynamic designs much earlier on, says Penny Sparke, author of A Century of Car Design. In the 1960s and '70s, luxury automakers like Porsche, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz were some of the first to reintroduce curved exteriors.

One of the earliest, most well-known examples is the Porsche 911, which was pretty curvy way back when it was introduced in 1963:

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (4)

(Charles01)

This aesthetic eventually became associated with these luxury cars, both in Europe and in the US, where they arrived as imports. And inevitably, writes historian David Gartman in Auto Opium: A Social History of American Automobile Design, "American automakers began to copy the European aerodynamic aesthetic in the mid-1980s as a way of courting upscale consumers."

Ford, more than any other company, was responsible for bringing this design change to the mass market. Designer Uwe Bahnsen did it first in Europe with the 1982 Ford Sierra, which was far more curved than similar cars of its era:

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (5)

(Charles01)

Reviewers panned the look (nicknaming it the "jelly mould"), and the car did not sell well at first. Over time, though, buyers got used it — especially as other manufacturers eventually copied the style for their own cars.

In the US, Ford designer Jack Telnack — who'd worked on the company's European design team before taking over North American design in 1980 — was most directly responsible for the shift to curves. His 1983 Ford Thunderbird design was heavily shaped by wind tunnel testing, prioritizing aerodynamic lines. The look soon filtered down to the mass market with the 1986 Taurus:

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (6)

(IFCAR)

It might look unremarkable today, but the design was positively futuristic at the time. The car was even used in the movie RoboCop, which was supposed to take place in the near future. The Taurus, writes Gartman, "was definitely aiming at the upscale market of young, well-educated buyers to whom the BMW appealed."

The strategy worked. The Taurus was a huge hit, with massive sales that saved the struggling company — and inspired a wave of copycat American cars.

Automakers had to improve fuel economy

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (7)

(Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Part of the reason the curvy look proliferated so quickly and is still with us today is basic physics. Curved exteriors and more steeply pitched windshields make for less wind resistance, as air can flow more easily over them. This means less gas has to be burned to move the car the same distance at the same speed.

Right as the Taurus premiered, automakers were dealing with Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for the first time. Starting in 1978, the average fuel economy of each manufacturer's passenger car fleet sold in the US had to reach higher and higher levels, before plateauing in 1990 at 27.5 miles per gallon.

While automakers had already achieved some gains in efficiency with improved engines and other components, the new curved aesthetic made it much easier and cheaper to achieve further improvements. "One Ford designer claimed that while it would cost $200 to $300 million to achieve a one-tenth-mile-per-gallon increase by engineering 'under the hood,' aero design achieved a three- to four-tenths m.p.g. increase for almost nothing," Gartman writes.

Automakers began relying more heavily on wind tunnels and aerodynamic calculations when designing their cars, and engineers started working more closely with designers. Within just a few years, virtually every car on the market suddenly looked like the once-futuristic Taurus. "They all looked the same because they were all being shaped in the wind tunnel, and were designed for fuel economy," says Larry Edsall, the author of several books on car design history.

Technology made it easier to produce curves

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (8)

(Bill Pugliano/Liaison)

A few key technological developments made these designs possible — and have since allowed automakers to make their cars curvier and curvier.

For decades, designers had made car models using clay, wood, or other physical materials. During the 1980s, they began using computer models.

"It's much easier to make these sorts of shapes with computer drawings, rather than wood," Sparke says. "They gave automakers the means to produce those very soft curves." Manufacturing technologies also made it easier and cheaper to produce curved shapes in aluminum than before.

As a result, since that initial shift in the 1990s, exteriors have only become curvier. You can get a good sense of how profound the change has been by looking at a newer car thought to be remarkably boxy: the Scion xB.

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (9)

(IFCAR)

Sure, it has a big, blocky hatchback. But its edges are still way more rounded than the truly boxy cars of the '80s — and even the groundbreaking, futuristic 1986 Ford Taurus.

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Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (10)

Why cars went from boxy in the '80s to curvy in the '90s (2024)

FAQs

Why did cars go from boxy to curvy? ›

Automakers had to improve fuel economy

Curved exteriors and more steeply pitched windshields make for less wind resistance, as air can flow more easily over them. This means less gas has to be burned to move the car the same distance at the same speed.

Why did cars change in the 90s? ›

New safety and emissions guidelines affected the way cars were built, and designers experimented with various ways to evolve the overall look of the American automobile.

How did cars change in the 1980s? ›

In the late '80s and early '90s, keyless entry systems, electric doors and windows, sunroofs, and CD players all became standard features. Technology became a big selling point in cars, whether for safety, convenience, or both.

When did cars become boxy? ›

Unduly boxy shapes undercut car design quality

The late-70s and early-80s were arguably one of the low points in U.S. car design because boxiness predominated. This trend had been building since the early-60s but reached a peak with designs such as the 1978 Ford Fairmont and the 1981 Chrysler K-cars.

Why did they stop making square body cars? ›

Automotive engineers at that time no longer had access to the previously unfathomable power reserves, and the lavish styling that highly defined the era was no longer fashionable.

Why are cars so bulky now? ›

Car shapes and sizes have steadily ballooned since the late 1970s. The reasons for this increase are various and complex. The addition of safety features like lateral and frontal airbags and "crumple zones" required more space, while consumers began to seek out luxury, exotic and import vehicles.

Why were 90s cars so good? ›

Cars from the '90s have at least some modern comfort and safety features, and even relatively inexpensive cars can have respectable power and performance. “They have air conditioning, they have power windows, they have airbags, a lot of them,” Nonnenberg said, “but they have a little more character.”

Why did the style of cars change? ›

After the war, the world and car industry started looking to the future for inspiration, and cars soon became rounded, more streamlined, lower and wider. The design changes made them look more dynamic and improvements in technology made them faster and more comfortable.

What was new about cars in the 1980s? ›

Technological Advancements that Defined 80s Cars

One of the biggest changes was the carburetors were beginning to be replaced by fuel injection systems. This offered better control, less pollution, and higher fuel efficiency.

What were cars like in 1980? ›

The decade saw the beginning of a muscle revival, thanks to Buick's turbocharged V-6s and Ford's V-8–powered Fox-body Mustangs. And then there were the white-painted hatchbacks and fully realized performance cars spilling out of Europe like the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa, and Volkswagen GTI.

Are cars becoming boxy again? ›

The boxy, angular vehicles that once ruled the roads in the 1970s and 1980s are back in style, and leading the charge into this new yet nostalgic world is the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Why were American cars so boxy? ›

Prior to '73 or so gas was cheap and MPG wasn't main stream aerodynamics was not important so cars got bigger and boxier. People wanted huge cars and room so cars kept growing. This is where the term “land yacht came from. Originally Answered: Why did cars in the 1980s have such square (or "boxy") designs?

Why do people like boxy cars? ›

"A boxy vehicle is a package that gives people a sense of security at the same time as it offers them this living room-on-wheels sensibility, where they can enjoy all their luxury amenities," he says.

Will boxy cars come back? ›

The boxy, angular vehicles that once ruled the roads in the 1970s and 1980s are back in style, and leading the charge into this new yet nostalgic world is the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. This isn't just a throwback; it's a leap forward, merging the rugged charm of yesteryear with today's cutting-edge technology and luxury.

Why aren't cars boxy anymore reddit? ›

Governments have fuel economy regulations that car manufacturers have to meet, so aerodynamics is a huge factor in car design. I prefer the boxy look too, but customer preferences on aesthetics are only one of many factors car manufacturers have to consider.

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