I haven’t had a Question of the Weekend for some time now, and I thought it was time to bring it back. I was thinking a lot about rear lamps on cars recently, as I almost ran into a car without any lamp illumination recently. With this incident, my thought process centered all about tail lamp design, and which design property is the best.
Tail Lamps – they are a necessary design evil to warn the car behind you that your are braking, or you are signaling your intent to turn. Some of the designs have been successful, while others are quite horrible. And the designers either try to accentuate them, or hide them completely.
American car makers seem to be stuck on all red tail lamps, with the units doing double duty as turn signal indicators and stop lamps. The European and Asian makers use an amber turn signal indicator separate from the stop indicators, or at least they used to. Tail Lamps are undergoing a design evolution currently, with LEDs as the preferred style now.
The question is this: What would you say is the best Tail Lamp design, and why do you think it is? Remember, if you are posting pictures, make sure your width=500.
Question of the Weekend – What is the best Tail Lamp Design?
By Jim Brennan
Mar 19, 2011
Jeff Glucker
Do like…
Because PAH!
<img src="http://liveimages.carsales.com.au/private/carsales/10388939.jpg">
Maserati Boomerang.
<img src="http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt237/jskitter/hooniverse/Maserati3200.jpg" width="500">
Simple rounds aside, that would be in my top five along with the Porsche and NSX light bars:
<img src="http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt237/jskitter/hooniverse/LightBars.jpg" width="500">
Variations on the Aston Martin cutouts:
<img src="http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt237/jskitter/hooniverse/One-77.jpg">
And the CTS Wagon's light stems:
<img src="http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt237/jskitter/hooniverse/CadillacCTS-V.jpg" width="500">
well, I know I HATE the LED tail lights. with the blinker, Brake and Headlight on(as in, behing behind another motorist while he's trying to take a left turn at night) the damn things blind you.
Sequential tail lights would get my attention quicker. (And they're pretty). [youtube IdPD8KLPmPc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdPD8KLPmPc youtube]
No question at all.
The judges would also have accepted sequential T-Bird tail lights.
Now you tell me! I almost posted a pic of a vintage tail light that said 'eff you', but I chickened out.
Not to mention '67-68 Shelby GT350/500.
and the current Ford Mustangs. I would get one over a Camaro just for that.
Do like the ones of my "74 Opala
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_jENN4i7WodY/TF82RaD_qKI/AAAAAAAACsI/AMp_KEGs1Uc/s640/DSC00865.JPG">
No love for the '59 Eldorado lamps?
http://images.veer.com/IMG/PIMG/TSP/TSP0000448_P….
I'm a sucker for all of those early 60's space ship designs like these on the 1963 Ford Thunderbird. Beautiful, but not very practical:
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2953775836_44a0393cbd_z.jpg" width="500/">
If we have to be grownups about it, and take things like "visibility" into account, then the Volvo 850/V70 series station wagon lights.
<img src="http://www.vandsautodismantlers.com/new_arrivals/320×240/090350_pr.jpg">
<img src="http://wapedia.mobi/thumb/9ac5499/en/fixed/470/349/1974_Corvette_Stingray-red.jpg?format=jpg" width="500">
Mega Thumbs Up on the slope-back Vette!
I love how the space-ship look was transmutated on the late Galaxy 500s from round to nearly square, but still spacey.
<img src="http://www.pictures.musclecarjungle.com/d/2599-3/1966-ford-galaxie-500-taillight.jpg" width="500">
There are two that I like.
Exhibit A) 66 Grand Prix
<img src="http://www.classicautoair.com/thumbs/cars/gm/grandprix/66grandprix/66grandprixrear.jpg" width="500">
and Exhibit B) The TVR Sagaris because it is bat poop crazy
<img src="http://pinje.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/tvr-sagaris-back-3_87.jpg" width="500">
I came here to make sure the 66 GP was represented. Well done.
/The 67 Pontiac boomerangs are prettier than the TVR's, BTW.
1955 Packard
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4745494258_62bb7e1fb9.jpg" width=500>
1966 Thunderbird
<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/411114379_2de43a8283.jpg" width=500>
1967 Imperial
<img src="http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/sirenguy/1967Imperialconvertible002.jpg" width=500>
Bravo on the T-Bird. The instant I saw the question, the first thought that went through my head was "1966 Thunderbird." Then, "1966 Charger."
Simple in design, but both examples are probably the most recognizable tail lights in truck history. For that, they are the best two designs that I can think of.
<img src="http://image.truckinweb.com/f/8111045 w750 st0/0513_02z 1968_chevrolet_pickup rear_side_view.jpg width=600">
<img src=http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/9280702+w750+st0/129_0706_07_z+1990_chevy_k5_blazer+rear_view.jpg width=600">
[img ]http://images.solidcactus.com/autobarn/jeep-led-taillights.jpg[/img]
Oooh, can't forget these:
<img src="http://image56.webshots.com/56/5/14/66/458951466uZKPkY_ph.jpg">
<img src="http://atozimports.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/1957-chevrolet-bel-air-2.jpg" width="600">
1958 Chrysler 300D
<img src="http://underthehood.oldcarsweekly.com/content/binary/1958%20Chrysler%20300D%20fuel%20injection.jpg">
Facel Vega
<img src="http://www.berlin-classics.de/images/FacelVegaHK500-B.jpg" width="500">
and the cadillac cts coupe, that is kind of like the facel
and of course,
<img src="http://www.autodrome-paris.com/288_gto_1985.jpg" width="500">
(i think it's impossible for anybody not to love the sight of the gearbox there…)
On the minimalist front, the Studebaker Lark Daytona Wagonaire. Those little chrome details at the beltline? That's them. Maximalist: Dick Teague's AMX2.
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Studewagonaire63.jpg">
<img src="http://www.lotusespritturbo.com/Amx_2.jpg" width="600">
I'm surprised no one has gone olde school yet…
<img src="http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/119371.jpg" width="400">
Kaiser Manhattan (53-up). No mistaking those lights.
[img ]http://my.stratos.net/~jimkf/rear.jpg[/img]
And by that I mean:
[img ]http://my.stratos.net/~jimkf/rear.jpg[/img]
http://my.stratos.net/~jimkf/rear.jpg
Let me fix that for you
<img src="http://my.stratos.net/%7Ejimkf/rear.jpg">
Many thanks, good sir. Mastering the many mysteries of the Internet is a skill that will forever evade me.
Good god!
[img] http://my.stratos.net/~jimkf/rear.jpg [/img]
I love the tail lights on a Saab 900. The pre-GM ones. Second gen Jettas are nice, too. As a kid, I loved the tail lights on Plymouth Volares and Aspens. No idea why, but I thought they were cool, as were the tail lights on the `80s C/D Body Sedan DeVilles/Fleetwoods.
By about 1962 Cadillac started to get tailfins RIGHT. Very sleek and I prefer them to the bullets.
<img src="http://de.academic.ru/pictures/dewiki/49/1962_Cadillac_Series_62_Convertible.jpg" width=600">
My grandparents' had a New Yorker way back when and my mom said she wised it had the cool translucent lenses instead of its regular ole red ones.
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4128250440_dc4959cb52_z.jpg?zz=1">
Only the early '65 New Yorkers had the silver lenses. Apparently the defect rate from the supplier was so high that Chrysler gave up and went back to red lenses.
The '61 Dodge taillights were designed to be seen from the side and rear simultaneously at the same time.
http://www.moparts.org/moparts/picture/oldweb/4fo…
damn, i did not even know dodges looked like that at one point.
nice.
Probably the 1952 Volvo PV444 tailights. I like amber turn signals that are separated from the tail lamps by some distance. I can't think of another car that go this quite like this, though maybe some more red reflector would have been nice.
<img src="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/200617_629703941120_2912893_34893217_4383077_n.jpg" width="500">
It wasn't unusual for 1940s cars to have widely separated lights. On this 1949 Chrysler, the regular taillights were on the fender pods but the stop and backup lights were near the license plate.
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/4540803066_51775bcc32.jpg" width="500/">
Also check out this 1947 Buick. The stop light is on the trunk lid.
<img src="http://californiaclassix.com/images3/c351-rear-remote.jpg" width="500/">
OOH, and I forgot this!
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/2010_Cadillac_CTS_wagon_rear_–_10-30-2009.jpg" width="600">
<img src="http://www.moparts.org/moparts/picture/oldweb/4four/Garlick5.jpg">
'56 Cadillac. Simple and classy, and the left taillight flips up to reveal the gas cap. Hardly anybody knows this, so your gas will never be siphoned.
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3658380626_47f027ab55.jpg">
(found on Flickr via Google)
Ah yes, because it's a great idea to have an electrical connection right near where gas fumes are wafting up! 🙂
I guess I'm in another minority.
Tail lights are sweet!! I can't wait for the Headlights post.
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FGT5zwKXM94/TYVd1EfHa-I/AAAAAAAAO_k/E9DH3u_DZjQ/s1600/carcrazy_rad6A75_large.jpg" width=600 end>
I like the 2 color tail lights on the Mk1 Ford Cortina's
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1962_Ford_Cortina_Lotus_Clone_Mk1_For_Sale_Rear_1.jpg">
[Pic from BaT]
Also found on TVR's!
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UWaV7UDmMWk/TWTSupNtiuI/AAAAAAAAA8g/YUH2RDVFwFY/s400/tvrblog-blogspot-com_tvr_griffith-200-400_4.jpg">
what about this?
<img src="http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/1972-BMW-2002-Tii-Tail.jpg">
<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lac3th35p91qzut9po1_500.jpg" width="500">
Any Impala from '60-'65. Instantly recognizable and a middle class status symbol.
<img src="http://www.misterw.com/Chevrolet/64Chev2Dr10.jpg" width="600">
Here's a really odd but cool taillight treatment from a 1961 Meteor – a Canada-only variation of the '61 Ford.
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/6fpn2r.jpg" width="500/">
The US Ford for comparison.
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/3540728964_27c92fe20c.jpg" width="500/">
I have to wonder, looking at that Meteor, if any preliminary sketches of a '61 Edsel design had been made at Ford Styling before the plug was pulled on Edsel. Because that sure looks a lot like what you would get if you set about to design an Edsel off the '61 Ford body.
Hard to say. The front styling of the 1961 Meteor was even odder than the rear, but it wasn't very Edsel-like.
<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/341356987_09b53f5b0e_z.jpg?zz=1" width=500>
hmmm, actually, on the other hand, that could be what you end up with if you took a design intended for Edsel with a strong central theme, and replaced the central styling element with that very horizontal piece in the middle that doesn't quite seem to match the rest of the grille . . .
Late 70's Trans Am with the blackout treatment.
<img src="http://www.collectormotors.com/77ta/16.jpg" width=500>
People used to put silhouette messages inside the lenses, but I haven't seen that done recently.
<img src="http://www.alfaromeopic.com/alfaromeo/car/pictures/2011/03/s0-alfa-romeo-la-spider-et-la-159-sportwagon-49483.jpg" width="544">
<img src="http://www.carstvcentral.com/contents/member/bestcarreviews/photos/2011-Jaguar-S-Type-R-a2541.jpg">
I see the S-Type that should have been and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Original Mk 1 E-Type – XKE to some of you
Alfa Brera
Fiat Bravo first generation – and Fiat Coupe too
I prefer the simplicity of just two round brake lights. It even works on early post war cars like this Austin Healey 100 BN1. http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/…
This is the most awesome tail light design in the world.
Why? Because I designed it. (Really!)
<img src="http://www.petersoneurope.co.uk/products/images_products/oval/1223a_r.jpg">
That is really, really, cool.
Just as a side note, a lot of trucking companies that went over to the L.E.D.'s as a higher vis/longer-life cost-cutting measure have started going back to incandescents, because the little rubber grommet-thingie that made the failure-prone incandescents easy to change also made the L.E.D.'s very easy to steal and therefore really expensive to replace.
Nobody is going to risk getting their head caved in for a three-dollar incandescent that nobody really wants anyway, but a couple of $40 L.E.D.'s might just get that crack-head his next fix for only a few seconds work.
That's why the company I work for sells a lot of flange mount LED lights that get riveted on with theft-deterrent stainless-steel rings.
I've seen those for the round but never noticed them for the ovals, but it makes sense that if you don't need to change them that often you'd be able to rivet a cover on. Can you drill the rivet holes into the existing housing, or do you need to drill into the truck/trailer/whatever?
The flange mount lights already attach to the vehicle with screws or rivets. The anti-theft ring is just a steel plate that covers the plastic and makes it harder to pry it off.
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/oval-flange-w-antitheft-bezel.jpg">
I also dig the Mustang II's taillights. And no, I'm not trying to be ironic.
<img src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2007/11/medium_76_Mustang_Taillight.jpg">
Always been a fan of them myself. (And secretly like the rest of the car too, but don't tell no one)
(me too….)
Not trying to be a Ferrari fanboy, but I have always liked the 'exposed' look of the Enzo's taillights.
(I don't know how to post a pic, so here's the link)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagetaker1/36873842…
I clicked through and recognized that I had seen one of these busted at the Rolex24 practice in January.
<img src="http://hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/1-0251.jpg" width=600 end>
Not sure if it's an Enzo or not but a very similar design.
Thought I posted this last night…
You didn't specify brake lights, so these count.
<img src="http://assets.autopendium.com/photo_images/4139/Citroen_Rear_Tail_light_roof_001_large.jpg"/>
Citroen DS series FTW!!
The '64 Grand Prix (I had one). Taillights behind chrome, and the backup lights on the end (where the taillights were on the other full-size '64s).
<img src="IMAGE URL" width="600">
<img src="http://www.markeeautosales.com/ebay/64grandprix/images/64grandprix05.jpg">
The light bars on the Dodge Challenger are definitely a defining element on these cars' rears:
<img src="http://image.moparmusclemagazine.com/f/9346184/mopp_0701_3_z+1970_dodge_challenger_dean_skuza+rear.jpg" width="500">
But the most intriguing are the ones on the Range Rovers; it's laid out amber-on-red but the brake lamps light up red on the amber lens, and if I remember correctly the flashers are the red ones, yet they light up orange. So confusing!…
<img src="http://image.motortrend.com/f/2003_land_rover_range_rover/2309430634646708421+ppromo_mt_large/tail_light.jpg" width="200">
If you want confusing Land Rover tallights, look not further than the Freelander. The brake lights are the ones in the bumpers… Why?!
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rpYRP2RD_04/TEi2G-7AbvI/AAAAAAAAA8c/iw4g43txNdY/s1600/freelander2.jpg"/>
Funny you mention that; had a new Infiniti EX35 back out of a driveway at me nonchalantly. But actually, his signals were on, they were just in the bumper. Took me about as long to see them as saying "assho…"
Also, this seems like a topic for Encyclopaedia Hoonatica…
The D-O-D-G-E on the reverse light was the first use of lettering on a lens.
Model A Ford:
<img src="http://devillecycles.com/taillight_oe021a30.jpg">
Simple Jeep/trailer style:
<img src="http://www.etrailer.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/pics/S/T/ST60RB_tn.jpg">
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Chrysler_Imperial_Crown_Cabrio_1962_2.jpg" width="500"/>
'62 Imperial. They probably aren't great at their function, but man they look cool.
You beat me to it, my first car was a 62 Imperial Crown and I'll never forget what it was like to have other cars DIVE out of my way when they seen me coming 😉
Duesenberg's illuminated "STOP" light.
<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1303/616781363_5a4957b36c.jpg" width=500>
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/vintage-taillight-2.jpg">
I'm partial to these on my 1960 Thunderbird:
<img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/164259261.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJF3XCCKACR3QDMOA&Expires=1300728336&Signature=Ct08exSpkRFmXClEHERL2A05igI%3D" width=500>