Tailfins
Discussion and Matching Game

With all of the auto companies in the news these days, plan a discussion and matching game about car tailfins.

Props, Preparations, & Tips

1. Print a copy of the PICTURES on the page, including the jet fighter (the inspiration for tailfins) to show the group.
2. Print copies of the MATCHING TAILFINS game to pass out. (Have some pencils available so people can mark their answers.)
3. If you want to do the matching game as a group activity, print large pictures of the TAILFINS PICTURES, two per sheet.
4. Check out the links in the article for additional information to bring to the discussion.
5. Use the "Points to Ponder" as an opportunity to ask questions and generate discussions.

Introduction

These are troubling times for American automobile companies with both General Motors and Chrysler either in or just coming out of bankruptcy. The newspapers are full of stories about how these companies lost their way and what they must do to once again become world-class competitors.  But let's forget about bondholders arguing with workers who are arguing with management and recall a seemingly simpler time when August meant the World Series and unveiling of the new car designs for the upcoming year were just around the corner. This activity examines how the "tailfin" craze started some 50+ years ago and challenges you car buffs to identify some prime specimens of that era by their tailfins. So, slick back your ducktails and have fun!

A Little Background

The American standard of living was the envy of the world during the 1950s. Returning WWII vets had jobs, families, money to spend, and dreams of a prosperous, positive future. It was a time of rock 'n' roll, drive-in movies, hamburger stands, and the automobile.

Detroit met the demand for cars with some of the largest, boldest, and most powerful vehicles ever to roll down America's roads. The drab colors and dated designs of the war years gave way to brightly colored, chrome-covered highway cruisers, many of which sported the stylized feature of the decade - tailfins.

The tailfin era of automobile styling encompassed the 1950s and 1960s, peaking between 1958 and 1960. It was a style that spread worldwide as car designers picked up styling trends from the American automobile industry.

General Motors design chief, Harley Earl, is generally credited for the automobile tailfin, introducing small fins on the 1948 Cadillac. Harley (the father of the Corvette) credited the look of World War II fighter aircraft for his inspiration, particularly the twin-tailed P-38 Lightning. As jet-powered aircraft, rockets, and space flight entered into public recognition, the automotive tailfin assemblies (including tail lights) were designed to resemble more and more the tailfin and engine sections of contemporary jet fighters, such as the F-86 Saber Jet, and guided missiles.

Plymouth claimed that the tailfins were not just decorative fins, but "stabilizers" to place the "center of pressure" as far to the rear as possible and thus "reduce by 20% the needs for steering correction in a cross wind."

The styling of the 1948 Cadillac fin proved popular and its use spread to other models in the General Motors family of brands. Soon, other manufacturers adopted it. Chrysler's Virgil Exner in particular took the tailfin idea on board.

As confidence grew in the styling trend, the fins grew larger and bolder. The most extreme tailfins appeared in the late 1950s. Many consider the fins on the 1959 Cadillac to be the largest and most outrageous ever fitted. Those fins were too much for many customers, however, and the tailfins shrank after that point. Within a couple of years, tailfins had become much less prominent, and by the mid-1960s, they were gone on many models.

Spoilers & Wings

Today, many car manufacturers offer the option of having a spoiler or wings installed on a new car - usually smaller, sportier cars. A spoiler is supposed to improve the airflow over a vehicle for better traction and faster speed. It is attached to the trunk of the car and is painted to match the vehicle. "Wings" look similar to car spoilers but are raised on pedestals to stand higher off the trunk and are often metallic or black. Similarly to tailfins, some people think they look stylish and others think they are "too much."

Can you match the tailfins?

1. Pass out copies of the MATCHING TAILFINS handout and ask participants to take a few minutes and try to match the pictures of the tailfins with the make and model of the car. At the end of the time, reveal the answers.
2. If you prefer a group activity, write the names of the car makes and models on a board. Pass around one of the TAILFIN PICTURES at a time and ask the group to match it to one of the makes and models written on the board.