Optical design illusion: 1960s-70s cars are NOT as big as they appear!

[ModerationNow!]

US car designers of the 60s & early 70s were not only more artistic in their ability to design better looking cars, they were also able to design their cars in such a way that actually made them look significantly larger than they really are! I first noticed this 'phenomenon', when I returned to do more work for a client in the early 2000s. He had a '67 Chevelle and a newer Buick. The first time I'd seen these 2 cars was when they had been parked separately, with one inside the garage, and the other parked on the curb about 50 feet away.

But this time, they were both parked inside the garage. Naturally, I took a close look at the '67 Chevelle, as I like older cars. But even though I had 0 interest in the 2000-ish Buick, I couldn't help but notice that the cars parked side by side, appeared to be roughly equal in length, which surprised me, as those older American cars appear larger and longer than newer cars.

I looked up the photos and separately the specs of a 1967 Chevelle Malibu, and compared them to a 2002 Buick Park Ave. If you look at the photos, the design of the Chevelle makes it look larger. But the specs actually show that surprisingly, the Buick is almost a foot longer than the Chevelle!

 

[Rexedgar]

I went to work @ a Cadillac dealer after my Army service in early 1976. The Cadillacs of the late sixties were massive cars. It was apparent that the cars were going to get smaller. The attached picture is representative of that down-sizing. The fan is directly under the shroud and the empty space in front of the fan is apparent. For many years GM cars were nearly identical between the front and rear fenders; the Buick 225, Cadillac deVille, Oldsmobile Delta 88, Pontiac Bonneville. Also the smaller Chevelle, Cutlass, GTO, and Buick Gran Sport were nearly identical. If you look back, you can see the manufacturers moving toward economy of parts and modular assembly.......

 

[sangha]

US car designers of the 60s & early 70s were not only more artistic in their ability to design better looking cars, they were also able to design their cars in such a way that actually made them look significantly larger than they really are! I first noticed this 'phenomenon', when I returned to do more work for a client in the early 2000s. He had a '67 Chevelle and a newer Buick. The first time I'd seen these 2 cars was when they had been parked separately, with one inside the garage, and the other parked on the curb about 50 feet away.

But this time, they were both parked inside the garage. Naturally, I took a close look at the '67 Chevelle, as I like older cars. But even though I had 0 interest in the 2000-ish Buick, I couldn't help but notice that the cars parked side by side, appeared to be roughly equal in length, which surprised me, as those older American cars appear larger and longer than newer cars.

I looked up the photos and separately the specs of a 1967 Chevelle Malibu, and compared them to a 2002 Buick Park Ave. If you look at the photos, the design of the Chevelle makes it look larger. But the specs actually show that surprisingly, the Buick is almost a foot longer than the Chevelle!

View attachment 67246642
View attachment 67246643

The longer engine compartments and trunks, combined with the smaller cabins, make the older cars appear larger

 

[beerftw]

US car designers of the 60s & early 70s were not only more artistic in their ability to design better looking cars, they were also able to design their cars in such a way that actually made them look significantly larger than they really are! I first noticed this 'phenomenon', when I returned to do more work for a client in the early 2000s. He had a '67 Chevelle and a newer Buick. The first time I'd seen these 2 cars was when they had been parked separately, with one inside the garage, and the other parked on the curb about 50 feet away.

But this time, they were both parked inside the garage. Naturally, I took a close look at the '67 Chevelle, as I like older cars. But even though I had 0 interest in the 2000-ish Buick, I couldn't help but notice that the cars parked side by side, appeared to be roughly equal in length, which surprised me, as those older American cars appear larger and longer than newer cars.

I looked up the photos and separately the specs of a 1967 Chevelle Malibu, and compared them to a 2002 Buick Park Ave. If you look at the photos, the design of the Chevelle makes it look larger. But the specs actually show that surprisingly, the Buick is almost a foot longer than the Chevelle!

View attachment 67246642
View attachment 67246643

The 60'-70's were at the time considered mid sized or compact because they were compared to the monsters of the 40's-50's. There were small cars in the 50's( the vw beetle was exported to america in 1959) but on average they were behemouts, heavy weight and needed monster flat head inlines or v8 ohv engines to push them around. By the 60's some vehicles stayed large but many shrank, part of it was change in consumer tastes, as well as the muscle car era, in which less weight mean it would move faster, so lighter cars plus bigger engine was the rage.


Some cars of that era weigh less than smaller cars of today as well, people never think how much ac systems, electric seats windows and every other little luxory weighs down a vehicle, while then few cars had all those luxories.