A Kamm tail on a Citroen CX sedan

This 1974 AMC Gremlin sports a Kamm tail according to AMC

Audi A2

2004 Toyota Prius, an example of a Kammback achieving a drag coefficient of 0.26

A Kamm-back is a car body style influenced by the research of the German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm in the 1930s. Image File history File links Citrcx1silvrear. ... Image File history File links Citrcx1silvrear. ... 1986 Citroen CX Prestige The CX was a model of Citro n automobile manufactured and sold between 1974 and 1988. ... 1974 AMC Gremlin Photographer: Bob DuHamel File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1974 AMC Gremlin Photographer: Bob DuHamel File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1974 AMC Gremlin The AMC Gremlin was the first American subcompact car. ... Download high resolution version (1057x447, 68 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1057x447, 68 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Audi A2 is a premium supremini produced by Audi from 1999 to 2005. ... Driver side view of 2004 Toyota Prius Notice the aerodynamic roof line that is responsible for its 0. ... Driver side view of 2004 Toyota Prius Notice the aerodynamic roof line that is responsible for its 0. ... |- | |- | Hybrid Synergy Drive THS inverter unit (from NHW11) Electric power steering A battery module used on the Prius Energy Monitor on the 2005 Prius Multi-Function Display (MFD), showing energy flow to/from the engine, battery, and from the regenerative braking, as well as battery charge level. ... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... This article is about the branch of Physics. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

Kamm showed that a better drag-reducing tail end design for a car is one that tapers and is then cut off abruptly. An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ...

The point at which this must happen, in order for the design to be a true Kammback, is controversial. A popular definition is that the cut-off should occur where the cross-sectional area is approximately 50% of the car's maximum cross-section. Thus a minivan is not a Kamm-back Cross section may refer to the following In geometry, Cross section is the intersection of a 3-dimensional body with a plane. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... A modern minivan - 2004 Chrysler Town & Country Typical early minivan (a Dodge Caravan) A minivan, people carrier, multi utility vehicle (MUV),or multi purpose vehicle (MPV) is a type of vehicle which has a body that resembles a van, but which has rear side doors, rear side windows, and interior...

Prior to Kamm's thesis, a teardrop shape that tapered smoothly to a point was considered optimal. Kamm showed that an abbreviated teardrop actually worked better; the air still flowed as if the entire teardrop were still there, but without the surface drag of the long point. In computing, Teardrop is a remote denial-of-service attack (DoS) that affected the Microsoft Windows 3. ...

Many cars since then have had a Kamm tail, especially sports cars, like the 1968 Ferrari Dino and 1970 Citroën SM, as well as cars for ordinary motorists, like the 1970 Citroën GS and 1970 AMC Gremlin (which fails the 50% test by having a sharp cut from roof to base of car). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Dino in the parking lot of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the 2005 United States Grand Prix The Dino was a brand for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1976. ... Vestigal chrome fins betray American styling cues The Citroën SM was a high performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1970 and 1975. ... The Citroën GS/GSA was an automobile produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1970 and 1986. ... 1974 AMC Gremlin The AMC Gremlin was the first American subcompact car. ...

Usage of the term has fallen off as Kamm's principles have become more generally accepted.

American car manufacturers have described certain models as Kamm-backs with greater or lesser degrees of accuracy. In many cases, it has simply been used as a substitute for "station wagon" or "hatchback". Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... Peugeot 306 Hatchback, with the hatch lifted and the parcel shelf tilted for access A hatchback is an automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ...

General Motors produced a 2-door station wagon version of the Chevrolet Vega in the 1970s that was called a Kamm-back, although it lacked appreciable rear-end taper before the cut-off rear and thus cannot accurately be said to follow Kamm's design. General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... The Chevrolet Vega was a compact coupe and station wagon sold from 1971 through 1977 as a replacement for the ill-fated Chevrolet Corvair. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

In 1978, a Kamm-back version of the Pontiac Firebird was seriously considered, and prototypes were built and shown. In many respects similar to what the British would call a shooting brake (a station wagon version of a sporting coupé), this "Type K" did not have a tailgate but rather lifting side windows for access to the cargo area. Costs eventually killed the project, but from 1980 replica aftermarket conversions were available for a short time from an independent manufacturer. In 1986 Chevrolet built two similar Camaros, but again the concept did not reach production. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupé 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupé, noted for its large, angular design A coupé (from the French for cut) or coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chevrolet (Shev-ro-LAY), or Chevy for short, is a brand of automobile, now a division of General Motors. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in North America by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors at the start of the 1967 model year as competition for the Ford Mustang. ...

AMC stylist Richard A. Teague became a fan of this truncated somewhat-"Kammback" style in the late 1960s as he considered simple ways of adding to AMC's model range. He came up with the idea of truncating a larger car to make a smaller, enabling the two cars to share a lot of common tooling. This concept first came to the public as the AMX, a cut-down 2-seat version of the 4-seat Javelin coupé, although this shared the Javelin's rear and was not a Kammback. A still further cut-down concept car with a Kammback tail, the AMX GT, was shown in 1968, but never entered production. Instead, Teague adapted the concept to AMC's next car, the compact Hornet, to produce the Gremlin subcompact. The same concept was later continued as the AMC Eagle Kamm-back. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Richard A. Teague was a principal designer for the American Motors company. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1973 AMC Javelin AMX Pierre Cardin edition The AMC Javelin was a sporty coupe_type automobile in the pony car class built by American Motors Corporation between 1968 and 1974. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1970 AMC Hornet coupe The AMC Hornet was a compact automobile made by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) beginning with the 1970 model year and continuing through the 1977 model year. ... 1974 AMC Gremlin The AMC Gremlin was the first American subcompact car. ... The AMC Eagle was produced by the former American Motors Corporation, introduced for the 1980 model year and based on the AMC Concord range. ...

In 1985, the Fiat Group introduced a rather luxurious small town car named the Y10, initially under the Autobianchi brand and later badged as a Lancia, featuring an abrupt tail which, combined with its clean lines and bodywork detailing, gave a drag coefficient of 0.30, resulting in excellent fuel economy. This article is about the year. ... FIAT Group, or Fiat S.p. ... Autobianchi was an Italian automobile manufacturer, it was created jointly by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat in 1957. ... Lancia is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia, part of the Fiat group since 1969. ... The drag coefficient (Cd or Cx) is a number that describes a characteristic amount of aerodynamic drag caused by fluid flow, used in the drag equation. ... Fuel efficiency relates the efficiency of converting energy contained in a carrier fuel to kinetic energy or work. ...

Other Kamm-back cars have included the Alfa Romeo GTV, the Citroën CX, the Maserati Khamsin, and the Volvo S60. The feature is also visible on hybrid cars designed for extremely high gas mileage, such as the third-generation Toyota Prius (see photo above) and the Honda Insight. Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... The Alfa Romeo Alfetta was an executive saloon car and fastback coupé produced from 1972 until 1984 by Alfa Romeo. ... The Citroën CX was a full-size automobile produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1974 to 1991. ... Present Maserati logo Maserati is a famous Italian manufacturer of racing cars and sports cars, established in 1914 in Bologna. ... The Maserati Khamsin was a sports car introduced in 1974 by Italian automaker Maserati as a successor to the Maserati Ghibli. ... AB Volvo (or Aktiebolaget Volvo) is a world-leading Swedish manufacturer of commercial vehicles, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services. ... 2000 Volvo S60 T5 Volvo S60 is a sedan from Volvo that was first introduced in 2000. ... 2004 Toyota Prius, a hybrid gas-electric vehicle Honda Insight, the first hybrid gas-electric vehicle sold in North America 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle using an on-board Rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled propulsion power source for vehicle propulsion. ... |- | |- | Hybrid Synergy Drive THS inverter unit (from NHW11) Electric power steering A battery module used on the Prius Energy Monitor on the 2005 Prius Multi-Function Display (MFD), showing energy flow to/from the engine, battery, and from the regenerative braking, as well as battery charge level. ... The Honda Insight is a 2-seater hatchback hybrid automobile manufactured by Honda. ...

External links

• Article on the origins of Kammback design in AMC context
• The Pininfarina 1800 - an explicity Kamm-influenced design which informed the Citroën CX and Rover SD1