One of the many words that exist which can describe the body style of a car is the word ‘notchback’. So what does notchback even mean?
Basically, the term notchback is used for a car body style where the rear of the car is much shorter than the front or middle parts, or the rear window is positioned more upright than with most other cars.
The term notchback does not actually have a precise definition and can be used to accurately describe certain saloons, coupes or hatchbacks.
Current notchback cars
Notchback cars were once a common sight in America especially during the sixties, seventies and eighties. Coupes like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird played their part in making them popular.
Nowadays though, there’s very little in America or from European manufacturers which could accurately fit the most widely accepted definition of a notchback.
There are certain saloons and coupes on the market nowadays which one could argue has notchback design quirks. Examples could include the likes of the Lexus LS, the current Ford Mustang and Audi A3 saloon. In the latter case, when Audi revealed a concept for the latest A3 saloon, the German carmarker said the design adopted “a striking notchback saloon body shell”.
In general though, notchback has become one of the less commonly used terms in public when it comes to identifying the body styles cars can have.
