Cadillac tailfin designs

E573704

Cadillac tailfin designs are the iconic, jet-age rear fin styling elements on mid-20th-century Cadillac automobiles that became a defining symbol of American automotive design flair and excess.

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Surface form Occurrences
Cadillac tailfin design 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf automotive design feature
styling element
associatedWith Cadillac NERFINISHED
characteristic bullet-shaped tail lights
chrome trim accents
integrated tail lamps
rocket-inspired forms
vertical rear fins
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
criticizedFor styling excess
culturalStatus icon of 1950s Americana
symbol of classic car culture
designDecline early 1960s
designEvolution fins grew taller through late 1950s
designLanguageElementOf Cadillac DeVille NERFINISHED
Cadillac Eldorado NERFINISHED
Cadillac Series 62 NERFINISHED
designPeak 1959 model year
documentedIn automotive design literature
classic car magazines
era mid-20th century
featuredIn automotive museums
design history exhibitions
firstFeaturedOn 1948 Cadillac models
inception 1948
influenced Buick tailfin designs
Chevrolet tailfin designs
Chrysler tailfin designs
Oldsmobile tailfin designs
global automotive styling trends
other American car brands
influencedBy Lockheed P-38 Lightning NERFINISHED
World War II aircraft NERFINISHED
aeronautical styling
jet-age design
manufacturer Cadillac NERFINISHED
notableExample 1959 Cadillac Eldorado NERFINISHED
1959 Cadillac Series 62 NERFINISHED
parentOrganization General Motors NERFINISHED
peakPopularity 1950s
phaseOutPeriod 1960s
praisedFor bold design innovation
distinctive visual identity
stylingTheme futurism
space age
symbolizes American automotive excess
luxury
postwar optimism
status

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

General Motors Styling Section notableWork Cadillac tailfin designs
Harley Earl notableWork Cadillac tailfin designs
this entity surface form: Cadillac tailfin design