tail fins
Retro automotive styling
Tail fins are the vertical stabilizing surfaces at the rear of an aircraft, rocket, or missile, providing directional stability during flight.
On fish, the tail fin (or caudal fin) is the vertical fin at the end of the body that propels and steers.
In automotive design, tail fins were the exaggerated rear fender extensions on American cars of the 1950s and early 1960s, inspired by jet aircraft and epitomizing the era's futuristic styling: a pink Cadillac with massive tail fins.
Reflective metal coating
- CadillacGM's upscale marque
- Bel AirAffluent California enclave
- ThunderbirdFord's iconic sports coupe
- ChevroletAmerican automobile manufacturer
Oldsmobile · Pontiac · Chrysler · DeSoto · Edsel · 1950s · hot rod · classic cars
Of the tail
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
- swimmingLocomotion through water
- dorsalOf the back
- pectoralOf the chest
pelvic · scales · ray-finned · cartilaginous · shark · tuna · salmon · marlin
Undulating leg swimming technique
- flutter kickAlternating leg strokes while swimming
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
- freestyleWithout prescribed technique
- backstrokeSupine aquatic locomotion
butterfly · breaststroke · flippers · streamline · glide · underwater · competitive swimming · lap swimming
chrome
Reflective metal coating
- CadillacGM's upscale marque
- Bel AirAffluent California enclave
- ThunderbirdFord's iconic sports coupe
Chevrolet · Oldsmobile · Pontiac · Chrysler · DeSoto · Edsel · 1950s · hot rod · classic cars · drive-in
caudal
Of the tail
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
- swimmingLocomotion through water
- dorsalOf the back
pectoral · pelvic · scales · ray-finned · cartilaginous · shark · tuna · salmon · marlin · locomotion
dolphin kick
Undulating leg swimming technique
- flutter kickAlternating leg strokes while swimming
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
- freestyleWithout prescribed technique
backstroke · butterfly · breaststroke · flippers · streamline · glide · underwater · competitive swimming · lap swimming · aquatic
stability
Resistance to displacement
vertical stabilizer · aircraft · missile · rocket · guidance · fuselage · airflow · drag · lift · streamline
- 1950sEisenhower, poodle skirt, Elvis Presley, Rosa Parks, baby boom
- 1950s nostalgiapoodle skirts, hula hoops, drive-in theaters, sock hops, jukeboxes
- appendagesflipper, flippers, legs, leg, arms
- airshipsZeppelin, blimp, dirigible, zeppelin, Graf Zeppelin
- vintage car partscarburetor, carburetors, distributor, chrome bumper, chrome bumpers
- road tripsroad trip, highways, scenic drive, highway, interstate
tail finsfunctional design
Aesthetic serving practical use
minimalist design · clean lines · form follows function · streamlined body · streamlining
tail finsground effects
Airflow beneath a vehicle
spoilers · spoiler · air dam · splitter · teardrop shape
tail, fin, tails, fins, tailed, tailing, tailless, taillike, dorsal fin