tailfin

Caudal propulsion structure

A tailfin is the vertical stabilizer at the rear of an aircraft, or the fin-like projection on the back of a fish.

In automotive design, tailfins were the exaggerated rear styling elements on American cars of the 1950s and early 1960s, suggesting jet-age aerodynamics: a 1959 Cadillac with its iconic tailfins.

The style came to symbolize postwar American excess.

fish

caudal

Of the tail

pectoral · propulsion · locomotion · scales · gills · aquatic · marine · freshwater · swimming · vertebrate

automobile

Cadillac

GM's upscale marque

  • chromeReflective metal coating
  • bumperVehicle's protective edge
  • fenderProtective wheel housing

grille · hood · trunk · sedan · coupe · convertible · Chrysler · Buick · Oldsmobile · DeSoto

fifties

Cadillac

GM's upscale marque

  • chromeReflective metal coating
  • jukeboxCoin-operated music player
  • dinerCasual American eatery

drive-in · rockabilly · Elvis · pompadour · greaser · sockhop · hotrod · Americana · mid-century · rock-and-roll

aircraft

rudder

Pivoting stern blade

flap · winglet · fuselage · airfoil · spoiler · slat · jet · turbine · propeller · glider

stabilization

rudder

Pivoting stern blade

  • keelHull's structural base
  • skegStabilizing hull projection
  • hydrofoilWing that lifts boats

centerboard · daggerboard · trim · balance · yaw · stern · sailboat · outrigger · ballast · equilibrium

Categories
Opposites
fin position on body

tailfindorsal fin

Fish's rear stabilizer

head · nose · snout · pectoral fin · mouth

automotive design era

tailfinminimalist design

Aesthetic of essential elements only

aerodynamic design · clean lines · streamlined design

Family

tailfins

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G