20 cars with great rear ends

Rear appeal

A car’s front three-quarter view is typically what determines its kerb appeal and popularity with customers.

However, whether it’s to provide more downforce with a huge rear wing or as an aesthetically pleasing addition, there are plenty of cars that are just as impressive, if not more so, from behind. 

We’ve collected a selection of our favourites for your perusal, presented in chronological order. Enjoy!

1. 1957 Plymouth Belvedere

This era of American cars was littered with models that featured audacious rear fins and perfectly crafted tail-lights.

Initially, the Belvedere model launched at the start of the ’50s with a forgettable design. By 1956, Plymouth was getting more ambitious with its styling and in 1957 the rear end stole the show. 

Beyond attracting new customers with its extravagant looks, the Belvedere’s tailfins had little functional purpose.

Instead, its bold exterior styling hinted at its equally impressive interior with two-tone upholstery, an electric clock, AM radio and power steering.

The third-generation Belvedere also featured a record player which took 7in vinyls, so occupants could listen to their favourite songs on the move.

2. 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

Despite having a completely outrageous design for the period, the Cadillac Coupe de Ville has become a renowned example of 1950s automotive styling.

From being featured on the side of 1950s diners to being used in artwork as a symbol of the period, the Coupe de Ville has been immortalised time and again.

Leaning into space-themed concepts, it featured double ‘rocket’ tail-lights that give the illusion of fire shooting from the back of the vehicle. 

The futuristic exterior reflected the advanced functions available in the model such as air conditioning, cruise control and a 6.4-litre V8 engine.

The funky front and rear designs were joined by a fairly standard-looking Cadillac midsection with a pillarless cabin.

The model measured 5715mm (225in) long and 2037mm (80in) wide, underlining its reputation as a land yacht. 

3. 1959 Chevrolet Impala

The Impala name appeared on the top-specification Chevrolet Bel Air in 1958. The following year, it morphed into a distinct model with a slightly different take on the rear-fin concept.

Building on the previous version, the fins grew and joined in the middle to create a ‘V’ shape across the car’s rear. The round, triple tail-lights were dropped in favour of two teardrop rear-light units. 

The Chevrolet Impala was sold in coupé, convertible, four-door hardtop and four-door sedan variants.

In keeping with the high-tech features offered at the time, it was available with a six-way powered seat, well before this technology became commonplace.

The 1959 Chevrolet Impala Convertible pictured achieved $198,000 at auction in 2024.

4. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window 

While it wasn’t the most popular design in its time, the split-window Chevrolet Corvette has become a highly sought-after classic car.

It was the first Corvette to feature a coupé body style and the first to use independent rear suspension.

The split-window design was retained for just a single year during which time more than 10,500 were built, before this distinctive feature disappeared in 1964. 

This was also the first time the Sting Ray name appeared for its production run between 1963 and 1967.

5. 1964 Ford GT40

Ford’s brawny determination to beat Ferrari is most evident in the GT40’s rear end.

The engine is just about disguised beneath the clamshell and the only slight bit of refinement Ford could reach for was adding tail-lights, which are arguably the main attraction.

The back window is more ornamental than functional and, if anything, designed for engine-viewing. 

Thanks to Ford’s impressive 1966 Le Mans win, the GT40 has gone down in history as one of the marque’s greatest feats.

In the early 21st century, Ford recreated the GT40 with a modern twist in its GT model, but retained much of its original styling.

The back end was slightly modified to bring the twin exhausts down to make room for a numberplate where the original exhaust was positioned.

6. 1968 Lamborghini Espada 

Long before automotive manufacturers of performance and high-end supercars were driven to build four-seat coupés and family-friendly SUVs, Lamborghini cornered the market with its Espada.

Yes, it had a 3.9-litre V12, but you could also comfortably seat four people and have room in the boot for luggage. At the time it was the fastest four-seater in the world.  

While the car’s rear end was designed to offer greater comfort and practicality, you’d be forgiven for thinking it used to house an engine.

It seems like Marcello Gandini at Bertone was inspired by rear-engined cars, because the Espada’s rear looks like the perfect viewing gallery for a V12.

Alas it’s front-engined, but the rear is nevertheless beautifully crafted.

7. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

Before the Plymouth Superbird was the Dodge Charger Daytona. Designed to be a NASCAR-winning competitor, Dodge had to make the Charger Daytona publicly available to qualify for racing.

Just 503 models were built over a short period in 1969. Of those, 70 were Hemi Daytonas and 22 of these had four-speed transmissions.

While the Daytona was the first vehicle in NASCAR to achieve 200mph in competition, the model failed to secure more than six wins. 

With its ludicrously large rear wing and pointy nose, it also didn’t find huge success with customers at the time.

However, it’s gone on to become extremely sought after as a classic car.

In 2022, the pictured example sold for $1.32m, then in 2024 the exact same car sold for $3.3m, both times with Mecum Auctions.

8. 1971 Buick Riviera

From the front, the Buick Riviera blended seamlessly into an era of similarly styled, boxy land yachts.

Its rear, though, is where this model stood out from the pack with its boat-tail design. At the time it became quite a divisive choice, evoking mixed feelings from customers and executives at Buick alike.

In the end, the boat-tail version was manufactured for a very short time, from 1971 to 1973 – the oil crisis didn’t help, either.

The inspiration for the Riviera’s shape reportedly came from cars like the Auburn Boattail Speedster in the 1930s that featured streamlined rear bodywork, often with separate wheelarches.

To modernise this idea for the 1970s, Buick’s design team used a curved rear window and had the option to accent the curves with two-tone paintwork.

9. 1973 Lancia Stratos

While many of the cars in this list were carefully designed to create maximum visual impact, Lancia was more concerned with making the ultimate rally car.

Thanks to the manufacturer’s success in this field, the Stratos represented an outstanding motorsport competitor, as well as an impressively packaged piece of automotive history and art. 

The story goes that Nuccio Bertone wanted to win Lancia’s business from Pininfarina so he took a Fulvia and built a new body on top.

He’s said to have presented the car to Lancia and suggested a collaboration to design the company’s next-generation rally and race car.

Marcello Gandini, known for his work on the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, led the design. In place of a rear window, the air vents help to cool the Dino 246 Ferrari V6 engine beneath.

10. 1979 BMW M1 Procar

As the name suggests, the BMW M1 Procar started life as the M1, a mid-engined, wedge-shaped sports car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

In 1979 and 1980, the Procar Series was a motorsports spectacle using identical BMW M1 cars that had been modified for racing, with, perhaps inevitably, huge rear wings.

The series was part of the Formula One programme, with the five fastest-qualifying F1 drivers competing against up to 15 private drivers. 

Alongside F1 stars, the other drivers were typically professional competitors in other motorsport divisions, and up and coming new talent.

With such an impressive line-up, competition was tough and Niki Lauda claimed overall victory in the first Procar season.

In 1980, Nelson Piquet was the second and final driver to earn the Procar title. After two seasons, BMW decided to focus its motorsport efforts elsewhere and discontinued the series.

11. 1987 Ferrari F40

The Ferrari F40 was built as a celebration of the marque’s success over its 40-year history.

The anniversary car was a roadgoing machine that boasted track-car stats with a twin-turbocharged V8 capable of 471bhp, 426lb ft of torque and a top speed of up to 201mph.

To achieve this, Ferrari used a variety of different techniques to boost aerodynamic performance and limit excess weight. 

The F40’s body panels were mainly made from composite materials and clever design meant just 11 pieces were used, since the material allows for large continuous sections.

Designed by Pininfarina, the F40’s rear wing has become a defining characteristic of this iconic supercar. It’s also remembered as the last car Enzo Ferrari approved before his death in 1988.

12. 1989 Vector W8

As early as the 1970s, Gerald Wiegert had his sights set on disrupting the supercar world with an American-made, wedge-shaped wonder.

He founded Vector Aeromotive, its name giving away his intention to combine the best of the aerospace world with the automotive industry.

The Vector W8 used aerospace-grade parts for its 6-litre V8 engine, and the body was designed to be virtually indestructible using a mixture of carbonfibre, Kevlar and glassfibre. 

Media testing at the time revealed some lapses in reliability, but the W8 delivered on its supercar promise with some impressive results.

Car & Driver achieved a 0-60mph time of 3.8 secs, 0-100mph in 8.3 secs and 0-120mph in just 12.4 secs.

Although Vector claimed the W8’s potential top speed was 242mph, Car & Driver estimated around 218mph and the media was politely discouraged from attempting top-speed tests. 

13. 1990 Lamborghini Diablo

The Lamborghini Diablo's story inevitably starts with its predecessor.

Initially, the Countach had narrower tyres and no rear wing. After purchasing a Countach, the F1 team owner Walter Wolf decided the Lamborghini needed a few tweaks.

Lamborghini obliged and engineer Giampaolo Dallara added an adjustable rear wing and several other upgrades to Wolf’s car that were included in stock Countach models from then on. 

Wolf’s love for Lamborghini didn’t wane after the Diablo was launched and he was the first owner of the example pictured.

Undoubtedly, his help in pushing the Countach to new heights influenced the Diablo’s style and rear wing, which is an integral part of putting the V12’s power to the ground and maximising performance.

14. 1992 Jaguar XJ220

The Jaguar XJ220 was created to prove a point.

Its arrival as a concept car at the 1988 British International Motor Show was a defiant display that the company could create a luxury supercar to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

The initial model was supposed to remain a concept, but the car received such fanfare that Jaguar decided to put the XJ220 into production.

However, because the car wasn’t originally developed with production in mind, several tweaks had to be made to bring the XJ220 to customers.

The concept’s V12 was shrunk down to a V6 and Jaguar enlisted the help of Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) to build the cars.

By the time the first models started to roll off the production line, prices had dramatically increased to £470,000, making the XJ220 a hard sell.

Ultimately just fewer than 300 examples were completed before the model was discontinued.

15. 1992 Mazda RX-7

The third-generation Mazda RX-7 took the essence of the previous versions and created a car bursting with personality.

The rotary engine was the star, boosting the RX-7 into genuine performance-car territory.

Weighing 1300kg (2866lb), it was said to be the best RX-7 model for handling and would sprint from 0-62mph in 5.3 secs.

Unlike many of the cars in this list, the spoiler forms part of the bootlid which lifts up for luggage storage underneath. 

While the rotary engine gave all three RX-7 generations a distinct feel, by the mid 1990s emissions regulations meant it couldn’t meet the necessary requirements.

In 1996, this led to the end of the RX-7 in Europe but the model continued production for some markets, including Japan until 2002, when it was succeeded by the Mazda RX-8 the following year. 

16. 1995 McLaren F1 GTR

In its roadgoing guise, the McLaren F1 still holds the title for the fastest naturally aspirated road car in history. On the track, it proved to be equally as impressive at its Le Mans debut in 1995. 

Not only did an F1 GTR claim victory at the car’s first-ever 24 Hours of Le Mans, the model dominated the top five, finishing first, third, fourth and fifth.

Monumental success – and an epic rear view.

17. 1996 Porsche 911 GT1 

Inspired by its 1995 Le Mans defeat at the hands of McLaren, Porsche went back to the drawing board and developed a new GT competitor.

The GT1 was a meeting of the 911 993 at the front and a 962 at the rear. The resulting creation was clearly part of the 911 family with outrageous proportions and a menacing double spoiler at the back. 

Unlike its contemporaries, the 911 GT1 didn’t get a V12 engine, but the 3.2-litre flat-six provided more than enough power.

To comply with FIA rules of the period, Porsche created around 20 road-legal versions dubbed ‘Strassenversion’ which translates to ‘street version’.

Due to the model’s rarity, it’s one of the most sought-after hypercars from the ’90s. The example pictured sold for $1,175,000 in 2012 with RM Sotheby’s.

18. 1997 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR 

After seeing the FIA GT1 successes of McLaren and Porsche in 1995 and 1996, Mercedes-Benz decided to throw its car into the mix.

It reportedly took just 128 days to design and build the model. Rules at the time meant one road car and one race car needed to be built for homologation with a promise to build 24 road cars within 12 months after the season concluded. 

As a result, just 28 examples saw the light of day, two being prototypes, plus 20 coupés and six roadsters.

The CLK GTR didn’t need huge numbers to prove its suitability for racing, though.

The model claimed 17 wins out of 22 races across 1997 and 1998. Unfortunately, the GT1 series was cancelled in 1999, reportedly due to Mercedes-Benz being the only entrant in the class after its domination the previous year.

19. 1999 Pagani Zonda 

Long before Gordon Murray created the spaceship-looking rear end of the T.50, Pagani was mastering this central, circular motif with the Zonda.

Its cluster of exhaust pipes lead directly from the mid-mounted, 6-litre, AMG V12. Alongside the Mercedes-Benz powerplant, Pagani took inspiration from the Sauber-Mercedes C9 racers that graced circuits from 1987 to 1989. 

Over the years, there have been various different iterations of the Zonda with its styling remaining much the same throughout.

Despite many variants, production was extremely limited to just 140 units over a 20-year period from 1999.

The most expensive Zonda sold at auction at the time of writing achieved more than £8.5m.

20. 2000 Saleen S7 

After starting as a Ford Mustang tuner, Steve Saleen put his experience to good use and developed his own supercar.

The American-built Saleen S7 made its debut in 2000 with a 7-litre V8 offering 550bhp and 525lb ft of torque, enough to rocket the car from 0-60mph in 2.8 secs and 0-100mph in 7.1 secs. Its top speed was a claimed 220mph, so it definitely wasn’t short on performance.  

In 2005, the engine gained twin turbochargers and Saleen equipped two examples with a competition package.

The pair were the most powerful versions of the model, with 1000bhp squeezed out of the mid-mounted V8. On top of the standard specification and aerodynamic shape, the competition pack included a carbonfibre rear wing, front splitter and new rear diffuser.