Tail fins on cars--were they just decoration, or did they have anything to do with performance?

[raccoon]

My thought is they were just decoration.

[FBaggins]

1. Performance of course.

In exactly the same way that a good detailing makes a car run better.

[pinboy3niner]

2. I'm not sure about tailfins, but everybody knows...

...that painting flames on makes a car go faster!

[HopeHoops]

7. New sneakers make you run faster!

[randr]

3. Not to mention the effect they had on young women at the time

You know what they say--the larger the fin the larger the----------

[Scuba]

4. Performance: attracted more women

[MiddleFingerMom]

5. Size matters

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The Jaguar D-Type (1954-57) was a factory-built race car made to compete in the
24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s most notable feature was a tail fin behind the drives head
used to increase stability on the long fast Mulsanne Straight at the Le Mans track.
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[Art_from_Ark]

19. I had a Matchbox car that looked just like that

After all these years, I finally learn that it was a Jaguar D-Type

[byeya]

6. Planned Obsolescence[sp?] Change the design a little each year

to increase car sales.
Detroit decided to do this instead of increasing safety, fuel economy, and reliability.

[CanSocDem]

15. Sales.

You got it. That is the only "performance" that matters.

.

[HopeHoops]

8. I heard Nader discuss this live in about '86. "What are the fins for?"

They were actually a serious hazard in pedestrian accidents. For the typical non-racetrack speeds, they really did nothing for performance, just like those silly air foils they put on foreign go-cart cars (the ones that usually don't have a muffler, but a HUGE subwoofer). The funny line Nader used was something about after the fins shrunk and finally disappeared, what was he to think? The winds had changed?

[bluedigger]

9. Futuristic styling trend cued from the "Jet Age".

Although the owner of this car I ran across on CL a couple days ago tried to take it to the next level. Check it out!

http://farmington.craigslist.org/cto/3324369655.html

[kurtzapril4]

11. The trouble with

cars modified like that is that you have to spend 4 hours working on them for every one hour of driving.

[bluedigger]

12. That, and it's fugly.

There's really no reason to hop up a car like that other than as a HS shop learning exercise. I wonder what it will eventually sell for - I bet less than half the asking price.

[raccoon]

17. Wow. nt

[Glorfindel]

10. Check out this TV ad from the 1950's

Attempting to convince everyone that the design was performance-enchancing

http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=1060&format=tv&theme=guide

[Throd]

13. My car has fins. No discernible difference from the non-finned variety.

[RebelOne]

14. They were decorations, but definitely made it difficult to see in the rear.

My mother had a '59 Cadillac. I took my driver's test in it, but failed the parking because it was hard to see in the rear because of the fins. Fortunately, the tester passed me. He said he was going to blame it on the car.

[raccoon]

18. I would never have thought of that, but it seems obvious now that you mentioned it. nt

[Smickey]

16. Invented to keep people from sitting on the ass end of your car.

[ashling]

20. They we to pay homage and obeisance to

the automotive gods

[DBoon]

21. So why did they put fins on cars

and not gills?