hip line n.— «The side panel lines just beneath the windows—”hip lines” in auto industry parlance—slant upward. Viewed from the front in conjunction with the triple-lipped face, the look is delightfully menacing, sort of like...
tumblehome n.— «We all tried to out-fin each other back in the Fifties, and we let the fat look get out of hand in the Sixties and early Seventies, when the industry got so carried away with turn-under and tumblehome that some of the cars...
tumblehome n.— «The Tercel’s severe “tumblehome”—the deep curvature of the roof merging into the sides of the car—brings the corners of the cabin threateningly close to your ears.» —“Toyota Tercel goes aero for the...
shop window test n.— «The car has to pass what GM executives refer to as the “shop window test.” That is, an owner must be so enamored of the Astra’s lines that he can’t help but sneak a look at its reflection in a plate-glass...
tumblehome n.— «With cars, words and metal share territory: each brand’s vocabulary of shapes is collectively known as its design language. The beltline divides the greenhouse, or glassed-in upper body, from the portion that extends down...