The Wedge Revolution

In the early 1960s, a new generation of car designers began rejecting the traditional rounded shapes and copious ornamentation that had dominated automotive design since before World War II. Looking to redefine “forward thinking” with fresh forms, they built upon earlier experimentation with triangular design features by stylists such as Virgil Exner and Virgil Exner, Jr., and began incorporating flat planes, sharp edges, and pointed, tapering front ends that looked as if they could cleave through the air like a blade. By the end of the decade, the novel look had taken on a distinct identity: the wedge.