I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but at some point in the world of auto design, we all just seemed to agree that the B-pillar was a shameful, dirty thing, and for modesty’s sake, we’d better paint them black and hope nobody sees them. Are there any holdouts?
Now, this does seem to be limited to passenger cars — SUVs and trucks and some other more commercial or specialty vehicles get an exeption to the rule — look at the Wrangler Unlimited, for example. And, on a few very high-end cars, you may find a chromed or brushed stainless B-pillar.
But for everyone else, they just want it to disappear, I guess so you can pretend up until you get about 15 feet from the car that it’s a lovely pillar-less coupé.
So, my question: am I missing any passenger car holdouts? Are there any modern cars made today, of modern design (I don’t count something like a Hindustan Ambassador, I mean a car designed within the last, oh, decade or so) that’s not afraid to make the B-pillar a color other than black?
Also, feel free to tell me if you even want colored B-pillars anymore. Maybe you don’t miss those garish, line-breaking vertical bastards?
Let’s talk.
Contact the author at jason@jalopnik.com.