Windows are clearly a very important aspect of cars, but not all windows are created equally. All of the window designs in this slideshow bring a unique twist to the car window status quo. Contain your excitement folks– this might not be a Bugatti Chiron review, but it’s definitely the next best thing.
My love of cars started before I could speak. My mom tells everyone about how I’d chase classic Volkswagens down the street as soon as I could walk. I have broadened my horizons as I’ve grown older, but I will never not love these early split window vans. Safari windows were an option that allowed owners to open the windshield. I cannot imagine driving with them open since the wind would be unbearable, but they are and will always be one of the coolest options ever on a car. Fight me.
The Ford Thunderbird was not the first or the last car to have opera windows, but it is arguably the most iconic. Opera windows reemerged in the Malaise Era but we don’t need to talk about that. These portholes were added to Thunderbird hardtops in an effort to increase visibility with the hardtop in place. I doubt they were super helpful with that, but they sure do look distinctive.
Again, many different cars featured a split rear window throughout history, including the original Volkswagen Beetle, but the Corvette Sting Ray arguably brought the design choice to fame. Now a hugely desirable model, the 1963 Corvette Split Window continues to inspire design even 60 years later.
The new fifth-generation Prius is the first Prius to be seen as good looking, but I always liked the curvaceous rear window on the 2017 Prius Prime. The rear hatch was made out of carbon fiber for lightness, and sitting in the back seat you can see the exposed weave. It does look like the curvy window required Toyota to ditch a rear wiper which is probably a nuisance.
These extra windows were added to improve visibility, but their curved glass surface proved to be extremely reflective and many drivers complained that headlights would reflect in them and distract the driver. Trucks with these rare windows are considerably more valuable thanks to their rarity.
The Volkswagen Transporter makes another appearance for its defining skylight windows. There are other cars like the Land Rover Defender that featured these windows, but this VW is iconic for having an absurd amount of glass, including these numerous skylights.
It’s difficult to stand out in a sea of similar-looking cars, but Nissan’s polarizing Cube tried pretty hard. Its asymmetrical window situation was certainly unique and I love it, but many hated it. Unfortunately the seemingly expansive glass area covered normal roof pillars so the extra glass didn’t increase visibility.
Tesla is no stranger to making weird design choices, just look at the Cybertruck. The Model X debuted with a giant windshield that extended from the hood all the way back to the B-pillar, kind of like a receding hairline. Lucid also offers a massive windshield on the Air, and the aforementioned Cybertruck does too. This is a design that I am pretty impartial about.
Lots of these mini trucks had funky rear window designs that didn’t seem to align with the front window or with the rest of the design, like the window on this Nissan Hardbody pickup. I don’t understand why these windows were designed to stand out from the rest of the design, but I am glad this trend ended.
Studebaker was a company that took styling risks, and it didn’t always pay off. The distinctive rear design of the Starlite coupe is a good example of this– it looks like the rear windows should actually be the front windows.
Hi everyone, my name is Logan and I desperately want a ‘90s Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. (Hi Logan). Both the Roadmaster and the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser had this Vista Roof, a bulbous and stationary glass portion over the rear seats. I have no clue why, but that’s what GM did and I want several.
Subaru only recently came into the mainstream– it used to be decidedly quirky. The SVX was Subaru’s flagship car in the ‘90s, intended to debut technological innovations like these windows that allowed owners to roll them down in the rain without getting wet. Other cars use windows like this because their door designs are too restrictive for the full window to retract, but Subaru classically did things a little differently.