Coke bottle line

Prototype of the Coca-Cola contour bottle

The Coke Bottle line was a common feature of automotive design in the late 1960s and early 1970s . It is named after the Coca-Cola contour bottle , which is curved on its side. This design was first used in aircraft construction . Other names for it are wasp waist or Marilyn Monroe shape .

Just like tail fins , Dagmar Bumpers and the Knudsen nose , the Coke Bottle line is an icon of a particular design era.

In the USA

After the tail fin era , which was inspired by the design of jet planes, died out, supersonic aircraft were considered to be the design role models in the 1960s.

The Studebaker Avanti, designed by Raymond Loewy , made the start in the USA in 1962. The Pontiac models from 1962 had already adopted this design feature. One of the best design examples of the Coke Bottle line is the 1963 Buick Riviera. Chevrolet took over the Coke Bottle line in the 1963 Corvette Stingray . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Coke Bottle line was abandoned in favor of sleek lines.

In Europe

In Europe, the Coke Bottle line was introduced by the European divisions of Ford and General Motors . As with previous design trends, the Coke Bottle line has been adopted here in a weaker form than in the USA.

European examples of the Coke Bottle line are the Opel Rekord C , the Opel Commodore A , the Opel GT , the Ford Cortina TC and the Vauxhall Victor .