1938 Graham-Page Shark Nose
You might say Graham-Page's Spirit of Motion (commonly known as the shark nose) was inspired by the coffin head Cord 810, but designer Amos Northrup died shortly after he started designing the car's exterior Yes, he had previously written a similar design for the Willys, which came out in 1937. In fact, Northrup's plans for Graham-Paige called for recessed headlights and skirted wheel wells, but by the time the car was launched in 1938, it had gained fixed rectangular headlights, flush mounted On the front fenders, and there are no wheel skirts either. Graham's shark nose was phased out in 1940 when (ironically) a redesigned version of the Cord 810 was introduced, but the shark nose hint persists, especially on the 1941 Nash and many stylized railroad locomotives.
1961 Chevrolet Mako Shark I
The second-generation Corvette or Sting Ray wasn't introduced until 1963, but by 1961 designers had largely locked in its styling (inspired by design director Bill Mitchell's '57 Stingray race car). Even so, GM hopes to give an early look at what the new car will look like at the auto show. And thus, the Mako Shark was born.
1965 Chevrolet Mako Shark II
Just as the original Mako Shark previewed the second-generation Corvette, its 1965 sequel, the Mako Shark II, helped herald the upcoming '68 Corvette. The car has a similar livery to the Mako, but that's where the resemblance ends. The II is 9 inches longer and 3 inches lower than the C2 Corvette, with a low-slung hood nestled between crisp mountain-shaped fenders. Quartz iodine headlamps are hidden under retractable shades, while the turn signals are hidden behind rotating panels that look like gills when opened. A power-lifting roof facilitates access to the cabin, while the roofline itself tapers to form a sharp point above the rear fascia. Louvres above the rear windows can be opened and closed electrically, while a pair of ducktail spoilers electrically extend from the rear fascia.
1969 Exotic Manta
Technically, the manta ray is a type of ray, but if forks are your thing, the ray is also a cartilaginous fish, much like a shark. Frankly, we see far more sharks than rays in this Bizzarrini-based concept, Giorgetto Giugiaro's first design since leaving Ghia to start ItalDesign. The Manta is billed as a "luxury race car in one piece", with a 15-degree windshield rake that allows it to blend seamlessly into the front clip and snazzy roofline.
1970 Monteverdi Sea
Monteverdi's approach to making luxury sports cars is simple: take a big Chrysler V-8, put it on a custom Swiss chassis, and wrap it all in luscious Italian bodywork. When automakers pursued rear-engine sports car designs in the late 1960s, it played by its own rules. A 426 cubic-inch Hemi V-8 engine was placed almost in the middle of the car, while Italian coachbuilder Fissore built slender, curvaceous sheet metal with sleek, muscular sides. The ferocious nose inspired the nickname "Hai" (German for "shark"). The VIN of the prototype Hai 450 SS starts with TNT; which is fitting considering its performance is downright explosive. The car accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds and has a claimed top speed of over 176 mph.
These five shark cars, which one do you think is the coolest?
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