I’m not an EV hater by any stretch, though I readily acknowledge that the lack of exhaust sound and engine rumble are big bummers for battery power (and no, I will not be satisfied by imitations of those things, because the concept is patently silly – sorry, Dodge). Also missing from the electric equation is any real need for prominent air intakes, as there’s no heavy-breathing engine to account for, and that’s another big bummer for me.
I do love a nice intake, be it a scoop, slot, NACA duct, or some other wind-admitting opening. I don’t even find phony ones objectionable so long as they’re on a fuel-burning car, because the spirit of the need is there so long as there’s some kind of engine under the hood. Outside of a joke installation, I cannot abide the idea of prominent fake scoops on a car with no need to consume airflow in order to produce power. (Though I could get behind an EV with a giant drag-style hood scoop feeding air directly into the dash vents for a proper windows-down blasting with no need to lower the glass).
So let’s celebrate our favorite air-grabbers, shall we?
Though much maligned, I’m strangely attracted to the stacked nostrils of the Trans Am WS6. They’re outlandish, which is to say “they’re Pontiac,” and the tall hood tunnels they feed suggest a tumescence befitting this most phallic of F-bodies. So yeah, I’m into this bonermobile, what about it? Own it, I say.
Could any discussion of scoops and strakes not include the F12 Testarossas? Those magnificent egg slicers transform each side of the car into a massive air-delivery device for the V12 behind the seats and positively scream out engine in the back – ain’t nobody mistaking those for brake coolers.
I know, I know, I’m supposed to hate this “Countach,” but I like it. Those big side triangles do it for me. See you in the comments!
You like pop-up headlights? How about a pop-up air scoop?
Plymouth’s optional Air Grabber hood scoop deployed on command via a dash-mounted lever that, depending on the year and model, yanked the scoop open via a cable or used engine vacuum to do the trick. Imagine lining up against a guy at a red light in your Roadrunner, and as you’re revving your steeds, he sees your hood scoop lift out of the sheetmetal. That’s gotta be a potent psyche-out.
Your turn: What Are Your Favorite Slots, Strakes, Scoops, And Intakes?
Top graphic image: depositphotos.com
1984-1986 Mustang SVO off-center hood scoop. It fed air to the intercooler that was mounted above the engine. I owned an 86 for a few months… what an interesting Fox Body.
The Abarth snorkel fited to some race versions of the Fiat X1-9 – think ’80s Formula 1 tall intake scoop behind the driver’s head, except on the engine cover poking up over the roof.
NACA ducts are always awesome.
AW11 MR2… asymmetric and angular!
I’ve always been a fan of the Subaru hood scoops because they are actually functional, pulling air into the top-mount intercooler. Also on older models it was a cool way of indicating the car has a turbo. I know there were other top-mount intercoolers but every Subaru with a turbo has one because of the boxer engine. I thought it was a cool way of Subaru showing off how the boxer engine is unusual.
GT40 and Cobra Daytona Coupe radiator vents. Actually functional and a feature not common on vehicles not modified for racing.
Dead on with the Trans Am scoops! I love them! I also love the heat extractor vents on my 5.9 ZJ. I can’t post a pic….
I’m a big fan of hood scoops feeding top mount intercoolers, my favorites being the Subaru WRX and the Pontiac Firefly Turbo.
Other good holes that should be mentioned are the box intakes adorning the hips of the Countach, those are truly iconic.
Then there’s those cool ducts cutting into the outer edges of the headlight lenses on the Bugatti EB110. That front end treatment was unique and exotic looking.
71-73 Mustang/XB-C Falcon nostrils! Now available for everyone: https://repliglass.com.au/product/ford-falcon-xb-gt-universal-bonnet-scoop-hump-bond-down-type/
All about offset scoops, humps, and slats:
OG Renault Twingo offset hood scoops.Dodge Shadow turbo offset hood hump.2nd gen Ford Escort GT offset grill slats.
Nailed it. I still maintain that Escort’s grill is one of Ford’s all-time greats. And bonus, b/c if it, an offset badge as well!
Anything asymmetrically applied: FC RX7 Turbo 2 scoop, DSM power bulge, 300TD fender air intake, Integra name stamped in the bumper covers, whichever Lambo has the extra intake on its flank. Make it stand out
There is a small little duct on a ZXR1100 on the fairing in front of the windshield. I don’t know why I like that one.
The fake side scoops on many, many Mustangs since 1964. Because they’re vestigial reminders of the time in Mustang evolution when they were actually needed, as radiator vents for the ’62 Mustang concept’s mid-mounted V4 engine.
Love the F40’s (relatively) understated NACA ducts. No fugly TR strakes; no wind grabbing scoops. Just a few intakes placed where they are needed for a particular purpose.
First-generation Renault Twingo. I’m not even sure those three little air intakes are functional (cabin air, maybe?), but they sure are adorable.
The big rectangular air intake on the hood of the early Dodge Daytona/Chrysler Laser. I can’t remember if that one is functional or not.
Another set of three: the three dummy grilles set into the leading edge of the hood on early Nissan D21 trucks and Pathfinders. Later trucks look incomplete without them.
And finally, the roof-mounted air scoop on the Pontiac Fiero Indy Pace Car.
B/c Tubi is wonderful, I watched Black Moon Rising last weekend, and not only does it feature a Ferrari Modulo-ish concept that Tommy Lee Jones’ jaded-thief-working-for-the-govt is after, but his personal ride is a that gen Daytona!
Naturally, as befits someone with my profile picture, I’m a sucker for shaker scoops of all kinds, particularly operable ones; and good old dual “nostril” scoops on the hood. I especially like the old-school Mopar 426 Hemi shaker – it has twin ports on the shaker! Yo dawg, we heard you liked scoops, so we put two scoops on top of your scoop.
Aside from that, there are two kinds of people in the car world: people who think NACA ducts are awesome, and people who are just wrong.
The trio of D shaped removable panels with covered integrated ducts at the nose of the 1962 Ferrari 250GTO are ridiculously cool.
And the side ducts on the 1969 Dino 264GT – which were cleaner than those on the 1966 Ferrari 365 California (with it’s integrated door handle strakes) and lead to those on the 1975 Ferrari 308GTB.
I also really like the big vent at the leading end of the offside bulge on the hood of the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR – necessary to feed that 3L V8 engine.
And honorable mentions to the grille vents which incorporate the logos of the 1st gen Ford Taurus and B3 VW Passat. Both make for great product design.
2015+ gt350.
Only one was fake on low end models, and none on higher trims.
Subaru WRX STI hood scoops, but that’s a personal bias, and it needs to be balanced with a picnic table on the trunk lid.
I own an ’02 Mustang GT, which is from the peak of that gen’s gingerbread styling ethos – it has the giant (fake) box hood scoop nicely balanced by the skateboard-sized rear wing. Plus tacked-on bulbous fake side scoops b/c why not go all the way? The silliness of it all makes me happy.
The original Dodge Viper’s side scoops may be the first styling element that got me excited about cars. They were perfectly outrageous, both sexy and muscular, with just the right proportions. The later generations were cool too, but not quite as amazing.
More recently, I’ve been a huge fan of the hood “nostrils” on the Lotus Emira. Apparently they don’t do it for everyone, but they’re so original and brilliantly emphasize the curve of the front wheel arches.
Since you mentioned the new Dodge Charger’s silly fake exhaust, I think it should get an honorable mention for its looks-like-a-grill-but-is-actually-a-scoop/wing. I think it’s a really clever solution to the “problem” of EVs not really needing grills, though the rest of the car isn’t as impressive.
930 whale tale is way up the list for me… The ducts on the ruf ctr rear fenders too. And the aftermarket over the roof intake snorkus thing on a 2nd gen mr2.
The ones on the SR-71’s J58 powerplants. Look at this…
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Lockheed_SR-71A_Blackbird_at_Evergreen_Aviation_%26_Space_Museum_%286586637283%29.jpg/1920px-Lockheed_SR-71A_Blackbird_at_Evergreen_Aviation_%26_Space_Museum_%286586637283%29.jpg
My man (we fist bump)
My favorite air intakes are the air vents on Land Rover Defenders. You open them up and you can see daylight through them, that’s the freshest air you can get, no forcing them through a likely dust and or mold filled cabin air filter, just fresh air.
My favourite would be the Ferrari Testarossa…. with the Ferrari 348 a close 2nd.
But THEN the Mondial, right? Right?
LOL… no.
My favorite has always been the hood scoop on the 70-71 Torino, full length of the hood, fairly wide, just flowed with the lines of the car