Picture a great-looking car in your mind. What angle do you see? Front view? Side? Maybe a three-quarter angle from the left corner? They’re all good, and certainly the views that designers focus on most to make what will be – fingers crossed – an attractive automobile. But that is not to diminish the importance of the rear end, which is how many more motorists will spend much more time admiring your car.
At the barest minimum, the rear end must inoffensively resolve the shapes flowing from the front of the car and neatly close off the shape. Although difficult to recall any one specifically, I know I’ve seen countless of rear ends that are just fine, completely as expected, no-chances-taken designs, which are perfectly OK. But when a design really goes for it, boy, does it stand out. I’m thinking of the Volvo 850’s skyscraper taillights, the Dodge Charger’s “racetrack” treatment, the Riviera’s boat tail in the topshot – you get it.
I asked the gang for their own takes:
“Yes, I’m biased, Chrysler Valiant Charger.” – Everyone’s favorite Aussie and Pal Of David, Laurence Rogers. Bias or not, that’s a great rear end. Fourteen rectangles, impressive.
“Testarossa,” says Mark Tucker, adding …
“Also gotta give a nod to my favorite tailfins ever, the 1960 DeSoto.” Fine choices!
“I’m nominating the FD RX-7 without the usual rear spoiler. Those lines just speak to me,” sayeth Antti Kautonen. And I agree – indeed, the FD goes beyond nice butt into great ass territory.
And here’s Stephen Walter Gossin, upon whom I can always count to go long with an AA answer, ’cause he’s a pal:
Gen 2 Sebring Convertible. You rarely see these anymore in traffic, and when you do, you’re greeted with styling that initially appears to be commonplace, but then you realize that it isn’t anymore. The design of these cars always reminded of more expensive Jaguars and other high-end Euro marques, but in a far more accessible price range. These were very handsome cars and were actually built on the Sebring/Stratus Sedan platform, meaning they had quite a long wheelbase and overall length for a 2-door vehicle. The amount of real estate from the trailing/rear edges of the doors all the way back to the rear bumper is glorious and massive. I’ve always had a soft spot for them, even as their number dwindle in this current era.
Your turn:
Which Cars Have The Best Butts?
Top graphic image: GM
I hated the Rivieras depicted in the lede photo. Most impractical bumper ever.
I was blown away by the original A7’s hind quarters. So elegant and so practical. If it wasn’t a VWAG product, I might have owned a used one by now. Just because of its rear end.
Others that I have liked:
2nd Gen Honda CR-V with the Volvo wagon-esque taillights and the cool alloy wheel and spare tire on the tail gate.
1969 low-trim Dodge Coronet.
W123/124 M-Bs.
Jag E-type V-12/Double Six.
Mid-80s Alfa Romeo GTV6. (Or Alpha Romeo Golf Tango Victor 6 to continue the NATO phonetic alphabet all the way through its name.)
It will be interesting to see what caught other people’s eyes.
C2 and C5 vette, 1st and 5th gen mustang, jag e type, crx, air cooled 911s. ND Miata.
FD-7 until that Taurus came out
NSX until that Camaro came out
Skyline until that Impala came out
Auburn Speedster
Porsche 930 Turbo
Porsche Cayman
I liked my old 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth. I’m weird and I own that.
The Alfa Romeo Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnicas, aka the BATs
https://youtu.be/Yre7VUOMSiI
Also
Tatra 87
Lamborghini Espada
Volvo 240 wagon
But really the BATs are it.
Subaru SVX.
The front is sort of generic and forgettable, but the rear 3/4 view just looks so good.
I dig the narrowness and wrap around of tailights on the SVX. 2nd place for me …. Nissan 300zx.
NB Miata, Oldsmobile Trofeo, ’67 C2 Stingray
I actually really like the 03 Z4’s booty. I’m not gonna pretend it’s a Testarossa, but I do like the crease in the trunk lid, it doesn’t have a ridiculous amount of lines, the way it looks at night with the lights on. It doesn’t suffer from modern car flat-buttedness. Character without being over the top, trim without being austere.
930, or really any turdblow 911, belongs on the list for sure. I would put the Z3 M coupe up there too.
I’m also gonna toss the Bugatti La Voiture Noire out there as one of the most beautiful and sculpted rear ends out there. A beautiful ribbon of lighting, acreage of mesh, and SIX tailpipes poking out the back.
Not that you’ll ever see one or hear one. Because there IS only one. But it’s pretty.
Look it up if you don’t believe me.
I can tell you that the ’11-’19 Lincoln MKT gets an award for one of the ugliest rear-ends ever foisted upon the roads of North America. It is decidedly NOT a ‘best butt’.
…and before you excommunicate me for hating on the looks of a car that most of us secretly appreciate – I tried to convince my wife to get one over an Explorer, but it was ‘too hearse-like’.
Clearly, the Riv.
Since someone already mentioned the Auburn, I’m going to have to go with my second choice.
I think the seventh generation Cadillac Sedan DeVille from 94 to 99 had one of the best rear ends. In fact, I think there was even an article here recently about how sought after those specific taillights were by customizers.
Split Window….Beetle.My kids always loved the angry look of the Buick Verona rear end.
SWG reminded me that Chrysler’s designers were absolutely nailing how to make a good looking car in the mid-90s. The entire lineup looked good, even the most humble economy cars!
As for my favourite car rear end, I am a sucker for the 944’s blocky taillights and that beautiful spoiler: https://www.drivingwhileawesome.com/blog/2014/6/6/back-in-a-porsche-944and-it-feels-sooo-good
Alfa Romeo Brera
For 60’s era cars, my nominations are the ’64 Ford Galaxie
https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/54179571413_e7da0dcfc2_k.jpg?quality=75&ssl=1
and it’s cousin, the ’62 Mercury Monterey
https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20250627_193145-1-EDIT1.jpg?quality=75&ssl=1
The Bugatti Veyron should need a CDL for that absolute DUMP TRUCK it’s carrying around.
Lexus’ and JDM Toyota’s taillight game has led to some pretty sweet rear ends.
I love the back of my car, a 2013 Crown Athlete 3.5, largely due to the modern interpretation of the hotplate taillights you’d see in old Skylines (weird it’s on a Toyota, but it works). It works well with the traditional muscular sedan styling with integrated twin exhaust.
For Lexus, it’s the cool 3D-effect red stripes you see in a lot of their late model cars, the GS being a great example (I think I’m seeing a pattern here with me and full-size sedans).
Finally there’s the Century, both the G50 (facelift) and G60 generations. The G50 facelift featured dot-matrix style LEDs that gave off a cool retro-future look on a car already dripping with presence. While the G60, which I think is perhaps a little too rounded overall compared to its predecessor, is saved by another set of unique 3D-effect taillights.
Oscar Meyer Weinermobile
Shut it down folks, we have a weiner.
With a First and Last name…
Ah, baloney!
Buns like no other!
Modern era; GR Supra, M2.
Wayback; Jaaaag D type and Maserati 300 S.
Lovely Humps.
D-Type is almost unfair, as I can’t find any angle from which it does not look incredible.
Cobra Daytona coupe comes to mind.
First-gen NSX, of course. Second-gen CRX.
The Hyundai Prophecy concept had an awesome rear view, which is one of the big reasons the Ioniq 6 that it led to is so visually disappointing.
Gotta love the Whale Tail Porsches too.
Alfa Romeo Brera
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alfa_Romeo_Brera_Rear_20070321.jpg
In fact, I think the backside of the current-gen Mazda3 is a bit reminiscent of it, which is one of the reasons I bought one.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mazda_3_Genf_2019_1Y7A5085.jpg
Surely the Volvo P1800ES belongs on the list.
Indeed – With the Volvo C30 as runner up.
For that matter, the Volvo which was designed rear first – The 1st S60