The Look of Fast

Jalopnik points to Mr Jaoply at Hoopty Rides post on "What does fast look like?". Most people seem to be able to recignise what fast looks like, to an extent, so it's an interesting question.

A while ago now, Bob Lutz said that tumble-home is one of the main things that makes a car look fast. This is easy to see on things that just scream fast like a stereotypical Ferrari or something newer like Ford's Shelby GR1 concept car.

Mr Jalopy also pours scorn on the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi EVO cars which to my mind look plenty fast, the EVO in particular. The WRX and EVO, being based on fairly small family cars don't have a great deal of tumble-home but they do have some other clues that they're more than a basic car.

There are probably some "extra-textual" features that reveal the look of fast to those in the know. Wheel-to-wheel-arch measurements is a good one, as is stance, a concept that is hard to explain.

Hmm... more thinking is clearly required on what fast looks like.