Shark fin is a very common design element in car decoration. The fins were very popular in the middle of the last century. However, fins are still installed on some car models. They usually appear on the roof. What are they needed for? As you might have guessed - not only for beauty.
Fins first appeared on cars back in the 1930s. Today it is generally accepted that the first cars with this design element were the Czech Tatras with the T85 and T87 indexes. From the very beginning, shark fin was not just a decoration, but an important structural element. In particular, in Czech cars, it improved aerodynamic properties and did not give the rear of the car "Walk" during the trip due to imbalance, which inevitably occurred due to the rear position motor.
However, the real popularity of "fins" came to the United States in the middle of the last century. In addition to improving the aerodynamic qualities of the car body, the fins helped make the car more beautiful, stylish, and gave it a sporty look. The fashion for this element lasted until the 1970s, until it finally began to fade.
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Another rebirth of "shark fins" in the automotive industry took place at the end of the 20th century thanks to the German company BMW, engineers which guessed that such "fins" are an ideal way to disguise protruding radio equipment (antennas). In addition, the fins have a protective function, allowing the driver not to be distracted by antenna maintenance once again.
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Today, the "shark fins" on the roof of the car hide the antennas of the radio and cellular communications GMS, as well as receivers of the GPS satellite signal. This became possible thanks to the development of radio equipment and the possibility of reducing the dimensions of active antennas are 7-8 times compared to those used in cars back in the 1980s years.
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A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/290120/53248/