Taillights are a huge piece of any car puzzle because they are all about form and function.
Function in the sense you need them to avoid having a Kenworth plowing through your trunk on a dark, rainy night—and form because taillights should look cool too.
That combination rarely works out because mass production cars are built by bean counters, not stylists—but here are five cars with lights that shone spectacularly at night and looked cool too.
Jerry Sutherland
I’ll start with the 1950s because that was a decade when designers ripped the steering wheel away from the accountants, so every year was a space-age inspired race to stand out.
The 1950s were a tough era to pick a taillight star because there was so much competition in the look-at-me contest, but I picked the 1957 DeSoto.

I chose the DeSoto because the three vertical taillights really showcased the Exner era fins. They were so prominent you couldn’t miss them—unless you were drunk and/or stupid. Those taillights were the perfect statement for the jet age—onward and upward.
The second cool taillight candidate in the next decade (60s) was the 1960 Mercury. The 1960s were another decade where picking a winner in the coolest taillight contest was almost impossible, but the ’60 Merc was a winner.

The taillights on their own were interesting, but the biggest factor was where they were placed. They sat at an angle in the midst of one of the most interesting trim combinations ever found on a production car. You would never mistake a ’60 Merc’s taillights at night for a ’60 Impala’s lights—if you did, you shouldn’t be driving.
The third spectacular set of taillights came from the Me Decade 1970s—they were found on the 1970 Chrysler 300H.

These lights stretched across the back of the big Mopar, and they were found right under the distinctive rear spoiler. That spoiler was so unique it was never seen again—but it did highlight the spectacular wall-to-wall lights on this big, bad 300.
The fourth featured car is from the 1980s–the 1982 Thunderbird.

The T-bird was scaled down from its mammoth 70s-era size and that reduction in size made the car’s giant taillights stand out even more at night. In fact, you could land an Airbus A380 at night on a runway with no lights if you had a fleet of 1982 Thunderbirds parked beside it. These T-birds were squarish cars with giant red lights—kind of like an emergency light on four wheels.
The fifth featured taillight car comes from the 1990s in the form of the 1994 Olds Silhouette. Hardcore car guys might question why a 90s minivan would qualify for any kind of styling award, but there’s no disputing the presence of those giant vertical taillights on the ’93 Lumina.

They’re large-and-in-charge and they’d be your best friend when you’re changing a flat tire on a freeway. If you get hit and survive the impact, rest assured your lawyer would like your chances in court.
Final thought–taillights don’t make or break the appearance of any car, but they’re like a good haircut—you notice the difference.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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