Top 10 Automotive Design Terms

10. Tumblehome

First up is tumblehome, something White described as being the angle of a vehicle’s sides. He said, “The idea is to create a situation where the car looks well planted,” with the bulk of its mass being below the glass.

“If cars didn’t have tumblehome they would look pin-headed,” said White, noting that, “Even minivans have a tiny bit of tumblehome.” But there are limits to how angled a vehicle’s sides can be. If the rake becomes too steep there isn’t enough room in the doors for the glass to roll down and “you end up with letter windows,” small openings found on cars like the DeLorean and Lamborghini Countach.

White said minivans often don’t have very much tumblehome but examples of other vehicles with practically none include the Land Rover Defender and military Hummers.