Fender Skirts

Rear wheel detachable fender skirt
on a 1969 Buick Electra 225*

I took a trip down memory lane this weekend because of an email a friend of my vintage sent me. As a result of the email, I began thinking about cars my parents used to own. Does anyone, besides me, remember what a fender skirt is or what they look like?

A fender skirt was used both aesthetically and aerodynamically to enhance the looks and performance of automobiles as early as 1928, but I wasn't born yet. However, I do remember the fifties and sixties when fender skirts were the vogue for car owners.

Fender skirts were often paired with whitewall tires with the length of the skirt changing over time, sort of like female fashions. Before 1950 it was the norm to have all but the very bottom of the tire covered. By the 1960s the "skirts" only covered the top part of the tire. Reminds me of the mini skirts we used to wear.

The last car produced with fender skirts was the 1999-2006 Honda Insight, although the "skirts" are still available for new cars as an aftermarket accessory.

Now that you've had a mini history lesson on fender skirts, I'll have to tell you about my running board story in a not-too-distant future blog post. 

*Picture and history compliments of Wikipedia.  Memories are original.