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9 Cars with the Coolest Louvers
Some came from the factory to help the engine compartment breathe. Others were meticulously stamped into panels by hot rodders looking for a custom look. Still others originated as aftermarket solutions with a bit of style to help keep interiors a little cooler. Louvers can be found on cars of all ages for all different reasons, and while most look pretty sweet, some capture our hearts more than others.
Since I’m assembling the group’s answers, I am going take some liberty and use this space to add another favorite of mine besides my response below: The E-Type’s hood louvers pictured above. This functional, unadorned design element combines with the Jag’s otherwise lusty lines to give the E-Type a more assertive, purposeful, fighter-plane feel. They couldn’t be more simple, but you know what they are from the moment you see them.
What louvers do you prefer? Regardless of whether they’re clean and functional, purely for aesthetics, oh-so-’80s, or from any other era, let us know in the comments.
Hot Rods
I love stamped steel louvers in hot rod hoods, hood sides, aprons, and decklids. There are plenty to choose from, but the simple rows of louvers on the McGee Roadster are a great starting place. Honorable mention for factory louvers has to go to the fender gills on the 1968–69 Corvette, which are sort of like louvers, but in fiberglass. — Brandan Gillogly
IROC Camaros
Third-generation Camaros have a small soft spot in my heart. It was a bright red one with louvers that my parents tell stories of, often ending with “and that was what we traded in for the Jeep, since we needed three car seats.” That means I never even got to ride in the Camaro, but I know both of my parents loved their red IROC with black louvers, even though Dad pretty readily admits they weren’t great for visibility out the back. Regardless, I’ve always thought the third-gen Camaros looked good with louvers, and maybe now I’m learning that might be genetic. — Kyle Smith
Montreal
Kyle’s right—GM F-Bodies do deserve a special spot in the car-louver pantheon. Whether aftermarket louvers on the glass of a second- or third-gen or the accents on an IROC’s hood, those cars were made for that look.
Absent the ability to pick just about any Trans Am or Camaro I saw running around back in the ’80s, I’ll go with the Alfa Romeo Montreal and its headlight louvers. Imagine this car with solid light covers (and without the funky slats on the side), and it becomes a wholly different—and more plain—design. The Montreal was a very of-the-moment look, but it’s one that’s captivated people in the decades since, and I think those louvers have a lot to do with it. — Eddy Eckart
First-Gen RX-7
My ’79 RX-7, hands down. And with a huge rear window, in Texas, with marginal factory air and a 100-horsepower engine, the louvers really helped with the heat. — Steven Cole Smith
Morgan Hoods
Why limit yourself to just one part of the hood? Morgans can really lean into #LouverLife. Not only do these serve an actual cooling function, they add visual length and texture. My dad still has the ’63 Morgan he bought when I was an infant, and I remember those big bonnet louvers being eye-height. I’d spend hours in the garage running my fingers over them and just marvel at how cool they looked and felt. The effect is only multiplied when the whole shebang is wrapped in a leather strap, like a piece of English luggage packing a throaty four-cylinder inside it. — Eric Weiner
1969–70 Ford Mustang Mach 1
I love everything about the 1969–70 Ford Mustang Mach 1. To me, the fastback (or “Sportsroof,” to use the Ford parlance) proportions of those cars are perfect. Specced with rear window louvers (or “sports slats,” to use the Ford parlance) to complement the chin spoiler, rear spoiler, and some fat black stripes … yes, please. — Stefan Lombard
A Pair of Quintessential Ferraris
“Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win.” Widely attributed to Enzo Ferrari, this quote paints the gorgeous and valuable 250 GTO in a different light. Ferrari built 36 of them to become eligible for Group 3 racing in the ’60s; they weren’t originally designed just to look good. But man, they do. (And yes, they did win.) The two (or three) louvers punched into the long arc of the front fenders to vent air from the engine bay are a striking juxtaposition to the rest of the car’s lovely, curving lines. These are my pick for best louvers—they’re certainly some of the most expensive!
Honorable mention: The four vertical louvers on the F40’s rear flanks along with that gorgeous vented rear window… and deck lid. Keep those engines cool, people! — Grace Jarvis
As Kyle’s folks with the IROC, I had to get rid of my beautifully louvered/T-topped 280ZX 2 + 2 to make room for more child seats. Fortunately the child seats fit in the then-new SHO.
I, too, had an ’82 280ZX 2+2 louvered with T’s in South Florida in the 80’s when I was in my 20’s, pure chick magnate! I had traded my tired ’79 Caddy Eldo Biarritz, after pulling a UHaul from WI! I actually changed the clutch in a swamp down there! lol
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 280z,Zx, and 300 with louveres is the chef’s kiss
Both nice cars SHO I think may have been the most fun?
280 zxt owner here.Mine has the louvers and I (obviously) have to agree; they look great.
Three cars on the list with louvers over the enclosed rear glass. Yet not a mention of the car that inspired that trend with functional cooling louvers over its open mid-engine. I refer, of course, to the Lamborghini Miura.
Exactly! Not to be critical of Eddy… but what a stunning lack of perspective. Amazing. Simply amazing.
that seems pretty critical
what about the DeLorean … talk about a classic!
I had always given Larry Shinoda credit for the rear window louvers with his styling of the Corvette Mako Shark II in 1965 then in 69 for Ford, putting them on the Mach I and Boss 302. Given the first production date of the Miura in 1966 meaning design started a year or two earlier, I don’t know which automotive stylist actually came up with the idea first.
You are so right. The OG. All the others are cheap copies of a less than attractive trend in the 70’s and 80’s that, for some reason, continues today.
Louvers or vents? There is a difference. Typically louvers I don’t like. I’ll take my 69- 70 Mustang with out them though on a 71-73 with an even larger greenhouse avoiding the oven makes them even more practical. On the RX-7 they might work well but look like s**t. ‘How can we achieve a less aerodynamic shape?’ The full wrap arounds on the IROC tail more so. Punching the hood of a hotrod is okay but on the trunk never made sense to me. What’s the point? On the Morgan, Ferrari among others a practical example of the ‘form follows function’ rule that adds. Really, in the same vein, if we’re looking for the best vents, cars from the 20s and 30s. See Packard for example. The Montreal is that gorgeous freak they defies all convention.
“…but on the trunk never made sense to me.”
That reminds me of the trunk lid vents on a 71 Riviera. I mean it’s a great looking car, but just… why?
I like the louvers on the hood side of my ’34 Ford. Louvers on the top of a hood? What about the rain water and washing the hood? All of that water falling on your engine? The rear engine cars, you can see the engine through the back window? Weird!
I really like the louvers on the top of my 41’s hood but maybe I’m prejudiced a little. As far as your comment on rain – I never drive it in the rain if possible and as far as washing I usually pop the hood and wash the engine occasionally because I enjoy a clean engine ( and undercarriage).
Wasn’t that the year that many (possibly, all) GM cars featured a flow-throw ventilation system with the exhaust vents on the rear deck. Not sure. Just asking.
What year are you speaking of?
It was part of the flow thru ventilation system.
Yes, flow-thru (or flow-through).
Part of Astro Ventilation.
Nailed it. Look at the deck lid/tailgate on new for ‘71 models like B and C bodies, that year only.
Louvers on the trunk were there to let the air out of the body of the car. In the case of the Riviera, it was for flow thru ventilation. In the case of hot rods, it was to let the air out of the body when running for top speed on the salt flats.
Virtually ALL GM cars had trunk lid vents in 1971, to exhaust air from the new FlowThru ventilation system. It worked, but it was expensive and ugly. For 1972 they found a way to exhaust air under the trunk lid and the louvers disappeared.
My ’71 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale convertible has factory trunk lid vents.
Flo-Thru ventilation.
You stole my comment on the Packard. My ’37 Touring Sedan Twelve has functional vertical louvers on the front grill. They open and close as needed for engine temperature. It also has side vents on the hood that are manually closed or opened as needed. Classic look! Vern
Why post if you don’t like em at all?!
1960~64 corvair rear engine deck lid and if a article on rear cove tail lights the 1965-66 corvair corsa
Agreed! At a ‘Very’ young age I remember the neighbor next door had just purchased a new black Corvair and had it parked on the curb next door. Maybe a ’60 or ’61 with the rear deck lid louvers and lower rear chrome grill… I’d never seen anything like it, as we were still tooling around in my Mom’s ’48 Plymouth coupe at the time. I didn’t even know it was a car. Maybe some sort of a machine, or seriously, even a UFO! After a day or so I got a side view and saw the wheels, figured it was a car after that… Very Cool Memory!
I have a 64 Corvair convertible and must agree Very cool.
Further to the vent vs louver debate. Porsche 911 above the rear window glass on the coupe. Functional but very subtle.
I’m going (staying?) on a limb here, but I love the louvered grill of the ’78-79 Dodge Magnum. Actually, I love just about everything about the car that NASCAR drivers hated: The muscle-like fender bulges which made their first appearance here on a MOPAR product, the headlights covered by clear eyelids, the vinyl half-top…yes, I was in high school, and it triggered nearly every nerve in my hormone-raged body. But of course, we can’t ignore the louvers that inspired the Magnum grill to begin with: the immortal Cord 810/812.
I’m with you on the Magnum and Cord.
The Porsche 356 Carrera had nine louvers on each side of the engine lid. This helped cool the air/oil cooled overhead cam engines. Functional, unobtrusive and aesthetically clean.
I haven’t ever considered those slotted atrocities covering some rear windows as louvers – they’re merely sunshades in my mind. To qualify as a louver (to me) there has to be air movement through the slots – either removing air from an area or introducing new air into an area.
Tou are spot on…
Agree!
Right on! I fully agree.
I completely agree, these are window shades, not louvers.
Oxford dictionary defines the word louver like this:
each of a set of angled slats or flat strips fixed or hung at regular intervals in a door, shutter, or screen to allow air or light to pass through.
I never really liked the rear window covers that were so popular back in the day.
BMW M1 has both functional louvers over rear deck. Plus unique side vents and front hood vents. Giugiaro used these on many of his designs. Iroc ? RX7 please
Yes, Giugiaro use them in a similar way on the Delorean. And they are functional for sun and engine cooling. Without them the Design would not look the same for sure.
For me the first that comes to mind is the Alfa Romeo Montreal
I’m fond of the 1971 Cutlass (non OAI) which had rear vents in the hood, close to the cowl trim.
How about the 1976 to 1978 Datson 280Z. Hood luovres and aftermarket hatch louver.
I love my Z cars. A 71 240z and 83 280zx turbo. Why would you choose a blow up prone RX7 over Zs?
Yes, the 77 and 78 280Zs have functional hood louvers to extract hot air from the engine bay. They not only look good but serve a purpose. I’ve never liked the rear window louvers on any car (except the Miura) because they busy up the sleek lines of virtually any car and they’re prone to rattling and other issues.
I disagree. Datsun 240Z looked great with them on the back window. Mach1 also.
I agree. I had a 1978 special edition 280z, which came with the rear window louvers. Added a great visual appeal and helped keep summer radiant heat out from the hatch glass. Man I loved that car!
Coolest louvers? Dodge Omni GLH Turbo.
The design is pretty basic, like the rest of the car, but the fact that Dodge made a turbo charged Omni with a functioning louverd hood is pretty cool.
In fact, almost every vehicle with a turbo that was produced by Chrysler and Dodge in the 1980’s had functioning hood louvers. From the New Yorker to the Charger.
SAAB 900 Turbo SPG / CombiCoupe!