Unlike the F8 Tributo on which it was built, the one-off Ferrari SP48 Unica does not have a rear window. As with every other design decision on this car, this was deliberate, despite it impeding rearward visibility and the ability to see the Ferrari’s glorious V8 from the outside. The SP48 has a roof decal that mimics the grille pattern and creates an arrow with the windscreen and windows when viewing the car from above, the edges of which tuck into some more intercoolers and intakes.
This final, and arguably most significant, true production car to dispense with a rear window was the radical pre-war Tatra T77 of 1934, plus its smaller sibling T87 and T97 of 1936. This revolutionary trio of Hans Ledwinka-created aerodynamic rear-engined Tatra four-door saloons made contemporary rivals seem instantly redundant.
Adolf Hitler in particular was a huge admirer of the V8-engined T77, and the car became the vehicle of choice for many of his senior Nazi staff due to its superior performance and comfort. That said, a decree was soon issued banning the use of T77s due to their tricky on-the-limit pendulum-like rear-bias handling causing frequent road accidents (possibly caused by poor rear vision.).
A110, Valkyrie and GMA images by Nick Wilkinson, Jordan Butters and Peter Summers