The iconic square wheel well design has adorned Chevrolet pickup trucks since the third-generation C/K series debuted in 1973. Although officially referred to by GM and Chevy as the Rounded Line series for its smoothened body corners, the squared-off wheel wheels, which are essentially rectangular with slightly rounded corners, became the predominant styling factor that earned it the Square Body nickname from buyers and enthusiasts back in the day.
GM's square body trucks remained in production until
1991 and have remained much sought after in the vintage collector car market, with prices ranging from $26,000 to almost $230,000. Those square wheel wells continued to adorn the succeeding generation of Chevy trucks, including the fourth-generation GMT 400, up to the third-generation Chevy Silverado, which ended production in 2018.
However, what led Chevy designers and engineers to create squarish wheel wells was not just an effort to differentiate the truck's styling from its Ford and Dodge competitors. It may have debuted as far back as 1973, but the Chevy square body was the first commercially available GM truck to undergo wind tunnel testing.
It may seem counterintuitive from an aerodynamic perspective, but the engineers discovered that the square wheel wells were great for airflow, resulting in better stability and better fuel economy. The styling and aerodynamic benefits were too compelling to ignore, so GM and Chevy retained the design until rounded wheel wells made a comeback for the fourth-generation Chevy Silverado by 2019.
Read more: These Are The GMC Yukon Years You Might Want To Avoid (According To Owners)
From Square To Round
GM and Chevy trucks didn't start with square wheel wells. When Chevrolet introduced the first and second-generation C/K trucks in 1960 and 1972, the vehicles featured rounded wheel wells, like those of any other truck. Chevy stood by its square wheel well design when it introduced the GMT 800 Silverado pickup in 1999. However, by 2019, the designers and aerodynamicists had changed their minds. As it turns out, updated research suggests that rounded wheel wells are better for aerodynamics, which is why Chevrolet ditched the squares and reverted to semi-circular designs for its newest trucks.
Aerodynamics is a critical aspect of any modern car or electric vehicle. A slippery design not only enables electric cars to slice through the wind more effectively and improve performance, but it also helps extend the driving range. It's why the new Chevrolet Silverado EV and its rounded body boast one of the lowest drag coefficients of any full-size production truck, slicing the air with a 0.331 Cd, allowing it to return up to 450 miles of range, according to the EPA.
Moreover, the Silverado EV can tow up to 10,000 pounds, while the RST Max Range variant produces up to 760 horsepower. We have no official word from Chevrolet or GMC on whether the square body design will return for its future trucks. Still, it would be interesting to see what a derivative of a vintage, classic design would look like in a modern Chevrolet or GMC pickup.
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