These Are Your Favorite Side-View Mirror Designs

I love to nerd out about car design, especially details that people might overlook or not focus on enough, so earlier this week I asked the Jalopnik audience to tell me about their favorite side-view mirror designs. Ubiquitous for decades and federally required on new cars, these mirrors are the rare safety feature that still allow for some interesting designs. Sadly not as many of you were ready to nerd out about wing mirrors as I was hoping for, but still, there are some great answers here.

Like I said in my initial question post most of the side-view mirror designs that people would probably immediately think of are on supercars or other flamboyant vehicles — my example was the Spyker C8 — but y’all brought up a bunch of normal cars with great mirrors, too. Without further ado, keep reading to see what your fellow Jalops picked as their favorite side-view mirrors, and let us know yours in the comments below if you missed our initial question.

Huayra. Hands down. It looks like a falling leaf.

Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

People hate these, and I’ve never understood why. They’re gorgeous.

Early Testarossa “flying Mirror”

Loved the asymmetry of the original single sideview mirror for the Ferrari Testarossa. They mounted it high with the idea that a single mirror could give the driver a complete unobstructed view of what is going on behind them.

Submitted by: Pabst302, Jerries Berries

It’s like a puppy with a floppy ear.

Mazda Luce R130, A wankel-powered coupe with side mirrors on the fenders that somehow make it the good kind of eccentric.

Submitted by: potbellyjoe

A perfect example of fender-mounted mirrors.

I’m going to say the Fiat Coupe mirror. The two tone combination of colored mirror on a black support fits the rad 90’s aesthetic of these cars.

Submitted by: Giantsgiants

One of Chris Bangle’s best designs (the Coupe in general, not the mirror specifically).

Toyota 2000GT has the best looking mirrors on the best looking car ever made. 

Submitted by: half man half bear half pig

I don’t respect the opinion of anyone who doesn’t have the 2000GT in their top five list of the most beautiful cars ever made.

Mercedes Benz W123-124. The side view mirrors were modern and ahead of their time. Integrated into the window frame plus the passenger side one wasn’t symmetrical on purpose since it tilted towards the driver. 

Submitted by: Merrill Frank

I’m always a fan of asymmetrical design details.

Lexus LFA – the mirror was designed to channel air to the intake. I don’ find many mirrors to be a real design spectacle, so the ones that stay out of the way and look really cool are my top picks.

Shout out to the early Testarossa with the ugly mono mirror mounted up high.

Submitted by: cintocrunch1

Form and function.

Alfa Romeo 155 (the road car, not the BTCC or DTM variants), because it matched the square style of the car, and when folded, it would rotate upwards, like the scissor-doors on an exotic supercar.

Submitted by: Tiago Bastos

That is a pretty great design.

Got to go with the Citroen CX’s side mirrors.

So good, they were used on the CX, aw well as:

Aston Martin DB7, Virage, Vantage V8

Jaguar XJ220

McLaren F1

Lotus Esprit, Excel

TVR Griffith, Chimera, S4

Submitted by: Dr.Xyster

Iconic!

Australian XY GT ‘teardrop’ mirror. Beautiful- never been bettered.

put it on any car 

Submitted by: brett jackson

It’s like the tiny mirrors people put on their Honda Civics and BMW M3s

The Alfa Romeo 4C, they just look good. They seem like they are farther down the door that usual and just always stuck out to me. 

Submitted by: RC350F

I love a good door-mounted mirror.

Technically this is a door mounted mirror… Isdera Commendatore 112i with the periscope mirror mounted on the top of the gullwing opening doors.

Submitted by: Atomic2

I know the owner of the Commendatore and have gotten to sit in it, the periscope mirror is very cool. He says the car’s visibility is incredible in general and that it’s easy to drive around LA.

RM Sotheby’s

My favorite are the streamlined mirrors on the 1950’s Mercedes 300SL’s. I’m not sure if it was strictly a Mercedes design though, because I have seen it on dozens of other 50’s-60’s sports cars too.

Submitted by: Packardbaker

Saving the best for last.