Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/128

 100

���Wheelbase is too short. Front seat

with its imitation of a double cowl cuts

down effective opening of rear door.

Back mudguards poorly designed

���Radiator too low, requiring excessive taper of hood. Clearance of rear wheels and mudguards is enormous, emphasi::- cd by light colored undersides of guards

���Compare mudguard clearance of this

with above. Hood, with low joint and

slanting vents, is the least successful

part of design

���If folded top were lowered, spare wheel moved forward and rear hinges con- cealed, it would be handsome despite ugly radiator

��Popular Science Monthly

much-admired low-hung appearance, typical of the foreign car. Some day he will realize that sufficient ground clear- ance can be obtained with frames well under two feet high.

The unnecessary frame height is par- tially responsible for the ponderous ap- pearance of many of our closed cars. Some limousines ate actually between seven and eight feet high. There is no excuse for this even in a seven-passen- ger body where lack of foot room re- quires high seats.

The most glaring fault in closed body design is the impossibility of lowering the windows all the way. \\'ith a rear seat accommodating three people it is ad- mittedly difficult to drop the rear side light completely owing to the wheel hous- ings. English coachmakers have ac- complished this by curving the window slots. Why the door lights should not drop remains a mystery.

Owing to the fact that many motor car owners are dissatisfied with the ap- pearance and comfort of stock models, there has arisen a demand for custom made bodies. The only way of obtain- ing collapsible bodies of the phaeton, landaulet and double cabriolet types, ex- cept on one or two chassis, is to have them made to order. If these bodies were brought out as standard models they would prove extremely popular. That is, granting that they were well made, as nothing is more exasperating than a collapsible body which rattles.

In conclusion the writer may be per- mitted to describe a sporting body which incorporates some novel points in de- sign. As seen on page 98, the sides are very high, properly protecting the occu- pants. The plan shows the positions of doors and spare disk wheels. The seats are isolated from the body sides and back, and are adjustable fore and aft and as to inclination. The wind shield is pointed, thus harmonizing with the radiator. The top folds down into a permanent case under which is a large compartment for luggage. Domed fen- ders are attached to the stub-axles in- stead of the frame, and they follow the movement of the wheels, ^^'ith this con- struction the fenders and wheels are concentric and the clearance between them is reduced to a minimum.

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