Changes In Autombile Bodies
The first automobiles were modeled after the buggies and carts that people were used to
. Only a few of them even had canvas tops-after all, who would want to drive an automobile while it was raining? Here is how the bodies of automobiles developed: Touring cars and roadsters . An automobile with both front and back seats was called a touring car; an automobile with only the front seat was called a roadster. The top was made of cloth, and on a nice day it could be put down, much as the top of a convertible goes down now, except that it took two men and a lot of time to do it. Along about 1920, automobiles that could advertise a "one-man top" had a great advantage; but their claims were only partly true, because it was still pretty hard for one man to handle the top all alone. If it rained, there were curtains made of cloth and celluloid or isinglass that could be pinned to the sides. Very sporty roadsters had "rumble seats"-back seats that opened up in the place where the "trunk" or baggage compartment is on modern cars. There was no top at all over rumble seats, and they were cold places to ride on winter days.Although steel is preferred by most automakers, in recent years changing fuel economy and recycling regulations have intensified weight-reduction attempts by automakers.The selection of automobile body materials is fundamental to the choice of fabrication method, and the characteristics and performance of the final vehicle or component.Changes In Autombile Bodies
By: David Bunch