ELBOW ROOM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 48, 26 February 1935, Page 14

ELBOW ROOM.

TREND OF DESIGN. Many otherwise excellent closed bodies on chassis of small and medium size are open to criticism on the score of inadequate width. This is unfortunate, because plenty of elbow room is essential to the comfort of the passengers and to the free steering control of the driver. Both directly and indirectly the principal restriction upon coachwork dimensions is one of weight. Not only does an increase in general size enlarge the mass of the body, but a wider design calls for a wider track, increasing the weight of the chassis.

Possibly these disadvantages of the conventional layout could be shortcircuited were there a closer collaboration between the bodybuilder and the chassis designer. In certain small cars the clever scheming of body and chassis, regarded as complementary units, has made possible the addition of several inches to the useful interior width without increasing the size and weight of the vehicle as a whole. This matter of width is really more pressing than the question of length, for the majority of cars to-day provide sufficient leg room even for tall passengers. One of the most promising features of the tendency towards streamlined coachwork is that it may enable the car maker to shift the body forward along the chassis, so that the width of the rear seat is no longer cramped by the wheel-arches.