PRIVACY IN THE CAR.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 May 1939, Page 3

PRIVACY IN THE CAR.

CLEVERLY CONCEIVED ENCLOSURE A 'Clever invention of Mr. B. Wagstall", of Sydney, has as its objects the complete enclosure of a car so that it can be used as a dressing-room on the beach; a partial enclosure so that the occupants can be protected from the sun's rays striking from the back or from one side; and an improved method .of draughtless interior ventilation.

Over each window and the two halve? of the windscreen is fitted a hinged shield made of leather stretched over | wire frames. Each shield is in two halves, one of which can be doubled j back upon the other, making the shields narrow and compact. Thus, when they are out of use and hinged back against the roof, they occupy little space and are quite unobtrusive. While still folded, all or any of the shields can be hinged down in a variety of combinations for a variety of purposes. Thus, those over the windscreen can be used as sun visors and, indeed, they occupy the positions normally filled by the visors. That over the rear window can be brought down to stop the dazzle on the screen from the headlights of following cars, though still leaving- the lower half of the window open so that following traffic remains visible in the rear view mirror. i All the side snields can be hinged down, if desired, while still folded. They do not much impede the vision of those inside the car, but they give them some degree of privacy. In this position, the glass window panes can be wound up just to meet the shi'lds and this provides excellent draugh'tless ventilation The air enters the car from one side through the narrow slits between glass and shJeios, flows down over the floor, and evacuates through the slits on the opposite side. To enclose the ear completely, all the shields are unfolded and clipped down on to the doors and the lower rail of the windscreen. The car then becomes an excellent dressing-rooiK for the beach, making the occupant independent ot the public dressing-sheds. One small problem which had to be solved was that of fitting hinged shields to windows narrower at the top than at the bottom, for example, the front door windows of ears with sloping windscreens, which means practically all modern productions. This has been solved in the following manner. The stiff portion of the shield takes its w T idth from the narrowest portion uj the window ;uu: a loose flap

of leather, shaped to suit the window, folds OiiV. of the shield when it is fully extended. Normally, it is concealed in the fold of the two, stiff sections.