What Motor Cars Can Be

390150

01/01/1939

Event
Pre-1964 SAE Technical Papers
Authors Abstract
Content
FUTURE motor-car development, Mr. Stout contends, will follow the functional art of bus and airplane development rather than motor-car precedents. The interior instead of the exterior, he believes, is the basic thing to be studied, pointing out that passenger room has been growing less and less. The car of the future, therefore, he predicts, will have an interior that extends out the full width of the car with no running boards, will have totally enclosed wheels, will have a unit frame and body, the engine in the rear, and either double or sliding doors.
The effect of rear-engine construction on ride, bounce control, braking, and traction on muddy and icy roads is explained. New body materials, such as plastics, are looked for on future cars to insulate them from the radiant heat of the sun, especially for roofs. Mr. Stout sees light-weight air-cooled engines in future cars, weighing not over 3½ lb per hp. The possibilities of rubber springs are discussed.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/390150
Pages
6
Citation
Stout, W., "What Motor Cars Can Be," SAE Technical Paper 390150, 1939, https://doi.org/10.4271/390150.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Jan 1, 1939
Product Code
390150
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English