waz
Registered Member
I was following a nicely restored 1969 Chevy Nova in traffic the other day, and I noticed how the "hips" flared over the rear wheels, and how a small curved lip projected above the wheel wells.
Then I looked at every other modern car/PU truck/ and SUV in sight, and noted that they all, no matter the make or model, have a flat 2" area of sheet metal surrounding the front and back wheels.
No matter how nicely the sides of a car are sculpted, today's cars all have that flat wheel arch.
This includes my '10 Genesis Coupe and '15 sedan.
Looking at Google Images, even Aston Martin has these, although they're much thinner than most models.
Why?
When did this become standardized across the auto industry?
Is it related to ease of manufacture, or what? It certainly can't be for aesthetics.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Then I looked at every other modern car/PU truck/ and SUV in sight, and noted that they all, no matter the make or model, have a flat 2" area of sheet metal surrounding the front and back wheels.
No matter how nicely the sides of a car are sculpted, today's cars all have that flat wheel arch.
This includes my '10 Genesis Coupe and '15 sedan.
Looking at Google Images, even Aston Martin has these, although they're much thinner than most models.
Why?
When did this become standardized across the auto industry?
Is it related to ease of manufacture, or what? It certainly can't be for aesthetics.
Inquiring minds want to know.
