Abstract

An automotive vehicle is provided with a lightweight crash-resistant honeycomb core chassis which combines structural load carrying support with lateral impact resistance. The automotive vehicle is aerodynamically efficient having a chassis and body which are inclined downwardly and forwardly to increase front downward air force. The body is smoothed to provide minimum air resistance and has a unique rearwardly diverging air guiding surface on the underside of the body. The air guiding surface reduces the velocity of air moving relative to the vehicle body and an air intake scoop is positioned at a point of high pressure along the air guiding surface but forwardly of the rear-mounted engine of the vehicle so that sufficient air pressure is available to force air into the engine compartment of the vehicle. Air leaves the rearward end of the vehicle through guiding vanes which direct the air into a low air pressure region behind the vehicle and in a direction to mix with air passing over the vehicle to reduce turbulent drag-producing air flow around the vehicle. Air drag is further reduced by providing a unique hollow wheel which is essentially free of drag producing struts or brake mechanism which brake mechanism is located within the aerodynamic efficient body of the vehicle. The hatch of the vehicle for admitting passengers is made lightweight by placing substantially all of the door latching mechanism on the body rather than in the hatch. A unique manually operated manual headlight positioning mechanism is provided to swing the headlights between an opened operable position and a closed low-aerodynamic drag position. Finally, a unique method is provided for inexpensively forming a rain gutter between a body and a hatch fitted close onto the body. The method includes forming parts of the hatch and body using a removable, easily extrusible wax dam to get an exact desired gap between the terminal edge of the hatch and the body.