GLASS COACHWORK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 November 1939, Page 6

GLASS COACHWORK

NOVEL FRENCH CAR

A unique type of upper-body construction was fitted to a motor car used for broadcasting the progress of cyclists in the recently decided Tour do France, a three-weeks’ race covering some 2,700 miles around France. The body top was so designed that it could be used as a wireless station for remitting and receiving messages, thus enabling the personnel of the car, while following the great race, to provide a running commentary of this international contest, which arouses such fervid enthusiasm throughout France. Italy, Belgium, and Holland. Working in conjunction with the “radio” ear was a second car which travelled at the head of the field of contestants and reported back to the “radio” car, also two motor cyclist “scouts” equipped with wireless, who dodged along the column of cyclists, picking up news items relative to the progress of the contestants. The novel feature of the “radio" ear was its glass coachwork, nothing but non-splintering, toughened glass supporting the forward part of the roof of the sedan body. At the rear two narrow corner supports were used. The glass, two-fifths of an inch thick, supported the roof, upon which were mounted 'wo loud speakers (weighing over 6cwt.) without any metal or other upright, supports except the two narrow ones at the rear of the body. The object of this glass coachwork was tn enable all-round vision for the personnel, so that the car could pass among bunches of competitors during the progress of the race, much of which was over the Alps and Pyrenees.

The vehicle is reported to have come through the gruelling test without giving the slightest trouble. It was a bold experiment, which provided lOt) per cent visibility and proved a complete success. The builder of the special body, a noted French coachbuikler. staled that production costs had worked out actually lower than for some of his more normal car bodies, in which special panel-beating is required,