From: "Daniel J. Matyola"
I believe that the platform is added to accommodate the spare tire
outside the trunk. I think it is called a continental mod, and is
supposed to make the rear end of the car look like a Lincoln
Continental.
If I had MY choice, I'd take this one:
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=11395197
>
Dan
>
On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 3:52 AM, eckinator <[email protected]> wrote:
> That is a rather interesting rear end - does the platform serve any purpose?
The "Continental" comes from a trip Edsel Ford made to Europe in 1939.
In the late 30s American auto manufacturers were introducing
streamlining and the spare tire moved from it's place on the fender to a
spot in the fully enclosed trunk (boot). But that limited storage space
in the trunk.
In Europe, Edsel saw automobiles with spare tires mounted externally on
the rear where they didn't take up space in the trunk. When he returned
to the states, he had Ford's Lincoln division run up a custom special
for him.
His rich friends liked it so much it went into production.
Other manufacturers soon offered the "Continental" spare tire as an
option. It's still available as an after-market add-on for today's cars.
Without looking underneath, I think these other cars just have some sort
of extension bolted to the frame to move the bumper back far enough to
accommodate the spare tire enclosure. It has to sit far enough back that
the trunk lid will still open while it's mounted, although IIRC some
versions tilted backwards to allow access.
The platform is just a sheet metal panel to fill the gap; keeps road
dirt from splashing up on the "Continental" spare tire.
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
[email protected]
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
