In streamlining theory, a car's shape should be as smooth and integrated as possible. Therefore, should not wheel wells be covered either with removable spats or seamlessly? Nowadays, most cars and SUVs have exposed wheels even though their body designs were tested in wind tunnels. Why is that? Perhaps the trade-off between accessibility and aerodynamics favors the former.
In the 1930s and 1940s rear wheels often were either spatted or had shorter wheel well openings. The practical problem here has to do with gaining access to the tire for repairing a flat or chaining up for snow driving. A small wheel well opening offers less room to work, and if spats are installed, then they might have to be removed to allow any work to be done.
Few cars had covered or spatted front wheel openings. The most common examples of covered (but not spatted) front wheels were 1949-1956 Nashes and 1950-54 Nash Ramblers. Spatted front fenders were mostly found on French custom car bodies such as shown below. Beside accessibility difficulty, covered front wheels have the further problem of restricting a car's turning radius. The Nashes just cited were typical American cars of their era in that wheels were mounted several inches inbound from the sides of the car body. In recent decades, American (and essentially all other) cars have wheels at almost body-width, one reason why they are fully exposed. The European cars shown below also were narrow-track, and turning radius was helped a little further by bulging out the front fenders and their spats sometimes even more so.
Teardrop-shaped spatted wheels on fixed (non-retracting) airplane landing gear began to appear on racing planes such as this at the end of the 1920s. I suspect these forms inspired car stylists a few years later.
An early example of teardrop-shaped front fenders. Spatting will come later.
Unlike the Figoni & Falaschi designs shown below, this car's front fender sides are not bulged outwards. So in order to achieve a reasonable turning radius, it's possible the the entire body was widened so as to keep the axle width relatively narrow. (I cannot locate the source of this photo.)
Figoni & Falachi was the coachbuilder that seems to have made the most cars with spatted front wheels. This is an early example, as best as I can tell from a serious web search.
Their next step was to connect the fenders.
Here the connection uses a small running board. Note how the front fender is ballooned out.
A Delage D8 version of this design (with more elaborate chromed trim) was famously displayed at the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, but without a complete motor.
The first of the seven or so Narvals appeared in 1946. They sell for outrageous prices at auctions.
I can't confirm the information in the title, but it seems okay.
The spats make this design seem more ponderous and Buick-like than one would expect from Ghia.
Nash-Kelvinator president George Mason had covered front wheels on 1949 Nash cars, and the new Rambler line got them the following year.
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