Thursday, August 12, 2021

Long and Short Hood Cars with Same Basic Bodies

Back in the days before the US federal government mandated fuel efficiency goals, before car shapes had to be wind-tunnel tested, before body-on-frame construction was abandoned, carmakers were able to achieve a good deal of variation on basic car body components.

One such instance was the length of a car's hood.  A long hood suggested it housed a large, powerful motor, whereas a short hood implied an ordinary engine.  These perceptions stemmed from the 1920s and 1930s when in-line eight cylinder motors (and V-16s) were long and required a long hood.  The other extreme was a four-cylinder (or V-8) engine that didn't need a long hood.  Of course, some cars had long hoods and comparatively short (straight-six or V-12) motors, the long hood being largely for marketing purposes.

Today's post presents a few examples of American cars that had hoods of varying length attached to the same basic four-door sedan bodies.  Images below are of cars listed for sale unless otherwise noted.

Gallery

1948 Plymouth 4-door sedan
Chrysler Corporation used the same basic body across its entire line during the 1940s and into the early '50s.  Above is a Plymouth, Chrysler's entry-level brand using the Corporation's body used 1940-1948.

1948 Chrysler New Yorker 4-door sedan
And here is a top-of-the-line Chrysler New Yorker.  The cars are essentially the same abaft of the cowling.  Plymouths had inline-six motors whereas New Yorkers had straight-eight engines -- partly justifying differing hood lengths.  The Chrysler's wheelbase is 10 inches (254 mm) longer than the Plymouth's.

1950 Packard Eight DeLuxe Touring Sedan
Packard facelifted its 1941-vintage Clipper body for the 1948 model year.  The car above has a 120-in wheelbase.

1948 Packard Custom Eight Touring Sedan
Packard's more expensive models such as this featured 127-in wheelbases -- seven inches (178mm) longer.  All 1948 Packards had inline-eight cylinder motors.

1948 Packard Super Eight Convertible
Packard appearance differences might be more apparent where convertible coupés are concerned.  This short-wheelbase car seems rather stubby.

1950 Packard Custom Victoria Convertible - Mecum auction photo
But the long hood makes this otherwise unattractive 1948-1950 vintage Packard presentable, even impressive.

1950 Buick Super C-body 4-door sedan - Mecum auction photo
Less dramatic are the differing hood lengths for these Buicks.

1950 Roadmaster C-body 4-door sedan - factory photo
The Roadmaster wheelbase is four inches (102mm) longer than that of the Super in the previous image.  All Buicks also had straight-eight engines in those days.

No comments: