As I mentioned here in my post "Airflow and its Variations in 1936," an Airflow "look-similar" was the Volvo PV36 Carioca. One is shown in the evocative photo above.
The nickname "Carioca" is Brazilian, not Swedish -- a mid-1930s thing noted in the Wikipedia link.
A more detailed account is here. It mentions that "The design was heavily based on streamline styling from American vehicles. How many influences the Swedish designer Ivan Örnberg brought back home from his former employer Hupmobile in Detroit in 1933 can only be guessed. In any case, there are various optical parallels, for example to the Chrysler Airflow."
Clearly, Airflow influence was strong. I see little 1934 Hupmobile influence aside from the very rear. One important Airflow detail was placement of the passenger compartment between the axle lines, with the motor mounted more forward than conventional at the time. Side views of the Carioca suggest that it followed Chrysler practice. Its body was "all steel" (aside from the fabric roof insert), but probably not quasi-unitized in Airflow fashion.
Likely a prototype or early production model. The slightly raised grille and hood front is more conventional than the strongly rounded (and much criticized) early Airflow front ends. Basically a decent, tidy design for its time.
Publicity or advertising image.
The grille and body shaping above the headlights is different from that show in the top photos. Perhaps this is later than a 1935 model.
Same car as on the previous images, but in a different setting.
As mentioned above, Carioca's rear resembles this Hupp more than it does a '34 Airflow. CU Airflow sedans lacked trunk lids, and the spare tire was not sunk into the aft sheet metal.
Again, a slightly different grille design. License plate appears to be British.
Probably the same car as in the previous photo. Compare its profile to the Airflow below.
%20-%20for%20sale%20-%20left%20side.png)
Shown here is a DeSoto Airflow whose wheelbase (115.5 inches, 2934 mm) is closer than Chrysler's to that of the Carioca (116.1 inches, 2950 mm), making for a reasonable comparison. The Carioca is a 4-window car, the Airflow has 6 windows. Having fewer windows, the Carioca's aft profile curve is less abrupt than the DeSotos'. Door hinging is reversed: "suicide" front on Carioca, rear on Airflow. Airflows got some production cost savings by having major parts of door shapes reversed. Note the symmetrical (but flipped) side window shapes. The left front door and right rear door would used the same window shape tooling, ditto the right front door and left rear door. Carioca seems to have done the same with respect to windows.
No comments:
Post a Comment