What Are Pants on a Car?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DaveC426913
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The term "pants" in relation to cars refers to covers for the rear wheels, also known as fender skirts or spats. This terminology dates back to the 1920s, specifically linked to Frank Lockhart's use of the term during a land speed record attempt with a 1928 Stutz car. The discussion highlights the historical context and evolution of the term, while also touching on a nostalgic mention of a 1952 Chevy Deluxe that featured wheel pants. Additionally, there is a brief mention of the 2015 Volkswagen XL1, noted for its impressive fuel efficiency claims.
DaveC426913
Gold Member
Messages
23,916
Reaction score
7,962
Executive Summary: What are "pants" on a car?

A long time ago I read story set in the 1930s (full disclosure: it was a Doc Savage novel) wherein the vehicle he was driving was described in detail. One term that was used was that the car had "pants" - as if that's a self-explanatory term.

I've always assumed that "pants" were covers for the rear wheels but I have not been able to verify this - even in this age of The Intertoobs.(This came up today when I spotted this fancy-schmancy-lookin' new Honda.)

cc_2018hoc160001_640_wa.jpg


So. "Pants" are ...?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You're right -- they're also called skirts or spats.
First described as "pants", they were used for the streamlining effect by Frank Lockhart on a 1928 Stutz land speed record attempt car.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_skirts
 
  • Like
Likes dlgoff and DaveC426913
Thank you.
Purged. Freed up some valuable processing space.
 
  • Like
Likes dlgoff and sysprog
This streamlined hybrid VW is asserted to get up to 240 MPG:

Volkswagen_XL_driver_side.jpg

2015 Volkswagen XL1
 
sysprog said:
This streamlined hybrid VW is asserted to get up to 240 MPG:

2015 Volkswagen XL1
That's a figure from Volkswagen, right? 'cuz we know they'd never misreport numbers ... :-p
 
  • Like
Likes sysprog
Thread 'In the early days of electricity, they didn't have wall plugs'
Hello scientists, engineers, etc. I have not had any questions for you recently, so have not participated here. I was scanning some material and ran across these 2 ads. I had posted them at another forum, and I thought you may be interested in them as well. History is fascinating stuff! Some houses may have had plugs, but many homes just screwed the appliance into the light socket overhead. Does anyone know when electric wall plugs were in widespread use? 1906 ad DDTJRAC Even big...
https://unionrayo.com/en/traffic-lights-color-white-autonomous-cars/ In this article, traffic researchers looking to improve traffic flow via autonomous cars and a 4th white light on the traffic light to signal that autonomous cars are controlling the light please follow their lead. Cue the Outer Limits theme song: “Do not attempt to control your television. We control the horizontal. We control the vertical. …”
Back
Top