re: running boards...
As I understand the evolution of wheel covers; they went from completely
un-
covered - the "horseless carriage type" - to a motorcycle-type that turned
with the
front wheels. With many un-paved roads, this led to a great deal of
dirt/mud/stones
being thrown up and back against the body. There were a few "after market"
add-ons
made of leather or even canvas to bridge this gap between the body and the
wheel
cover. Eventually, the space was filled by extending the back of the
fender/wing rear-
ward and down (to clear the door), and became a convenient step up to the body
of
the car. The car body was sitting atop the chassis, and hence higher, similar
to a
truck cab, today.
The wings or fins on the back of the Alpine or Daimler, were emulations
of the
then current styling fad in America. The '48 Cad, was the first to wear small
fins and
from there it went on till the '59 Cad with it's tallest (measured from the
ground), fins
and bullet tail lights. G.M.'s Harley Earl's fascination with fighter jets is
the main
source of this stylistic excess, as well as the grill/bumper combination with
the rad-
iator grill surround blending down and using the bumper as a lower support for
the
grill. "Dagmars", enter the styling equation here too. The SP 250's
grill/bumper was
an attempt to style the car to American tastes. England was still in the
throes of the
"export or die" mind-set even then, and America was a very big market.
Now, for my question, I've seen the appellation "skimpy" on some models
of Brit-
ish cars with cycle fenders; was this a particular model- i.e. the "Squire
Skimpy", or
a generic for any model with cycle fenders?
Tony in NJ
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