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That Italian styled Isuzu Piazza photographed above has a very long nose cone, yet there were no pedestrian safety standards 30+ years ago.
And you assume it's because of pop up headlights and post that assumption as fact. How about the many cars with pop up headlights that don't have large front overhangs? How. Let the many cars with long front overhangs and no pop up headlights?
And you assume it's because of pop up headlights and post that assumption as fact. How about the many cars with pop up headlights that don't have large front overhangs? How. Let the many cars with long front overhangs and no pop up headlights?
Before I even talked about the Isuzu Piazza, I said in the very same post that the refreshed 4.5GS has a longer nose cone to make the headlights lower - while maintaining the same bonnet slope to give the engine the same compartment clearance.
The refreshed 4.5GS doesn't have pop up headlamps at all!
Yet the 4.5 GS is at least 1"+ longer than the original 4GS in the front nose cone and overall length.
However, to maintain the same bonnet slop for engine clearance, stretching the nose cone forwards results in lower headlamps.
Use your commonsense Steve - for the same forward slope of the bonnet, stretching the nose cone further and further forwards, will result in progressively lower headlamps.
Conversely, all else being the same, if the nose cone is cut shorter, that will result in a taller leading edge of the bonnet.
Of course, another way to achieve a lower head is to progressively "curve" the bonnet downwards.
The Italian styled Isuzu Piazza from the 1980's is one of the more extreme stretches, resulting in a much lower head.
Here is another example, also styled by Bertone in Italy.
Below are two 1982 Mazda 929 sedans.
The former is the standard Luce sedan.
The latter is the stylized Cosmo hardtop with a slightly lower roofline, frameless windows, and slimmer but more importantly lower headlamps achieved by stretching the front nose cone forwards.
No pop-up headlamps here Steve.
The length of the nose doesn't have anything to do with the headlights. Your mention of the 4 vs 4.5GS doesn't make any sense as the hoods are actually identical, the hood was not changed, all the difference is in the front fascia. that difference was purely a styling decision.
My point about the Palazza is that there is no reason to assume the length of the front overhang is because of accommodating pop up headlights
As as for other cars, modern cars have taller bonnets and flatter noses, that's a pedestrian safety thing...
The length of the nose doesn't have anything to do with the headlights. Your mention of the 4 vs 4.5GS doesn't make any sense as the hoods are actually identical, the hood was not changed, all the difference is in the front fascia. that difference was purely a styling decision.
My point about the Palazza is that there is no reason to assume the length of the front overhang is because of accommodating pop up headlights
Use your mathematics and spatial skills Steve.
For the same slope, the longer the nose cone, the lower the leading edge of the bonnet.
Use your mathematics and spatial skills Steve.
For the same slope, the longer the nose cone, the lower the leading edge of the bonnet.
What you're saying is correct, but it doesn't have any relevance to what we're talking about. Modern cars don't have issues with engine clearance because of modern pedestrian safety standards. The reason FWD cars have longer front overhangs is purely a space issue with a larger motor, that's how Volvo is able to offer RWD proportions in a FWD vehicle, the engine is very small.
What you're saying is correct, but it doesn't have any relevance to what we're talking about. Modern cars don't have issues with engine clearance because of modern pedestrian safety standards. The reason FWD cars have longer front overhangs is purely a space issue with a larger motor, that's how Volvo is able to offer RWD proportions in a FWD vehicle, the engine is very small.
Steve, if you read properly, that post was in reference to RXSF's post that recently, Toyota/Lexus' front overhangs were purposely increasing for NO apparent reason.
So that's why I tried to help out by discussing about constant hood slopes, and increasing hood lengths, for a lower leading height of the hood.
Originally Posted by RXSF
Latest Lexus and toyota models seem to be purposely increasing the front overhang for no apparent reason. Lexus RX has the worst one yet I think. I don't think it has to do with engine size. FWD with transverse mounted engine has been the DNA of a lot of Lexus and Toyota vehicles, and yet the overhangs are getting longer.
Here's a modern day example.
Old 5 Series at 193.2" versus the current 6 Series Gran Coupe on the same platform at 197.1".
To minimize costs, the same platform is used with the same falling bonnet angle.
To make a lower head, by retaining the same front overhang, would require major redesign & engineering with a more steeply raked hood slope.
Traditionally, it has been very common for manufacturers to increase the hood length, to achieve a lower head height, while using the same platform.
That 6 Gran Coupe looks like a Maserati Quattroporte in profile. Gorgeous look. And yes, the longer the nose cone, the lower the lights can be placed, as the nose cone continues on from the bonnet angle. Maybe the bonnet can't be at too steep an angle for pedestrian safety reasons.
06-21-17, 10:16 AM
