The fender skirt the 'stylish cars in the past, making them look like glorious floating boats, classy and elegant.' įender skirts remained a feature for some time longer on a few cars, particularly large American luxury cars. The innovations introduced by Amos Northup, such as the V'd radiators, fender skirts, and sloping beaver-tails, became common after 1933. Aesthetically streamlined designs were copied to mass-produced models.

Factory production of fender skirts began with the 1932 Graham-Paige. In GM parts accessories books, fender skirts are known as fender shields.įirst described as 'pants', they were used for the streamlining effect by Frank Lockhart on a 1928 Stutz land speed record attempt car. The 1955 Ford Thunderbird introduced rear 'fender shields' as a type of fender skirts with an edge molding and a gravel shield. Automakers have also experimented with integral front wheel fender skirts, as on the 1949–1954 Nash 'Airflyte' models and the compact 1950–1954 Nash Rambler, but with success limited by the fact that the front wheels must pivot for steering, extending out from the side of the vehicle slightly. They are generally detachable to allow for tire changes and installation of snow chains.

Rather than air flowing into and being trapped in the rear wheel well, it flows smoothly over the bodywork. They are usually used on rear wheels only, but some models have them on all wheels.įender skirts are implemented for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons. Fender skirts, known in Australia and the United Kingdom as spats, are pieces of bodywork attached to or part of the fender that cover the upper portions of the wheels of a vehicle.

Rear wheel spats