Skiff bodywork, a boat shape on wheels?

In the years before the First World War, cautious experiments were carried out with aerodynamics (streamlining). The inspiration for this trend: a boat!

In the early years of the car, streamlining was not something that concerned designers. The science of aerodynamics was more or less uncharted territory. After all, aviation had only just come into existence. In developing the "modern" car, the factor of air resistance was (still) not taken into account. One example: an essential component of the car at that time was the radiator. It is often large and has to "catch" enough air to allow the engine to function properly. There were, however, solutions. The radiator could be placed upright against a much narrower hood, as Renault did. Another solution was to mount the radiator lower down, between the front wheels, but this made that part of the car vulnerable to stones and the like. The advantage, though, was that the engine could be fitted with a stylized casing with a pointed front (allowing it to "cut" through the air) that could connect neatly to the bulkhead and the drivers positions

The problem was that the front of the car now looked like an upside down boat!

These body styles were quickly abandoned. However, there was a coachbuilder in Paris, named Jean-Henri Labourdette, who did find the boat shape suitable for use in coachwork design, with the rear of the car made of wood. Combined with the curved shape, this evokes the association with a boat.

One of his first designs was a body mounted on the chassis of a Panhard & Levassor X19. The car was built in 1912 for Chevalier Renee de Knyff, at that time a member of the board at Panhard & Levassor and an important figure in the French automotive world. The body design was called "Skiff" because of the way the "hull" was constructed, in the same way as the small rowing boat of the same name.

The car was shown at the Paris Motor Show that year and attracted a lot of interest. The mahogany rear of the car made the vehicle considerably lighter compared to a car with a steel body. The rear of the Panhard & Levassor by Labourdette was rounded. Other manufacturers who copied the "Skiff" used the more pointed "torpedo" shape, which made the resemblance to a vessel even greater. Before long, chassis from other brands were used for such body styles. Prestigious European brands such as Rolls-Royce and Hispano-Suiza were seen with what in English is called a "boat tail." American manufacturers followed later.

It soon became clear that wooden coach bodies are very maintenance intensive, and that was something people were less enamored with. The body styles were therefore later made in metal. The Auburn Speedster in the Louwman Museum is a good example of this.

Jean-Henri Labourdette created a second version based on a Panhard & Levassor that closely resembles the original model. Years ago this car was acquired by the Louwman Museum. Extensive restoration was necessary because the original wooden rear section was in a wretched condition. The original drawings were in the possession of the Louwman Museum and a meticulous restoration followed. The skiff section was rebuilt by a boatbuilder using the available data, but the advice of Jean-Henri Labourdette himself was welcome. Despite his advanced age, he devoted himself to this work.The final result as it can be seen in the Louwman Museumis impressive and offers a glimpse of an important fashion trend from the early days of the automobile.

As already indicated, the torpedo was a body style that developed at the beginning of the 20th century. The German brand Benz also developed a car with a torpedo body for the Prinz Heinrich Fahrt. Its hallmark is the smooth line from the front of the car to the rear, which is not interrupted by protruding body parts. This shape was revolutionary, because until then cars had been built from three blocks placed one behind the other: the engine with its cover, the passenger compartment, and the trunk. With the arrival of the torpedo, the streamlined shape had definitively made its entrance!

A much earlier vehicle, the "Jamais Contente", with which the Belgian Camille Jenatzy was the first to break through the magical barrier of 100 km per hour, was a very streamlined design. If you look at the image of this car at full speed in the painting shown here by Frederic Gordon-Crosby, you can clearly see that. However, the posture and position of the intrepid driver somewhat reduce its aerodynamic efficiency.

The partially wooden bodywork saw a revival in America in the thirties and forties. This time it was not the rear, but the sides of the cars that were made of wood. Such models, called "Woodies", enjoyed a brief period of popularity in America. They were often so called station wagons. These cars were intended to pick up hotel guests from the railway stations and then take them, together with their luggage, to their destination. A few European manufacturers adopted this construction method, but as in the early years this fashion trend was short lived. History repeats itself.

Peter Helbach