AZEqualizer
11-20-2007, 03:08 PM
Now this in not meant to be an attack on anyone and the intent behind this is to help think out of the box and maybe to point out that our imagination sees things with a different eye than true experience.
I spend a great deal of time driving while looking out a slit that is approximately 9x4 inches, I also spend 90 % of the time with both hands on the steering mechanism and both feet near other controls. I have a whole lot of wind that hits me and I am effected by all environmental changes. Admittedly the slit is about 2 ˝ inches from my eyes so it is not as restricted as you might imagine. I’m of course talking about driving a motorcycle and I have two different ones I use depending on what I am doing. One has a fairing and one just a clear windscreen. I am also wearing a full face helmet with a face shield.
I was driving a friend’s car the other day it was a late model hard top Camaro. The driver has a pretty good feel of roominess but my view of the outside world was somewhat limited. The raked out windshield with the hood and the dash that seemed to go on forever…. The wide C Pillars and the laid down rear window with restricted view of it by the front seats, sure did narrow my connection and view to the outside world. Maybe if it had t Tops like this one it would change my perspective inside the car. Oh yea the window ledge came up to the same height as the bottom of the headrest.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/1996_Chevrolet_Camaro_in_Venice%2C_California.jpg
Now I also used to own a Toyota MR2 the second Generation often referred to as the jelly bean shape. It sat low and had a feeling of wearing the car. It was probably on the top of my list for fun cars to drive and I had no problems doing long distances in it. It had a T top with clear panels and lots of glass wrapped all around the interior. It had a tremendous open feel to it even when closed up because of all the glass. I actually had the T tops out more in it than I had the top down on most of the convertibles I had. But still at most speeds above 40 I had the windows up and either the heat or air conditioning on … maybe at times I had only the vent on but that is more because I live in Arizona.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Toyota_mr2_sw20_front_left_3.jpg/800px-Toyota_mr2_sw20_front_left_3.jpg
Oh yes convertibles –Top down and glass up most of the time I was doing above 40MPH. And like the MR2 - the heat or air conditioning on … maybe at times I had only the vent, once again it had a lot to do with living in Arizona. And the women in the car always wanted the windows up to get an air bubble in the car so the wind didn’t run havoc with their hair.
I am thinking about this comparison and the open feel I get on a motorcycle and I look to my left and my right and see that I can’t see all that far down while looking to the side (plus you can’t do it very long if you plan on surviving) I realize something … If I have a lot of glass around me and had some panels below me like in the D with the lower clear panels I would have a similar illusion.
http://www.likemyart.com/COH/JurisV1.jpg
Think about it … you don’t have to agree… but keep your mind open and remember you drive from the inside and the V1 isn’t much wider in the cockpit than my motorcycle…remember the picture someone did with the v1 and the mini cooper. Is that illusion similar to the vision I have on my Bike … I think so…. But it is my opinion.
As kind of an aside: Remember that it is hard to define a relationship to space without something to compare to that is a known and at known distances. It is how they fool you in the movies and pictures.
I spend a great deal of time driving while looking out a slit that is approximately 9x4 inches, I also spend 90 % of the time with both hands on the steering mechanism and both feet near other controls. I have a whole lot of wind that hits me and I am effected by all environmental changes. Admittedly the slit is about 2 ˝ inches from my eyes so it is not as restricted as you might imagine. I’m of course talking about driving a motorcycle and I have two different ones I use depending on what I am doing. One has a fairing and one just a clear windscreen. I am also wearing a full face helmet with a face shield.
I was driving a friend’s car the other day it was a late model hard top Camaro. The driver has a pretty good feel of roominess but my view of the outside world was somewhat limited. The raked out windshield with the hood and the dash that seemed to go on forever…. The wide C Pillars and the laid down rear window with restricted view of it by the front seats, sure did narrow my connection and view to the outside world. Maybe if it had t Tops like this one it would change my perspective inside the car. Oh yea the window ledge came up to the same height as the bottom of the headrest.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/1996_Chevrolet_Camaro_in_Venice%2C_California.jpg
Now I also used to own a Toyota MR2 the second Generation often referred to as the jelly bean shape. It sat low and had a feeling of wearing the car. It was probably on the top of my list for fun cars to drive and I had no problems doing long distances in it. It had a T top with clear panels and lots of glass wrapped all around the interior. It had a tremendous open feel to it even when closed up because of all the glass. I actually had the T tops out more in it than I had the top down on most of the convertibles I had. But still at most speeds above 40 I had the windows up and either the heat or air conditioning on … maybe at times I had only the vent on but that is more because I live in Arizona.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Toyota_mr2_sw20_front_left_3.jpg/800px-Toyota_mr2_sw20_front_left_3.jpg
Oh yes convertibles –Top down and glass up most of the time I was doing above 40MPH. And like the MR2 - the heat or air conditioning on … maybe at times I had only the vent, once again it had a lot to do with living in Arizona. And the women in the car always wanted the windows up to get an air bubble in the car so the wind didn’t run havoc with their hair.
I am thinking about this comparison and the open feel I get on a motorcycle and I look to my left and my right and see that I can’t see all that far down while looking to the side (plus you can’t do it very long if you plan on surviving) I realize something … If I have a lot of glass around me and had some panels below me like in the D with the lower clear panels I would have a similar illusion.
http://www.likemyart.com/COH/JurisV1.jpg
Think about it … you don’t have to agree… but keep your mind open and remember you drive from the inside and the V1 isn’t much wider in the cockpit than my motorcycle…remember the picture someone did with the v1 and the mini cooper. Is that illusion similar to the vision I have on my Bike … I think so…. But it is my opinion.
As kind of an aside: Remember that it is hard to define a relationship to space without something to compare to that is a known and at known distances. It is how they fool you in the movies and pictures.