Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Daimler Chrysler Ag

Mark Muehlhausen

Arno Jambor

Konrad Eipper

Wolfgang Kerner

Matthias Nohr

Dieter Guertler

Bruno Moeltgen

A convertible automobile has a two-part foldable hard top which can be lowered into a storage area at the rear. The roof part and the rear part are releasably connected with one another in the vicinity of their common contact edge by a sealing arrangement. A separate drive mechanism is provided for the roof part as well as for the rear part. Both drive mechanisms are controllable independently of one another.

Roof structure of an open automobile

A firewall for a vehicle body including stable rigid side parts in the shape of an inverted U and a deformation insert connected in the part of the open central area of the inverted U. The deformation insert allows at least partial intrusion of assemblies from the engine compartment into the passenger compartment in the event of a vehicle collision. This design permits a shorter front end.

Firewall for a vehicle body

A motor vehicle is provided with an at least partially retractable roof and a rear seat area provided with a seat arrangement to be used as a storage space into which the retractable roof area can be moved from above, whereby an occupying of the rear seats becomes possible only when the roof is closed. In order to obtain more constructive freedom in designing the rear seat area and the roof coordinated with the rear seat area, at least one part of the seat arrangement can be displaced from an in-use position which obstructs areas of the storage space of the roof into a not-in-use position which exposes the space for the lowering of the roof.

Motor vehicle having an at least partially retractable roof

A stowage-space arrangement for vehicles with a folding roof, especially for convertibles with a solid roof that can be folded in two parts, includes a stowage space which is arranged between side walls of the body and into which at least one rearward roof part of the folding roof can be retracted. The rearward roof part includes a rear-wall area which slopes obliquely relative to the roof surface. To allow the rearward roof part to be made longer and to provide an improved facility for stowing luggage in the interior space of the vehicle, the stowage space has at its bottom end a large-size floor area which, with the folding roof stowed, is covered by the rear-wall area of the rearward roof part. A free space that can be used as a luggage space is provided above the rear-wall area of the retracted roof part.

Stowage-space arrangement for vehicles with a folding roof

A constructional unit for the region of the scuttle and the cockpit of a passenger car, particularly of a small two-seater, reduces the production costs and saves weight. The constructional unit is formed from two composite parts which consist of deep-drawn sheet metal, preferably of steel, and of plastic, preferably PA 6/GF 30, injection-molded thereon. One composite part forms the scuttle as the front end wall of the passenger space, and the other composite part forms the dashboard carrier. The sheet-metal component of each composite part is shaped to allow for extensive forceflux during the absorption of the operating load within the composite part and at the connection points with the body. Bores or the like at specific locations constitute points for anchoring the plastic injection-molded on in relation to the sheet-metal part. The injection-molded on plastic is shaped to form a ribbing stiffening the sheet-metal parts and also suitably shaped receptacles for various add-on parts.

Growing community of inventors

Stuttgart, Germany

Mark Muehlhausen