Bantam historian Dick Beagle writes (12/12/96)
that we aren't the only ones who have thought about redesigning
the Bantam and enclosed this wonderful photo which is apparently
one of three proposals. However, by 1940, Bantam was working full
time on the reconaissance car (Jeep) and was, moreover, pretty
much washed up in the passenger car business.
The design has some cues that crop up later in American auto design
(it took Mercury nearly 15 years to copy the treatment on the
top of the door.) Seems to me like a lot of Ford products of the
time...? A baby Continental MkI? Tremulis of course had a substantial
influence all over in the American industry particularly at Chrysler.
Here's a picture of the 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt
(a "dream" car), a design of his about the same time
as the one above.
This proposal takes quite a differnt direction from my drift of
a competitor for the British Sports car invasion but, is quite
elegant as more of the "personal car" the Thunderbird
became, and it shows the latitude possible in a small car. I like
that kicked up tail that sort of sweeps up and around to that
little almost Darrin notch which is beautifully placed about 2/3's
of the way along the top of the body line (in a way that Darrin's
notch never did, being further forward proprtionally and which
always gave his 'dipped' cars an awkward look IMHO :~)).
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