Motor vehicle having increased ground clearance level floor space

Claim 1

A MOTOR VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION, COMPRISING A FRAME MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED FORE AND AFT SIDE RAILS AND A PAIR OF CENTER SIDE RAILS LOCATED IN LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OFFSET RELATION TO THE CORRESPONDING FORE AND AFT SIDE RAILS AND CONNECTED THERETO TO PROVIDE AN INTEGRATED FRAME CONSTRUCTION, SAID CENTER SIDE RAILS HAVING A CHANNEL SECTION AND BEING LOCATED IN OUTWARDLY FACING RELATION, AN ENGINE EXHAUST PIPE DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID OUTWARDLY FACING CHANNEL SECTIONS, A SHEET METAL BODY FORMED SEPARATE AND DISTINCT FROM SAID FRAME MEMBER AND HAVING A CENTRAL PASSENGER COMPARTMENT INCLUDING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS SPACED IN CONFORMITY WITH THE SPACING OF SAID CENTER SIDE RAILS AND A FLOOR PAN EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND HAVING DOWNWARDLY FORMED INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID BODY TO SAID FRAME WITH THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID BODY LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE CENTER SIDE RAILS AND WITH THE FLOOR PAN LOCATED DOWNWARDLY BETWEEN SAID CENTER SIDE RAILS, AND TRIM STRIPS REMOVABLY SECURED TO THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID CENTER SIDE RAILS AND PROVIDING THEREWITH A GENERALLY TUBULAR ENCLOSURE FOR EACH SIDE CHANNEL SECTION AND AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH CONFINES AN ENGINE EXHAUST PIPE.