Vehicles with short wheel base and of small bulk, especially passenger vehicles

Claim 2

Vehicle whose front wheels at least are independently suspended, comprising a chassis provided, at least in its front portion, with two longitudinal members of hollow cross section, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and dividing the width of the latter into three substantially equal parts and a floor whose major portion is situated at the lower level of the longitudinal members, a front suspension supporting said chassis and comprising longitudinal torsion bars downwardly inclined from the rear towards the front of the vehicle and housed, at least at their rear upper portion, in said longitudinal members and a suspension arm connected to each respective front wheel and pivoted to said chassis, the axis of said pivot being inclined similarly to said torsion bar.

Claim 3

Vehicle according to claim 1, comprising four seats, arranged at the apices of a quadrilateral whose shape is substantially that of a losenge of which one diagonal is directed along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the foremost seat, which accomodates the driver, being housed between the longitudinal members and being the highest.

Claim 4

Vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinal members extend along the whole length of the chassis, the intermediate seats are located laterally at least partly outside the longitudinal members and the rearmost seat is housed between the longitudinal members.

Claim 5

Vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the engine/gear box assembly and the driver''s seat are mutually arranged so that the feet of the driver rest on an intermediate floor provided above said assembly.

Claim 6

Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the chassis comprises a rectangular frame, whose transverse dimension is substantially equal to the width of the vehicle and said longitudinal members are fixed on the front side of said frame and extend forwards.

Claim 7

Vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the front portion of each longitudinal member is raised and adapted to support engine parts arranged at the front of the vehicle and an intermediate portion of each longitudinal member comprises an inclined surface on which a plate serving as a foot-rest for the driver of the vehicle is supported.

Claim 8

Vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the rectangular frame comprises two longitudinal struts and three transverse struts connecting the longitudinal struts, said longitudinal members being fixed on the front transverse strut, which is connected, by two longitudinal spars of U-section arranged in extension of the longitudinal members, to the intermediate transverse strut.

Claim 9

Vehicle according to claim 2, including a raised zone built up on the floor or forming an integral part of the latter, of rectangular shape, extending under the front portion of the driver''s seat, longitudinally between the front cross member and the intermediate cross member and, laterally, between the two spars connecting the two cross members, and wherein the rest of the floor extends at the lower level of the frame and is bounded by the shape of the latter.

Claim 10

Vehicle whose front wheels at least are independently suspended, comprising a chassis provided, at least in its front portion, with two longitudinal members of hollow cross section, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and dividing the width of the latter into three substantially equal parts and a floor, whose major portion is situated at the lower level of the longitudinal members, a front suspension supporting said chassis and comprising longitudinal torsion bars downwardly inclined from the rear towards the front of the vehicle and housed, at least at their rear upper portion, in said longitudinal members and a suspension arm connected to each respective front wheel and pivoted to said chassis, the axis of said pivot being inclined similarly to said torsion bar, wherein said longitudinal members include, at the front, a lower portion open over a sufficient length to enable easy introduction into the longitudinal member of a torsion bar mounted in a front support block, said block being held in the longitudinal member by fixing means adapted to clamp the vertical faces of the longitudinal member against said block.

Claim 11

Vehicle whose front wheels at least are independently suspended, comprising a chassis provided, at least in its front portion, with two longitudinal members of hollow cross section, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and dividing the width of the latter into three substantially equal parts and a floor, whose major portion is situated at the lower level of the longitudinal members, a front suspension supporting said chassis and comprising longitudinal torsion bars downwardly inclined from the rear towards the front of the vehicle and housed, at least at their rear upper portion, in said longitudinal members and a suspension arm connected to each respective front wheel and pivoted to said chassis, the axis of said pivot being inclined similarly to said torsion bar, wherein said longitudinal members include, at the front, a lower portion open over a sufficient length to enable easy introduction into the longitudinal member of a torsion bar mounted in a front support block, said block being held in the longitudinal member by fixing means adapted to clamp the vertical faces of the longitudinal member against said block.

Claim 12

Vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the rearmost seat, although less elevated than the driver''s seat, is higher than the two intermediate seats.

Claim 13

Vehicle according to claim 1, comprising on each side, a door located longitudinally, substantially at the level of the front seat, the rear contour of said door reaching, in the longitudinal direction, substantially the level of half of the intermediate lateral seats.

Claim 14

Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal members have a rectangular cross section with the largest side of the rectangle vertical.

Claim 15

Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pivot of said suspension arm is coaxial with said torsion bar.

Claim 16

Vehicle according to claim 1, including a second suspension arm connected to each respective front wheel and pivoted to said chassis.