Motor vehicle having an internal-combustion engine fitted with means for controlling the air stream flowing through the engine compartment

Claim 1

A motor vehicle front body portion defining an engine compartment, said engine compartment including a front portion and a rear portion, an engine mounted in said rear portion and an air cooled radiator for said engine mounted in said front portion, said front body portion being in the form of a shell and having a rounded front part extending above and below said radiator, said front body portion being open at the bottom thereof between said radiator and said grill for the discharge of air, and said rounded body front part having air flow means for the flow of cooling air through said rounded body front part to and through said radiator, said air flow means including constantly open air ports for directing normally required cooling air to said radiator, and an additional air port formed in said rounded body front part above said normally open air ports and in horizontal alignment with said radiator, said additional air port generally lying in a primarily vertical plane, a closure slat normally aligned with said additional air port and generally forming a part of the contour of said rounded body front part, mounting means pivotally mounting said closure slat for pivoting from its body contour forming position closing said additional air port to a generally horizontal out of the way position, and a thermostatically activated device carried by said radiator and coupled to said mounting means to selectively position said closure slat in accordance with the temperature of engine coolant.