my next car I think...

The list gives examples of devices the car makers and stylists have used to deceive the public eye and make the flank of the car above the wheel arch seem much thinner than it is. About 5-8 years after introduction it's passe and ceases to be effective so they have to use something else and the old device suddenly dates the car badly. The Volvo Shoulder will in 15-20 years time look as bad as a two tone car does today.

Not on the Volvo but a device to break up the wing. Lots of current cars have exaggerated folds and crease lines in the wings - Primera being one example. Some makers have extended the creases on to the body to break up the expanse of sheet metal thus concealing the excessively high glass line needed to pass side impact tests.

Other's in current use are the Audi TT / Ford Focus style of a big second arch around the real one, this again gives an apparent reduction in flank height. Gray bumper wrapped over the wheel arch is on some micro SUV styled Rover.

Just a way to conceal a high bonnet line while getting lower flanks over the wheel arches.

An old 70/80's way to conceal flank height, paint a dark colour up to the waist line and the light colour on top, splitting the flank in two. Trim strips and pinstripes all did the same thing in the 50's and 60's - break up the flank and make the car look longer, lower and sleeker.

Cars that have genuinely low flanks and have no need to use such styling devices to deceive don't date but become classics. All the devices that break up the flank are attempts to give a car the look and style of those more desirable cars that will become classics.

My god, look at the back end, jesus, how sexy is that?

And the front end isnt bad either!

Tim..

Ahh right

Which Volvo do not suffer from - although my Rover 75 had ridiculously small windows

And put the passengers further away from the point of side impact without having to make the car slab sided.

It's Summer Fruits, diluted with sparkling mineral water all the way with me.

But the Pink Grapefruit flavour is just s**te. All it tastes of is sugar. I'm a massive fan of proper pink grapefruit juice, and the real pink grapefruits would be turning in their grave at the taste of that stuff.