Boots and Trunks, and origins of 'Go faster' stripes?

[Magnet]

Good morning folks,

Michael from Murcja (no I don't know where it is either until I look it up) is looking for a 'trunk' lid for his car - an obvious Americanisation.

We call it a 'Boot'. 

Questionof the day:- Why is it called a 'Boot'? - I think I know why, but it would be interesting to know other's views. 

2nd. Question of the day:- We all know of the popularity with the 'enthusiastic drivers' of painting wide stripes down the bonnet and roof - 'Go faster' stripes we used to call them!

. What was the origin of these stripes? ( I do know the answer to this).

NO GOOGLING!  - sorry dont mean to shout. 

Have a good day. Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. No Googling! Just about to Google where Murcja is! 

Americans - strange terminology :- rotors for discs, rockers for sill panels, fenders for wings. 

UK - strange terminology :- wings, bonnet, handbrake as opposed to parking brake etc. 

[Steve Q]

Hmm well I'm going to get straight and assume the boot is called the boot to put boots in. In the same way the glovebox is for gloves. 

Didn't the stripes originate from the early 60s AC Cobra? 

[WPAWS]

going to guess boot meaning back end as the old saying want a boot up the backend?

go faster i think came about at race meets so you could pick your car out of the pack?

[Steve Q]

2 hours ago, Paul A6 said:

going to guess boot meaning back end as the old saying want a boot up the backend?

go faster i think came about at race meets so you could pick your car out of the pack?

Both good suggestions Paul :) I do hope Gareth has the answers :) 

[Magnet]

Hello Steve and Paul,

Good answers so far, but thought I would leave it run a bit, particularly with the 'Go faster' stripes where I do have the correct answer. 

They do go back well before the 60s (when I had hair!) Steve, and I can tell you Paul that your answer is worth some marks out of 10, but needs some more meat on the bone to claim a pint when you are in the area! 

Many thanks both.

Anyone else want to join in? 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Talking pints:- what is the reputed connection between a beer barrel and a now common form of traffic control? The answer is worth a bonus point. Another piece of useless information! 

[WPAWS]

6 minutes ago, Magnet said:

p.s. Talking pints:- what is the reputed connection between a beer barrel and a now common form of traffic control? The answer is worth a bonus point. Another piece of useless information!

this one i`m thinking has something to do with the yellow water barrels seen on exits on US highways or intersections or whatever they call their roads lol

[Steve Q]

4 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Steve and Paul,

Good answers so far, but thought I would leave it run a bit, particularly with the 'Go faster' stripes where I do have the correct answer. 

They do go back well before the 60s (when I had hair!) Steve, and I can tell you Paul that your answer is worth some marks out of 10, but needs some more meat on the bone to claim a pint when you are in the area! 

Many thanks both.

Anyone else want to join in? 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Talking pints:- what is the reputed connection between a beer barrel and a now common form of traffic control? The answer is worth a bonus point. Another piece of useless information! 

Hmm, well I'm going to guess with the hotroding scene for stripes which would be late 40s early 50s as I suspect prior to that the technology for stripes/stickers was very limited if not existant. 

And I agree with paul.on the barrels. In failing that I bet it's something that predates the automobile! 

I have to say Gareth I love useless information and I have plenty of it stored in my brain! :) 

[Magnet]

Stripes - Well Steve, if you follow Paul's idea about racing then you will be on the right track - pardon the pun. A clue would be that this goes back to around the 1920s (no I wasn't about then!) Think about how cars are built now and how they were built then. Very good clue there. 

Barrel -  well off the mark folks. Like everything, if you know the answer then it's simple, and I'm simple and I know the answer! 

I'll give you a good clue, think about what shape the barrel is. 

It's all useless information, but might be worth a pint in a quiz sometime.

Shall I leave this run for a couple of days incase anyone else wants to join in? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Trevor]

I'm going to throw a guess in about the racing stripes....probably wrong but here goes!

In the early days of motor racing when paint was thick...this would equate to an excess of weight and I believe it may have been am Italian team who stripped off the paint to lower the overall weight and took it back to the aluminium. Maybe the stripes were then put on to the body to aid identification?

I'll get my coat...taxi for one!

[Magnet]

Hello Trevor,

Temptingly close. Yes, they were there to aid indentification, but why stripes? 

I'll let you have the answers tomorrow at the end of school! 

Thanks for all the attempts.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Steve Q]

It's a odd one, but we're stripes used to help make the cars look clearer on early TV? 

[Magnet]

Hello folks,

One correct and some tantalisingly close answers.

Boot:- Back to the pioneering days of motoring where additional boots may have been necessary to deal with adverse conditions along the journey. Stored in a box, and this box became known as the Boot. Never been substantiated that I know of but...... So full marks Steve.

Go Faster Stripes:- Yes, it was to do with colour, and yes, it was connected with racing, and the good clue was how cars were constructed then and now. Up to I would say the early 1920s, the chassis (frame for the younger element!!) was visible and the body work was built up on this (most cars continued this method of construction until the late 1940s). Cars used for racing generally had lightweight non streamlined bodies and the chassis was painted in the manufacturer's chosen colour, and of course the chassis and its colour was visible. As bodies became more streamlined, they covered the chassis, so the racing (chassis) colour had to be replicated along the length of the body to identify the manufacturer from a distance. So there you had it - the birth of the "go faster" stripes. Now that will earn you a pint from anyone who drives a current car with these stripes! 

Beer barrel and traffic control:- The clue was in the shape of the barrel - round - add  about    and you've got the answer. Many towns and villages claim to be the first to use a barrel at a crossroads to better control vehicles turning in varying directions. Generally reputed to have been used where there was an inn at the crossroads, and a barrel was put to good use where there was a high number of accidents at this crossroad. Again never substantiated, but the village next to where I was born claimed to be the first to use a barrel for this purpose, but I've heard quite a few others making similar claim!

Will probably pose another question next week if you think it will provide some exchange between members. 

There's a pint for you Steve if you are ever passing through - and a half for Paul and Trevor.

Kind regards,

Gareth.     

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Magnet said:

Hello folks,

One correct and some tantalisingly close answers.

Boot:- Back to the pioneering days of motoring where additional boots may have been necessary to deal with adverse conditions along the journey. Stored in a box, and this box became known as the Boot. Never been substantiated that I know of but...... So full marks Steve.

Go Faster Stripes:- Yes, it was to do with colour, and yes, it was connected with racing, and the good clue was how cars were constructed then and now. Up to I would say the early 1920s, the chassis (frame for the younger element!!) was visible and the body work was built up on this (most cars continued this method of construction until the late 1940s). Cars used for racing generally had lightweight non streamlined bodies and the chassis was painted in the manufacturer's chosen colour, and of course the chassis and its colour was visible. As bodies became more streamlined, they covered the chassis, so the racing (chassis) colour had to be replicated along the length of the body to identify the manufacturer from a distance. So there you had it - the birth of the "go faster" stripes. Now that will earn you a pint from anyone who drives a current car with these stripes! 

Beer barrel and traffic control:- The clue was in the shape of the barrel - round - add  about    and you've got the answer. Many towns and villages claim to be the first to use a barrel at a crossroads to better control vehicles turning in varying directions. Generally reputed to have been used where there was an inn at the crossroads, and a barrel was put to good use where there was a high number of accidents at this crossroad. Again never substantiated, but the village next to where I was born claimed to be the first to use a barrel for this purpose, but I've heard quite a few others making similar claim!

Will probably pose another question next week if you think it will provide some exchange between members. 

There's a pint for you Steve if you are ever passing through - and a half for Paul and Trevor.

Kind regards,

Gareth.     

Yay! I got an answer correct! :) It's very interesting Gareth, and I would never have thought the stripes we're linked to chassis colour! 

Feel free to post another one of these questions Gareth as they do get members involved :) 

Cheers

Steve

[Trevor]

Well, you learn something new each day!....thanks Gareth for posting these pearls of wisdom up, and it seems to make it more interesting to have an inspired guess rather than just firing it through Google.