.
.
.
..
.
.
© 1998 - 2004
Copyright &
Disclaimer
Automotive Intelligence,
www.autointell.com
All Rights Reserved .
For questions please contact
editor@autointell.com
.
|
|
|
. |
|
.
|
.
It offers driver and front seat passenger an almost unlimited field of vision, similar to the view from an airplane cockpit. The optional panorama windshield seamlessly extends from the hood up into the roof as far as the B-pillar. “Only flying is better – you experience your surroundings just like in the cockpit of an airplane because there is no crossbeam restricting the view,” explains Matthias Hallik, responsible for new body concepts at Opel. GTC passengers enjoy these views thanks to a 1.50 meter long and, on average, 1.16 meter wide field of vision made of Solar-Protect glass, which prevents over-heating of the interior. The panorama windshield is also an eye-catcher from outside, as it flows into the adjacent steel roof, creating a visually integrated surface. Numerous crash simulations and real tests show that the panorama windshield in no way impairs safety or stability. All results confirm that there are no noteworthy differences to the steel roof three-door model, thanks to the GTC’s rigid A and B-pillars, an additional crossmember in the middle of the roof and the sturdy floor assembly. All tests regarding body rigidity had similar positive results.
The panorama version is only 10 kilograms more
than the Astra GTC with a standard windshield. The arched panorama
windshield, made of six-millimeter thick, laminated safety glass, is
shaped by means of a gravity bending process. Selected points on the
glass pane are heated so strongly in a special oven that gravitational
force alone pulls it into a predefined form – a very elaborate process
with glass of this strength and size (around 1.8 m2). |
)
)
)
)
|
www.autointell.com - The Web for Automotive Professionals |
|
. |