Slipcover autobody

While some of the exterior of an automobile's body is required for structural integrity, much of it is there simply to hide the inner workings. If it happens to look good, so much the better.

All that painted metal comes with a price, though. It has to be kept clean, it adds unnecessary weight to the car and it's subject to damage that can be costly to repair.

The obvious solution is to do away with the auto body altogether, but that's been done. The next obvious solution is to replace the steel with something rigid but lightweight, like fiberglass - but that's been done. Ah, but fabric...

So the gist: auto frames are slightly reconfigured to provide attachment points for our "automotive slipcovers". The interior (passenger compartment, trunk/boot) remains intact and watertight. The engine compartment would probably require some sort of mesh to keep people and things from falling into the fan and pulleys. Accommodations will have to be made for mounted electronics like speakers in doors, but there's no real obsticle there, either.

Automobile manufacturers provide one (kit) with the purchase of a car and what you do after that is up to you. The handy seamst/er/ress would probably be able to whip out the 5 to 10 panels required fairly quickly, and a whole new market could spring up over night. Custom designs/fabrics would be the rage, with leanings toward family tartans and tie-dyes. Your whole car can easily become a giant advertisement. And that doesn't even take into consideration the backlighting/fiber optic fabric possibilities.

No more paint chips 'cause there's no more paint. No more dent-pulling 'cause there's no more dents. Mechanical maintenance is vastly simplified because everything is easier to get to. Washing your car takes on a whole new meaning. And it discourages people from tossing cigarette butts out their window.