Stretch Hatchback

While returning home from a nice weekend in the West of England, it occured to me that one often gets tired on long drives. For instance, I used to drive from the South of England to Central Scotland quite regularly, and often stopped in the Lake District for a snoozette. And then I thought about all those people trapped in their car after a breakdown has occured, or in major traffic holdups.

It's incredibly inconvenient to not be able to lie flat in such situations, simply because the seat won't go far enough back because it hits on the rear seat. Rather than afford the expense of a large gas-guzzling car, I thought it should be possible to stretch out your hatchback in such situations.

The system would work roughly like this. The pillars between the front and rear doors would contain a roll of metal, and similar rolls would be positioned underneath the front seats and somewhere on the car's roof. The driver, once the engine is off and the handbrake secure, would be able to crank a handle to unroll the metal rolls, thereby extending the car - the front of the car edging slowly forward, giving the driver enough space to put his seat fully flat. De-luxe models could have an electric motor to assist in the cranking.