Invention of the day numbered eleven

Because I have been having a close and unexpected association with the wingnut, temporary as it may be, the technology of cars is closer to my thoughts than is warranted.

Being a grey import the wingnut has all sorts of features that only the Japanese would consider valuable, such as a reversing beeper inside the car and an audio-visual system which has a perplexingly unusable interface system. My subsequent ponderings on the technology of the wingnut can be thus explained.

The wingnut is a pretty beast. However on its first refill under my temporary tutelage it occurred to me that the petrol cap somewhat ruined the lines of the rear quarter.

Indeed, my mind continued, possibly under the influence of the fumes, the intrusion of the petrol refilling port must create all sorts of engineering constraints for car designers.

Therefore the next instalment for the invention of the day is a petrol cap hidden behind a rear hinged taillight. When the little lever or button is pulled or pressed the taillight will pop out from the one hinged side, just like a petrol cap does today.

Yeah I know electrics and petrol fumes might not mix, but this is the 21st century after all and bigger problems have been solved. And I am pretty sure that the Mythbusters busted the myth of mobile phones and petrol filling anyway. Indeed as we move to electric cars (which still need a plug point) this issue will go away entirely.

Apart from fixing the aesthetics issues that plague so many of our cars, this taillight petrol cap invention solves at least two other common problems:

1. The new petrol cap behind the rear light could be placed on both sides of the car so you could drive into a servo without asymmetrical service considerations.

2. On small compact hatches the removal of the petrol cap from the rear quarter would allow for a largish rear suicide door hinged from the far rear back corner of the vehicle, thus allowing maximum door size without any impact on aesthetics.

Now that I have got that off my chest I feel much better.