Thread: What does a body do?

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"The reasons I come up with are cosmetic purposes, protect passengers and the mechanics of a car from the environment, and for aerodynamics at high speeds."

You've answered your own question...

So then why do we need these heavy bodies?

Car bodies are not meant to be sat on, hit, scratched, etc.

Couldn't a plastic as thin as paper, yet resistant to tearing, be used to significantly reduce weight? I don't understand why more DIY car builders don't weld a space frame chassis and then have plastic bodies that they connect to the chassis to give it the body shape.

Essentially taking a flat piece and mounting it to give it a curve. It shouldn't be that difficult, expensive, and could compare in weight to carbon fiber I bet.

If the piece gets bent or crushed in, simple remove it to return it to a flat piece, then remount it.

Anyone else think this is a good/feasible idea?