Patent ID: 7264304

Claim:
A vehicle comprising: a vehicle engine; a front suspension; a rear suspension; a plurality of body panels; and a vehicle body comprising: a rigid central cell ( 2 ) having a front end and a rear end, said rigid central cell ( 2 ) comprised of composite materials; a front auxiliary frame ( 3 ) anchored to said front end of said rigid central cell ( 2 ); and a rear auxiliary frame ( 4 ) anchored to said rear end of said rigid central cell ( 2 ); said front auxiliary frame ( 3 ) comprising two front supporting beams ( 11 ) fixed to said front end of said rigid central cell ( 2 ), on opposite sides of a vertical centerline plane of the vehicle, and a plurality of front horizontal transverse stiffening members ( 12 ) connecting said two front supporting beams ( 11 ); said two front supporting beams ( 11 ) comprising two box members ( 13 ) fixed rigidly to each other by two connecting plates ( 14 ) welded to said two box members ( 13 ); wherein said front auxiliary frame ( 3 ) and said rear auxiliary frame ( 4 ) being so deformable as to absorb, in the form of mechanical strain, the energy dissipated by said vehicle body in the event of collision, without directly involving said central cell ( 2 ).