Editing Open-wheel car (section)

==History==
American racecar driver and constructor [[Ray Harroun]] was an early pioneer of the concept of a lightweight single-seater, open-wheel "monoposto" racecar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/ray-harroun.html|title=Harroun, Ray - Historic - 2000|author=swatson|access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> After working as a mechanic in the automotive industry, Harroun began competitive professional racing in 1906, winning the [[AAA National Championship]] in 1910. He was then hired by the [[Marmon Motor Car Company]] as chief engineer, charged with building a racecar intended to race at the first [[Indianapolis 500]], which he went on to win. He developed a revolutionary concept which would become the originator and forefather of the single-seater (i.e. monoposto) racecar design.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstsuperspeedway.com/photo-gallery/ray-harroun-cockpit-lr1|title=Ray Harroun Checks his Rear View Mirror|access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15427/Marmon-Wasp.aspx|title=1911 Marmon Wasp - Conceptcarz|work=conceptcarz.com|access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> Harroun has also been credited by some as pioneering the rear-view mirror which appeared on his [[1911 Indianapolis 500]] winning car, though he himself claimed he got the idea from seeing a mirror used for a similar purpose on a [[horse-drawn vehicle]] in 1904.<ref>Davidson, Donald The Talk of Gasoline Alley (radio program). Accessed via WIBC (FM), 28 May 200</ref>

[[File:1925 Ford Model T touring.jpg|thumb|A [[Ford Model T]], one of the most popular road-legal cars of the early 20th century. Note how the wheels are well outside the main body of the car, as was typical for the era.]] 
Prior to [[World War II]], street automobiles generally had wheels that protruded beyond the vehicle's main body, though they were typically covered with [[Fender (vehicle)|mudguard]]s to protect the car body and following traffic from water and mud spray. With the advent of [[unibody]] vehicle construction, the desire to maximise interior space, to improve aerodynamics, and aircraft-inspired styling trends of the era, by the end of the 1950s the majority of new road-registerable vehicles had wheels that were under the main body of the car, and thus the open-wheel design became almost exclusively associated with racing vehicles. [[File:Mercedes-Benz 300SL - inkiboo.jpg|thumb|A 1954 [[Mercedes-Benz 300 SL]] which featured wheels under the main body of the vehicle, primarily for aerodynamic drag reduction]]

[[Formula One]] cars have almost exclusively used the open-wheel design throughout the history of the championship. The only notable exception was the "Monza body" variation of the [[Mercedes-Benz W196]] racer of 1954–55, which covered the wheels with bodywork for aerodynamic reasons.  Modern Formula One regulations mandate the open-wheel configuration.