Disclosed is a car body of a two-door type including a center pillar provided on each side portion of the car body, a rear fender integrated with the bottom of the center pillar, a rear side glass elevatably provided along the center pillar, and a stiffener having a front wall, a side wall and a rear wall which are formed to have a channel shape in cross-section so as to fit on the inner surface of the center pillar. The stiffener is tightly arranged within the center pillar. The stiffener extends downwardly beyond the waist line of the rear fender. The rear wall of the stiffener is fixed through a flange formed at an edge of the stiffener to an inner panel of the bar body.

A support structure for a vehicle includes a first support member positioned below and secured to the underside of the vehicle rocker panel. In one embodiment, a portion of the first support member extends laterally outward from the rocker panel and is secured to an exterior vertical portion of the rocker panel. A decorative member is secured to the side of the vehicle and is adapted to overlie a portion of the first support member. A second support member is alternately secured to the interior side of the rocker panel to increase the structural strength of the support structure.

The invention provides a body structure for vehicles which is capable of enhancing the passenger-protecting performance without much increasing the vehicle weight by enhancing the stiffness around the vehicle interior with high efficiency. A body roof is equipped with a closed-in-cross-section roof reinforcement extending widthwise of the vehicle body along a roof panel, right-and-left end portions of the roof reinforcement being coupled to upper end portions of a right-and-left pair of closed-in-cross-section center pillars extending in upper-and-lower direction in side portions of the vehicle body, respectively. Lower end portions of the center pillars are coupled to a pair of closed-in-cross-section side sills which extend longitudinally of the vehicle body to support right-and-left side edge portions of a floor panel, respectively, so that the roof reinforcement, the right-and-left center pillars and the right-and-left side sills form a continuous closed cross section with which an upper portion and right-and-left side portions of the vehicle interior, as viewed from the front of the vehicle, are covered.

An automobile having a front pillar comprised of an upper front pillar section and a lower hinge pillar section. A forwardly extending beam of closed cross-section is formed by a dash panel, a cowl side upper panel and a wheel apron reinforcement. A second forwardly extending beam of closed cross-section is further provided beneath the first mentioned beam by the dash panel and forward extensions of an upper front pillar inner panel and a hinge pillar outer panel.

A supporting pillar for a body frame of a passenger motor vehicle comprises a pillar-shaped hollow body with at least one profile shell. In the hollow body, a tubular body is arranged which essentially extends longitudinally through the hollow body and is attached to it. A lower region of the tubular body is held in a bracket attached to the profile shell. The bracket comprises two walls spaced apart from each other longitudinally. Each wall comprises a receiving aperture into which the lower region of the tubular body has been inserted, with the tubular body being attached at the receiving aperture to this bracket. The tubular body rests against, and is attached to the profile shell along a straight line, and is inclined in relation to a vertical line perpendicular to the walls of the bracket. The tubular body has an elbow between its lower region, and the region resting against the profile shell along the line.