[Closed] A question from over the pond.

Okay, Mike, here's an attempt at an answer on adding the Chevy trunk. (pic)

To get an integral trunk on cars of the early '30's, you just about had to get a coupe, sometimes called a business coupe. Sedans were meant for families, and they didn't have trunks. Sometimes steamer trunks and/or foot lockers were placed over racks at the rear, but these were not integral to sedan bodies. But by 1934 Chevy had such an integral trunk as an option.

"How Stuff Works" is a good site for information, and here's an example:

"The 1934 Chevrolet Master and Standard continued Chevrolet's year-old practice of building two distinct series of cars on different wheelbase lengths. The 1934 Chevrolet Master, in fact, now measured 112 inches, two inches longer than the 1933 model. The 1934 Chevrolet Standard model remained at 107 inches.

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1934 Chevrolet Master coach

The two-door 1934 Chevrolet Master coach outsold every other 1934 Chevy model.

Both models retained six-cylinder power, but modifications to the Master's 206-cubic-inch engine boosted horsepower from 65 to 80. The Standard series repeated 1933's 181-cubic-inch 60-horsepower engine.
Chevrolet's big news this year was adoption of "Knee-Action," the sealed Dubonnet type of independent front suspension. Standard equipment on the Master series, it would not be offered on Standard models for a few more years.
Master models, while retaining the previous year's styling theme, looked heavier than their 1933 counterparts -- which they were, by some 225 pounds, about 60 pounds of which was due to the Dubonnet "knees." Three horizontal hood louvers replaced the doors used in 1932-33, and wheels were reduced in size to 17 inches. Free Wheeling was optional on Master models only."

Conceptcarz added:

"The 1934 Chevrolet Master DA Series came equipped with a six-cylinder engine that displaced 206 cubic-inches and produces 80 horsepower. It was a very versatile and popular vehicle with a variety of bodystyles to select from. It was available as a four-door Sedan, two-door town sedan, sport sedan, cabriolet, sport coupe, business coupe, roadster, and coach. The four-door sedan was the most popular with a total of 163,948 examples sold at a price of $580.

The Master Series was joined by the Standard Series for the 1934 year. The Master was the more expensive of the two, with the highest price vehicle being the Master Series DA Cabriolet selling at nearly $700. The Master Series had grown slightly over its 1933 counterparts, though styling remained mostly unchanged. The most visible changes were in the front, with the new V-type radiator and grille. On the side, the three hood louvers were made smaller in length. In the front was a 'Knee-Action' suspension and coil springs. The rear had a semi-floating axle. Mechanical brakes could be found at all four corners and a three-speed manual gearbox was standard."

A good photo:

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1934 Chevrolet Master Deluxe with Trunk-Back

I found another part of the answer in Wikipedia:
Chevrolet Eagle

Model years 1933

The Chevrolet Eagle (Series CA) is an American vehicle manufactured by Chevrolet in 1933 to replace the 1932 Series BA Confederate. The Eagle was produced early in the 1933 production year. When it was joined by the cheaper Mercury later in 1933 the Eagle name was changed to Master to provide Chevrolet with a two-car range, and the first time in ten years they manufactured two models on different wheelbases. The Mercury was also known as the Standard series.

Total the earlier Eagle and later Master combined sold 450,435, an increase of nearly 140,000 the previous year's Series BA sales of 313,395, and ensured that Chevrolet was able to retain their number one spot in American car sales. The Eagle saw the end of two-seater cars from Chevrolet, and the new Town Sedan included an integral trunk."

So it seems that the lower series of Chevrolet for 1934, the Standard, was based on the 1933 Eagle series. It was that Eagle series Town Sedan that had the first integral Chevrolet trunk.

In 1934 this '33 Eagle became the Standard series and Chevrolet added the larger Master series, which also had the optional integral trunk. It seems that these trunks were attached to their non-trunk bodies in the assembly process. Only in later years (1937?) did Chevrolet make a separate rear stamping that enclosed the trunk in the body.

Whew! I hope I have this story right. Dear readers, please add and correct this information if you have a better source. While I can remember a few old cars around without trunks when I was a boy, they were already quite uncommon.

One last picture of a '34 Chevy with the integral trunk, and this one has been hot rodded!

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I agree, Mike. It's a beauty!