Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-02
NEWS Of INTEREST
TO AUTOMOBILES
inclination of Manufacturers to
Use Best Material OBJ
tainabIe.
Air-COoIed Cars Continue to Be
Sold in Very Large
Numbers.

NOtnlnS In the way Oh RADICAL cHdHSeS
are noted in the 1907 model cars on exhibit
ton at the Grand Central Palace show.
which opened last evening, 1t Is stated.
Nor is there any reduction in the price
Of cars Nevertheless, it Is promised
the buyer Of an automobile next year will
receive a great deal more for his money
than ever before, besides getting more sat
| isfaction from his better-constructed ma
chine.
The inclination of manufacturers is to
put the very best material obtanable into
cars, even though 1t necessitates a little in
crease in price. Nothing demands better
material for wearing purposes than motor
car which all its life is subject to abuse
and that's why instead Of putting poor ma
| terial into cars ito sell at a low figure the
manufa cturers are inclined to buy the best
| obtainable. knowing that in the long run it
will be better for their own business, and
better for the motor trade in general.
The design of automobiles seems now to
| be settled, and improvements of 1907 are
| more in the perfection of details. At the
| palace show exhibited everything from
| a runabout with one, two or four cylinders,
| to the ponderous de luxe touring cars with
engines of from four to six cylinders. and
| equipped with body that can carry seven
! people in comfort.
Tendencies for 1907 are toward increased
| horsepower and longer wheel bases. Me-
| chanically operated valves will predomi-
nate. in many cases the inlet and exhaust
( valves being placed on one side Of the
| motor. The major portion of troubles on
| motor cars being ignition, that has re-
| ceived a great deal of attention. While
storage batteries are taking the place of
| dry cells. most of the big cars will have
| magnetos, many having double system of
| ignition which includes two sets Of spark
| plugs. Incidentally, spark plugs are now
made to last season, and coils give very
| little trouble.
|
Although air-cooled cars, owing to the
| general satisfaction they have given, con-
| tinue to be sold in large numbers not a
| few of their makers are including a water
| cooled motor for 1907. The usual radiator
with the assistance of a belt and fan pre-
| dominate for cooling, and few makers use
| the thermo-syphon system. The use of
! levers Of the top Of the steering post to
| control the spark and gas is now almost
universal, and coupled with the handy gear
| levers on the side, and the foot pedal for
the clutch, makes the control Of motor cars
! simplicity itself.
larger and more powerful. A number of
| makers will show cars having both sets of
| brakes working on the rear wheels, one in
ternal expanding, and the other of the usual
1
minor improvements in transmissons. The
| sliding gear type is general on the big cars,
| and the planetary type on the light ma
| chimes where only two speeds are required.
| Shaft drives continue to increase in popu-
larity although some of the makers OF
heavier cars advocate and continue to use
| the side chain drive. There is a tendency to
| use ball bearings in the front wheels and
| roller bearings in the rear Wheels both
| types of which are now reduced to almost
perfection.
In the line Of self-starting devices there
| will be two or three new ones exhibited for
which great things are claimed. 1t would
| seem that the time Is near at hand when
| the starting crank can be abolished, yet
| only two makers will exhibit crankless cars.
| A coterie of automobile enthusiasts all
| forlorn and homeless bachelors, got to-
| gether at "Honk-Honk Dinner" in New
| York hotel Thanksgiving day. The appro-
priateness of the name was revealed when
| wild goose was brought on as the piece de
resistance. The goose was dead and cooked,
| but its flying cry was frequently sounded
| from the horns attached to each chair. The
| souvenirs were gold spark plugs for watch
charms, and it was noisy affair, run on
| the high gear with a direct drive through
| out.
| In spite of the talk about manufacturers
| being far ahead. it is said the majority are
not yet ready to show their new models.
| This is especially true of the makers of the
| big touring cars which are best known. 1t
| is true that the whole industry will be
| ready for earlier deliveries, but the fac
| tories are not as far ahead of other years
| as has been supposed.
|
"The automobile business is yet young.
and while it will have it's ups and downs,
it's future on the whole is bright" manu-
facturer says. THE user and the builder
are still experimenting-the user with first
one style of car and then another. the
manufacturer with this form of construc-
ton, then something else. But a definite
situation is now developing.
'"The American automobile as type IL
heavy; the user has discovered that great