The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-04
AT
OPENING OF
EXHIBIT
Fifty-three Makes of Autos
Displayed at Madison
Square Garden.

The opening Of the eighth national auto
mobile show under the auspices of the
Association Of Licensed Automobile Manu-
facturers Saturday night at Madison
Square Garden, New York. was viewed
more as a spectacle by the thousands who
attended than with any thought of how
the industry is expanding and how the
business, as we'll as cars, has grown in one
short year. But the exhibits themselves
evea1 that the industry is constantly
growing. The exhibitors nave grown in
their business; the cars are larger in size
of engines and bodies; the materials used
are better and the workmanship is finer.
There are cars of eight cylinders, six cylin-
ders, four cylinders, two cylinders, and
cars having no cylinders, these being
steamers and electrics, but there are no
cars having one or three, or any odd num-
Der of cylinders.
On the main floor and the platforms over
tapping it are gasoline cars, all pleasure
vehicles and one exhibit of steamers. The
electrics are grouped in the cafe, off the
lobby, while in the basement the two ex-
tremes of motor vehicle development are
found, in interesting juxtaposition-the mo-
tor cycle and the five-ton truck. The parts
and accessories fill the spaces of the bal
comics and the concert hall, and they even
crowd the basement space, clear around on
inc fOuIln dNSuuc SLUG, WHICH hdS hOfNA
been used before. 1t is by long ODDS the
biggest show and the handsomest ever seen
in the Garden.
Among the cars the six-cylinder touring
machine Is the feature, eleven of the most
representative makers displaying them as
their leaders. In the general outlines the
cars of 1908 show more straight lines and
fewer bulging curves than formerly, giving
a more substantial n less snowy impress
sion. In their engines and details of con-
struction, there are many clever improve
ments to interest the initiated.
the motor cycle and trucks and delivery
wagons in the basement are interesting and
present many new features full of sugges-
ton concerning the transportation OF the
future. The motor cycles fill the entire
cross aisle of the basement. and make a
howing apt to startle those who have not
noticed how this department of motor
travel has been growing.
A tour among the exhibits of parts and
accessories Is one full of discovery, for In
this direction new things to contribute TO
the comfort and convenience OF the mo
torIst are being developed daily. The range
of the accessory exhibits will suggest to
the least imaginative mind the possibility
of a man buying his car piecemeal and put
ting 1t together himself. The Exhibits IN
dictate that this could be done, for there
are frames, axles, wheels, tires, engines,
crank shafts, gears, chains, batteries,
springs, bearings, universal joints and all
the essential parts of a car shown sepa-
rately, to say nothing Of lamps, plugs,
coils, oils, varnishes, odometer, speed
gauges, pumps, jacks, tire hains mag
nets. self-starting devices and a score OF
other fittings, besides clothing of all sorts.
There is a great contrast between the
talk of those who visited the show Satur-
day night and the chatter of those who
went to the shows of a few years ago.
1t is the thing now to be wise tocar, ana
those who are not really so have acquired
a smatter of knowledge and a patter of
talk that allow them to pass muster as
real motorists, if they do not tarry too
long at one place. There are not as many
foolish and funny questions being asked
the exhibitors as at earlier shows, but oc-
c~asionally some visitor relieves the hum
drum of sophisticated shop talk.
The present show keeps up the record OF
increase that this remarkable industry has
shown each passing year. 1t is a larger
one in. every way, although one distinct
branch of the business, that OF the FOR
eign cars, which has figured in these
shows hitherto, has been segregated and
assigned to a separate date Of exhibition.
AS against 25 last January, there are In
the present Garden show more than 800
exhibitors. There are thirty-one different
makes of gasoline cars, one make OF
steam car, eight different brands of cleo
tric cars, n an assortment OF thirteen
commercial vehicles. This foots up nifty
three different makes of cars, besides
which there are fifteen different sorts OF
motorcycles and 211 different exhibits OF
accessories.