Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-17
GLIDDEN TOUR
PROVES MOLINE
LITTLE CAR STANDS TEST OF
WESTERN ROADS
MACHINE MAKES ENVIABLE RUN
FOR BIG TROPHY
Low Price of Auto, Combined with
Perfect Record in Hardest of
Tests, Should Con-
vince Buyers

1ne Herald mas Hdu SOHlelllllS "
say about the little Moline car and
the performances of which it is ca
pable, and as some evidence of what
this machine has accomplished nothing
can better testify to its capabilities
than the actions of the car in the last
Glidden tour.
But few people are conversant with
the rules and restrictions under which
the Glidden tour is made or the chief
object of this annual contest. The last
tour known as the Glidden was over
the worst roads and toughest expert
enceS ever given to an automoblle,
covering 2640 miles.
The object of the Glidden tour is to
demonstrate to the public the progress
of automobile building by the leading
manufacturers of the country. 1t fur
ther demonstrates to the public the
capability, efficiency, durability and
dependability of the various cars en-
tered under the seVerest tests to which
a car can be put, and also under rules
which guarantee to the public the hon
est operation of each car
Another and strong feature is the
fact that there is no opportunity for
the builder to make q specially built
car for the purpose, as the cars entered
must be strictly as catalogued and
offered for sale by the manufacturer,
equipped as the car will be sold to the
buyer from the floor of the salesrooms.
This, as may be seen, reduces the
car and the problem of buying down
to one of actual efficiency, at the least
initial cost, and also as to the cost of
up-keep-a most necessary thing for
a buyer to know.
The rules are of the strictest charac-
toT fbn11uh l,voo "a
every feature of imposition which may
be laid upon car, and before the start
is made on the tour every part and
tool has to be scheduled to the COM
mittee, which is required to check it
all up and must furnish also a COM
plete statement of the costs of parts,
with certified bills for all. Each night
the car must be delivered over to a
control, who shall cause the car to be
under its personal supervision during
the entire time, SO that no work may
be done on it, and is checked out again
the following morning.
Advantage to Buyers
From these rules it is plain to see
the value of the Glidden Tour is of vast
advantage to the automobile buying
public. 1t is the one automobile contest
that should be heartily encouraged,
supported and made a permanent insti-
tuition, because it not only furnishes an
incentive to greater progress on the
part of the manufacturers, but it fur
nishes most reliable buying guide for
the buying public.
Take, for example, the record made
by the Moline. What does it mean to
the man contemplating the purchase of
an automobile?. 1t means, if he is
looking for a car which will give him
every possible desirable, durable and
practical feature, that here is a car
that has proved its intrinsic worth in
this respect that he can purchase at a
saving of nearly half on other cars
which did not make as good a record
in this endurance test as did the Moline.
1t illustrates that the buyer can pay
nearly double the price of the Moline s
modest cost, and yet not get any more
intrinsic practical Value-not get a car
that will stand the seVerest strain and
service as the Moline.
In addition to these restrictions the
Glidden tourists were obliged to keep
to a time schedule of twenty miles
per hour, which in many instances
could not be maintained, and requiring
in some instances they were obliged
to make speed of fifty miles per
hour in order to register on time at
the end Of the days run.
The 1909 Glidden tour has been ac-
knoWledged by those who have COM
peted in previous runs to have been
the most strenuous, prolonged and Sc
we're test of any ever undertaken.
1t is the first time the tour has
been run over western roads which
were pronounced the worst and tough
est ever experienced. In many in
stances there were no signs to indi-
cate where even the road ran. The
contestants encountered rocks and gull
lies dry creek beds, streams, hills of
unusually steep grades, so that it is
BUSINESS of last years Glidden unless
they have been over the road. 1t is
remarkable that a piece of machinery
could be constructed to withstand the
hard usage and wear and tear that
each car was subjected to over that
run, covering 2640 miles, and all this
was without a flaw charged up against
the little Moline car. This was the
record of Moline No. 101.
That the car is all that has been
claimed for it was demonstrated last
week when, with low gears, this little
piece of easy riding machinery turned
off the miles on the close to the min
ute mark. Wilson and Burlington,
who are agents for the Moline as wei
as for the big Thomas Flyers, are
permitting, The Herald to prove the
fact that with $3.50 one can get as
,ood a piece of automobile goods as
for double the expenditure. Wherever
the little car goes it is attracting the
largest amount of attention, crowds
gathering about it and expecting
things of the machine they would
scarcely believe of one at twice the
cost, but the Moline will fill all the
expectations this paper has predicted
for it.