Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-16
FOUR TYPES OF
AMERICAN CARS
MACHINES RATED ACCORDING
TO PRICE
AVERAGE HORSE POWER IN $1,000
CLASS is 17,2
Motor en- Bloc, Despite Early Criti-
cism and Objections, Has Proved
Successful In Domestic
Engines

Speaking roughly. there are four
typical 1910 American cars, says Motor
Age. The first may be designated the
$1,000 car, although in this class are
included cars selling from $3.50 to $1,000:
the second is the $500 car, the third
the $25O0 car and the fourth the $4,000,
the last named representing a broad
field and being indicative of the high
priced machine, whether it is secured
for $500 or $500. The average motor
in the $1,000 class, as calculated aCCu-
rately from all the exhibitors at the
Grand palace show, is 17.2 horsepower
A. l.. A. M. rating. This average mo-
tor has bore of 3.S3 inches and
four-inch stroke. It's piston displace
ment in cubic inches is 1892. In this
class OF motors the L type Of cylinder
predominates. embracing as it does 81
per cent of this class. The r head
cylinder takes second place with 23 per
cent and the alve-in-the-head type
comes third with Is per cent to it's
credit.
Structural Ramifications
The structural ramiications of the
average $1,000 motor, or the motor used
in the $1,000 car, may be carried fur
ther; 81 per cent of the motors of this
class at the Grand palace show has
is cast in pairs and % per cent is cast
en- bloc. 1t is worthy of note to rec
ognize in passing the enormous strides
that the en- bloc motor is making.
Three or four years ago, when this
type of motor made it's debut in Eu-
rope, American designers were quick
to criticise it on the ground that it
would not be suited for the low tenn
peratures of America-because should
81 . i
an entire new casting. Since these
criticisms were first lodged circum-
stances have changed. Making cylin-
der casting has become an art, and it
now is possible to produce a single
casting Incorporating within it four
cylinders, as it was then to make a
twin casting. The en- bloc offers many
advantages, chief among which is the
simplification of intake, exhaust and
water pipes. the majority of which are
now incorporated in the casting.
Many other Features
There are many interesting features
of the $1,000 motor. Ninety per cent of
them are of the four-cylinder type; 3
per cent are of the six-cylinder type and
per cent of the two-cylinder. There is
not a single example of the one-cylin-
der or three-cylinder in this class.
NlCWGu COIlSll uCllNCiSs Illt Il ~ pc VI
cylinder has the lions share of follow
ers here as in the smaller division, 70
per cent being of this design, with 20
per cent employing the L head and
per cent the valve-in-t -the-head type. 1t
is harder in this class to draw the lines
of tendency in the mode of casting CYL
inders, in that so per cent use sepa-
rately cast cylinders and 50 per cent
cast them in pairs, and but is per cent
ha m hIO1 This
conclusively that for the present at
least the en- bloc casting is popular
with the cheap car, and gradually loses
out in the scale of ascending prices.
But this class also has its surprises
in the cooling of the motors, although
not so pronounced as in the smaller di-
vision. 1t may appear surprising to
many, yet the thermo-syphon carries
the day with IS per cent to Its credit
closely followed, however. by 40 per
cent employing the circulating pump
system, and Is per cent being followers
of air cooling.
A brief resume of the ignition system
shows them all TO belong to the high
tension division, with the magnetic
everywhere and the dual system greatly
in the ascendency. Sixty-tiVe per cent,
to be accurate, are using it, whereas
20 per cent employ the double system,
Looking at the $1,000 motors at the
ignition phase only, it is of interest to
note that all are fitted with the high
tension system, there not being a sin
gle example of the make-and- break
spark in use. The magnetic practically
is universal. Thirty-nine per cent of
these little motors have single ignition
systems by this is meant one source
of current supply; 80 per cent of them
have dual magnetic and battery Sys
TENS, with a single set of plugs; and
so per cent of them have double sys-
TENS, possessing two sets of spark
plugs, a complete magnetic system, and
a complete battery system.
After dealing thus with the $1,000
motor. a briefer consideration must
be given to the average motor in the
$500 class. In short, this motor has a
formula rating of 26.6 horse power Its
average bore is al inches and its
stroke 4.3 inches, its piston displace-
ment in cubic inches measures 26.2.
This motor is q better example of the
long stroke than the $1,000 one, in that
the stroke is .27, or practically a inch
longer than the bore; of this category,
with 10 per cent continuing with me-
chanical oiler, and 10 per cent using
the centrifugal force of the flyWheel
as the source of oil circulation. But 5
per cent in this class uses a compress
sion oiler, and Is per cent what is des-
ignated as a gravity system with a
pump in combination.
The reader cannot help but note in
the $25OO motor the transition; this is
the third step in the motor classitica-
ton, and the percentage figures show
gradual increase along certain lines