New-York tribune., 1911-01-03
MANY SEE FOREIGN CARS
importers Automobile Salon
Opens in the Hotel AStor.
GRAND PRIZE CUP SHOWN
Creations Of Foreign Body De-
signers and Mechanical Novel
ties Attract Much Comment.

ties Attr0CL MuCn OOHI1ShI'
The automobile built across the water
has still a large following in New York IN
spite Of the iunumerable well built Ameri-
can cars This was shown Yesterday, when
the Importers Automobile Salon was
opened in the ballroom and adjacent rooms
al the Hotel Astor.
The doors were opened at l O'Clock, and
before o'clock the beautiful room was
filed even at the unusual admission price
Of 81
Probably the first thing to impress the
visitor is the entire absence of temporary
decorative effects With the exception OF
eighteen severely simple columns OF the
Corinthan order serving as markers ne
tween the spaces. there is no attempt whd'-
ever at decoration. The room itself Is so
rarely beautiful that il needs nothing else
Indeed. such decoration as is usually seen
at displays of this character would have
ruined a singularly pleasing picture
The exhibitors established record by
having their cars in place and every detail
finished before the doors were opened. No
accessories are shown. and there are no
gratutous catalogues and nondescript lit
eratire to litter the aiSles and attract the
and the signs designating the various cars
are hung from chains dependent from the
capitals of the columns.
The opening of the doors was preceded
by an informal luncheon. at which speeches
were made. indicating the reasons for the
holding Of such a salon and the desire 10
make it a permanent fixture in New York
automobile schedules.
1',o ir,,r,nrtarc I,a,-a bospra bpcn
able to display their cars in such an ade-
Quste manner and it is thought that If
this salon is a success it viii be repeated
year after year.
As soon as the doors were opened the
band played The Star Spangled Banner
and then the national anthems OF all the
countries represented
The sixteen different makes of cars-ite-
Dault. DE Dion Panhard, Itala, c. G. v,
Peugoot. Darracq, Benz. -Fraschini,
Metalurgique, :. p. A, Napier. English
Daimler. Zedel S p. o. and Vinot-are
displayed I'm the ballroom and the Rose
Room. on the 44th street side of the building.
and the Laurel Room. on the 4gth street side.
in addition TO the cars in the salon itself
the polished chassis of a Renault and a DE
Dion are shown in the main lobby. just
inside the main entrance TO me hotel
Two of the most elaborate cars in the salon
are the Renault fore door limousine. with
q vcntilating roof, and the royal Limousine
Netallurgique. The body of the Renault was
designed by Leon Rubay and built 10y
Moore & Munger. II has an icebSX and Il
writing desk, and the windows are fitted
with screens. 1t is finished in CircassiGu
walnut.
The coachwork of the Metallurgique was
built by Vanden Plass, of Brussels, and the
car is one of the highest priced exhibits
in the salon.
The Benz racer, with which David Bruce.
Brown won the Automobile Club Of Amer
ica's Grand Prize gold cup at Savannah on
November Il, 1910. is shown near the Benz
space. The great gold cup itself Is shown
IN the conservatory behind the Bchz space.
Andre Massenat, manager Of the Ameri-
can branch OF the Panhard & Levassor
firm, shows three of the new Panhard
valyeless engine cars-those with the
knight motors. These three cars are dis
tinguished by the letters IS. s" mounted
on their radiator fronts. so that salon Wis
stors can tell at glance that the machines
are Of the new type which attracted so
much attention at the recent Olympia
show. in London, and the Salon, in Paris.
The Sliding Sleeve" Panhard models
drew favorable comments from many own
ers Of imported cars and were inspected
with great interest by number of de-
lsigners Of American cars One of the IS.
g" Panhards has a beautiful limousine
ibody. made by Iabourdette; another has a
Limousine body made in this country and
- NnswN vzal
lchsssis.
\ The De Dion exhibit attracted much at
/ tention, as this long established French
concern is now producing models made es-
pecially for American roads. e. Lascaris'
manager Of the American selling branch,
was lucky enough to draw one of the
ispaces in the main lobby Of the hotel. and
has placed there a polished chassis Of the
special American 40-horsepower De Dion.
In the De Dion-Bouton space In the
ealon Mr. I,ascaris is showing polished
chassis Of the special American 1s-horse-
mower De Dion model that is in demand
FOR mounting limousine and landaule1
bodies. Both the special American De Dion
models have unusually easy springs and
ARE made narrow so they ray be turned
readily. An eight-cylinder car, made only
bv De Dion Bouton. fitted with torpedo
body is also shown.
Paul Lacroix shows line OF Renault
cars. ranging from a two-cylinder voitu-
lrette to a six-cylinder O-horsepower limou'
sine. The polished Renault chassis in the
hotel lobby is that Of the 25-S5 horsepower
American special Renault. Mr.. LacroiS
lalso shows a polished chassis Of the ne"
hong stroke 35-45 horsepower model and q
Lstock chassis of the 1912 horsepower mon
lpbloc casting town car model
Cesare Cont has obtained the S. p. A
hear which won the Targa F1orio cup race
In Italy in 1909 and will exhibit It.
The salon will continue open during the
remainder Of the week and there VIII ot
kconcerts by tho orchestra each afternoon
land evening.