Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-15
BODY LINES DIFFER
IN AMERICAN CARS
Graceful Slope of Foreign
Made Automobiles Is Chief
Characteristic.

Perhaps is no one particular is there a
more distinct line of cleavage between
the American automobile this year and
that of foreign make than in body build
ing tendencies. Aside from minor differ
ences in motor and chassis construction.
points of variation in fabrication and
ignition. lighting, starting and cooling,
| which are of manner rather than Of mat
te:, there is a close approximation be-
| tween the mechanical portions Of motor
cars built on opposite sides of the At
lantic.
But in the matter Of bodies, of coach
building and of the lines assumed by the
exterior of the cars it is different
story. One or two American builders
have followed the foreign suggestions;
others, say experts on this side of the
water, are sure to do so in tn near fu-
ture. 1t is merely a question of time,
these men hold, for they believe that in
this department of automobile activity
Europe is the leader and the United
States the imitator.
Just now, however, the two tendencies
are far apart. The crux Of the contrast
lies in angles. In Europe motor cars are
markedly things of slope and curve. In
America. speaking generally, they pre-
sent series of straight lines and rectan-
giles. In the old world the bodies are
streamlike, flowing. expanding into full
dimensions as they run from front to
back. Here they are square, brOad-shoul-
dered, abrupt. 1t is a contrast as strong
as that between the feminine and the
The point Of departure-the pivotal
point-of foreign bodies is the radiator.
This surface of metal mesh has been
modified in several ways in the foreign
types Most of the notifications aim at
wind resistance. Thus the radiator is
brought to a point. either from top to
bottom or from side to side, presenting
a sharp nose to the wind, or else it has
become much narrower and longer than
it's American cousin. The bonnet back
Of it heightens the rakish effect and the
sense of boring into the air by being in
the form of modified funnel or cone,
f1aring toward the back. In some makes
it slopes sharply down; in others it is
domed so that cross section would look
like a tall, narrow arch.
Forms Sweeping Curve.
board carries out the general effect,
forming. with the bonnet. one sweeping
line or curve, to harmonic with it In
graceful torpedo effect. This tendency is
as noticeable in the extra size Limousine
as in the roadster. There were scores OF
examples of 1t at the Olympia snow In
London. The rest of the oody is an ex-
pansiOn of the same idea and SHOWS
many refinements of mild curves in &C
cord with the forward part OF the ma
chine.
So imbued with the idea of pointed
fronts have the foreign builders become
that some of the more radical Apply IL
even to minor parts and accessories one
well-known firm has mounted dash lamps
and headlights with conical glasses: BUT
this is merely an eXaggeratlon OF the
prevailing tendency and has Deen SCI
down by the experts as or KIND WIN
the freak racing body, built on the lines
of the cigar or the boat. The movement
of which it is a degeneration Is, never
theless the most striking external thlng
of the wear in Europe in automoplle de-
yelopment and may be expected soon 10
have it's echo in this country.
Just now the typical American body is
the antithesis of those just described. 1t
symbolizes power rather than grace. and
tends to exaggerate rather than minimize
the appearance of motor size. TnuS the
radiators are conservatfvely modeled ana
fat save in a few cases. The bonnets
are nearly all level on top, are rather
high, and look as il they contained en-
gines of high horse power. whereas the
sloping and graduated bonnets seen In
England and on the continent have
pinched il efficient look, and lead one
to believe that the motor within cannot
be large.
American dashboards are also marked
by bluff. and straight lines, and from
them the bodies run back with nat
tanks over a long wheel base. The
image which occurs to the beholder is
that of the powerful athlete, mighty OF
shoulder, srare in waist and hip 1ndi-
vidualities there are. to be sure. among