El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-08
EQUIPMENT OF
1913 AUTO IS BETTER
Makers Turning Out Product This Year
More Complete Than Ever
Before.

BeLOEes
Visitors to the recent National Auto
mobile show in New York were amazed
at the advance that has been made
during the last season IN pleasure car
construction This does not mean that
many radical changes have been made
in mechanical construction, but refers
more particularly to the very complete
equipment that is being offered
Editors Of the various automobile
trade journals refer to 1913 as "an
equipment year" and the visitors at
the show found that fully 80 percent
of the car manufacturers are furnish
ing their cars with more essential ac-
.cessories than ever before and more
than was ever dreamed of only four
years ago. This equipment does not
include a lot of superfluOus and useless
parts but such devices which make for
more efficient operation and ease of
control Of the car with less labor Tor
the driver.
Starters on Increase.
For instance. where only three years
ago only two manufacturers furnished
self starters with their cars, this year
there are scarcely a dozen out OF near
" 200 pleasure vehicles that are not
equipped with some form Of motor
starter which does away with the Ia
bOriOus and dangerous method OF
starting the car by hand These start
ers may be divided into five classes as
follows electric, compressed air, acety-
lene, gasoline or other volatile liquid
and spring starters
The first type to appear as an in
teSral part Of a car was the COM
pressed air starter; then came the
spring starter and then that depending
upon the explosion of acetylene gas in
the cylinders TO start the motor.
Devices which make for greater
safety and ease Of operation as well as
comfort Of the passengers will be more
in evidence than ever before Electric
signalling devices, speedOmeters,
bumpes, shock absOrbers and numerous
other accessories. all Of the latest de-
sign, including several new makes seen
for the first time viii be shown
Body Designs Many.
This year brings with it the greatest
variety in body designs ever before
brought together for the criticism Of
the motoring public Almost every car
manufacture Is prepared to equip each
of his classes with a half dozen diff
ferent copies Of bodies including the
touring body Of different passenger
capacities. the roadster, the torpedo,
coupe, limousine. landaluet or berline
Almost every visitor at the show who
cOntemplateS the purchase OF a, car had
in mind a certain sum of money which
he cared to spend. This year the prices
Of cars range from S395 for the small
est two passenger runabOut TO $500
for the largest limousine or landaulet
one company showed a vesnbuled
suburban car Of the limousine type, {
handsomely upholstered, electric light
ed and heated, comfortable as a parIOr. {
One important trend in design is seen
in the adoption Of wire wheels by sew !
eral car builders Wire wheels have Z
been quite common in Europe for sew
eral years, but It is only within the
last season that they have been ser /
iOusly considered by the American /
At last years show /
only one company, exhibited wire I
wheels. while this year no less than I
five wheel builders showed those OF the /
wire type