The Washington herald., 1913-10-26
new OVERLAND BUILT
FROM CHARRED ruins
In Saleuoom Window, Mechanics
Transform Rusted Remains Of Car
to Fine Automobile.
SUCCESSFUL TEST IS MADE

As climax to the unusual demon
stration Of the mechanical skill and eff
cheney OF the service department of the
Overland Washington, Motor Company,
conducted last week In the show window
of the company's salesroom, S2s Four
teenth Street Northwest, when out of
the charred ruins OF an Overland car
totally destroyed by fire, new car was
built, r. c. Smith, president of the COM
pany, yesterday afternoon. with the
automobile writer's of the various local
papers and Griffin Halstead. technical
expert Of the Standard OIL Company.
as witnesses, drove all over Washington
in the rebuilt car.
Although the car had not been tried
out, so confident was Mr.. Smith in the
ability of his employees that he invited
the newspaper men and Mr.. HaIstead
out for ride before he had tested the
car. Mr.. Smith had equal confidence in
the car, for after the start had been
made without hitch, he proceeded to
show 1t on and climbed some of the
steepest hills in town.
The demonstration furnished in our
window this week is characteristic of
Overland service the world over" said
President Smith yesterday after the
ride about the city. What has been
done in our window this week can be
done in the window of any Overland
dealer in any part of the world at any
time. By that ! mean that one of the
conditions under which an Overland
agency is established, and one which
must be strictly observed, is that service
to the Overland owner shall be para
mount"
Early last Monday morning two me
chanics regularly employed in the serv-
ice department began their task Of trans
forming the charred rusted remains of
an Overland car which had been de-
stroSed by fire into bright new auto
mobile. The mechanics on Friday after
noon completed their task, and with IL
one OF the most unusual and convincing
demonstrations Of the efficiency of a
service department ever conducted in
this country.
A perfectly built Model es Overland
car stands in the window today where
a week ago lay mass of twisted and
tangled steel. and only the chassis un-
damaged. Every part employed in the
rebuilding Of the new car was supplied
from the local service department Not
single part was ordered from the fac
tory or from agencies in the nearby
large Eastern cities.
During the rebuilding OF the car thou
sands Of pedestrians along Fourteenth
street halted each day to note the prog
ress being made. OF course. there were
many when at first they learned what
was going on were skeptical and de-
clared. 1T can't be done" and still
when they Witnessed the completion OF
the task on Friday they we're forced to
admit that 1t had been done.
The idea OF rebuilding an automobile
in show window has more than an ad-
vertising value II Is an education fo
the hundreds of automobile owners who
have never stopped to consider the num-
Der of parts in car, or fully realized
the infinite care that must be exercised
in putting the parts together Many local
owners OF Overland cars, when they
heard Of the demonstration. visited the
salesrooms and closely watched the me-
chanics at work They were universal
In declaring that the demonstration, be-
sides being a big ad. had been Of great
assistance to them.