Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-02
WASHINGTON AUTOMOBILE SHOW.
Continued From First Page.)

ance these days. Time was when pedes-
TRANS would stop and look on with won
der as woman sped by; now it is all
different. ---
The discovery of the reason for the in.
creasing number of woman drivers is
due probably to the amazing steps toward
simplilcation OF the automobile, which h;n
condition Thus it may be said to be due
to the industrial progress. rather than
to the feminine strides. which Is the
of the trend toward automobiles that
are simple enough for child's handling
is the fact that several manufacturers
have lately banished the danger of crank
ing by installing self-starters on their
cars. This might be said to be year
of "self-starters." Statistical authorities
are asking themselves whether the oppo-
site sex will overtake in numbers the
man drivers of automobiles. But that
condition Is some years ahead. for. de-
spite the rapid increase In woman drivers
as q result Of the simplicity of gasoline
cars. the percentage Of skirted operators
is very small today.
Aside from all that may be said re-
garding motor cars, the year 1913 will go
down in automobile history as IAN
equipment year OF this there Is little
doubt. \ glance at the automobile Of to-
day as compared with that of a few years
ago Will answer that question without
hesitation. Nearly every manufacturer
Is today furnishing his car with more es-
sential accessories than ever before. and
in fact more than was ever dreamed of
by them. Every new accessory is a
necessary and useful one. too. There are
no superfluous and unnecessary parts or
equipment, but such features as will add
to the ease Of operation Of the motor car
or comfort to the passenger. In fact.
luxury Is the keynote. 1t might be said
that luxury. niceties and refinement are
three of the chief features embodied in
the 1913 models. The open body cars
hoyo loo n a the
closed bodies rival the most palat1al OF
the railway parior cars
Ease and Luxury the Aim.
This year the lengthening of the wheel
base has given opportunity to designers
to add the extra six inches to the depth
of the tonneau, which in many instances
means the difference between cramped
and absolute ease when riding. The foot
rails Of 19l3-the ones that extend across
the bottom of the tOnneau and afford a
chance to rest the feet and steady the
body In going over rough roads-are
heavier than ever before. Some Of them
are built on hinges SO that they may be
folded down against the floor when not
in use. The coat rail on the back of the
front seats is also improved and pro-
tected 80 it can do no damage to cloth
ing:
The most practical Improvement is in
the character of The springs and up
holstery of the tonneau seats. 1t has
been found that the additional weight of
the after portion of the car necessitated
heavier springs under the body. and this
reacted by making some of the cars
rather hard riders. To obviate this diff
Guilty without affecting the chassis ITSELF
it was determined to install better
springs and upholstery in the tonneau
seats to counterbalance the stiffness I'M
derneath. Indeed. the backs and sides of
the 1913 tonneaus are upholstered as
richly and beautifully as costly furni-
ture. One small improvement consists Of
stout straps. located at the sides of the
tonneau. just back of the doors, by
which the passengers may hold steady
in going over rough roads.
The added beauty and luxury of the