The Washington herald., 1915-11-14
Fights GROWING
IN POPULARITY
Advent of Twelve-cylinder
Cars Must Be Considered
Years Event.
DISC CLUTCH LEADS CONE
Three-speed Transmission Holds Posi-
ton 1t Occupied During Last Three
Years. Says Horseless Age.

About this time each year. every
one interested in the progress of the
automobile industry begins to look
around and make inquiries as to what
the coming season may hold in store
in the way of new productions. refine
rnents of design or improvements IN
detail and when in possession OF the
facts. to consider his position In rela-
ton to indicated changes and their
possible bearing upon his commercial
or other interests.
The first opportunity of making a
personal survey Of the various oher-
fnRs of the leading automobile manu-
facturers of the country. says the
Horseless Age in analysing the 1916
tendency of design. will be afforded the
motoring public at the opening of the
great New York show in Grand Cen
trail Palace on December 81, under the
auspices of the National Automobile
Chamber of Commerce. However. a
sufficient number Of models have been
announced to date to get a fairly COM
plete idea of what the average 1916
car will represent mechanically.
Many Fights Listed.
The advent of the twelve cylinder
car as a commercial proposition and
at a reasonable price is no doubt
big event of the year, and in addition
TO this the increasing number OF
eiEhts listed for 1916 serves to empha-
size the rapidly growing popularity of
what may be termed the multicylinder
type of motor.
In recent years. pride of place has
invariably been held against all corners
by the four cylinder motor. 1t still
holds that place. but by a very bare
margin indeed, the six is pushing ii
closely. The six cylinder motor, how
ever. is not maintaining its gain of
this year. when it represented 49.l per
cent OF the total, as IL has dropped
back to 1923 per cent, a figure which
also represented its position in 1913.
The eight" which stood at the
almost negligible figure of .06 per cent
early this year, now looms large with
a percentage of 1886 per cent, and
the twelve" as a newcomer, starts
well with 6.3S per cent.
The growing popularity of the
small bore motor of relatively high
speed is strongly evidenced by the
fact that close on 20 per cent of the
cylinders of ~ inches or less, where
as this year no less than 747 per
rent of the cylinder bores were from
Sl1 inches to 41z inches. Cylinders
with bores of Az inches and over are
rapidly disappearing. as a glance at
1914, with 1913 per cent and this
year. with i4.6 per cent, will show
Nearly so per cent have cylinders
cast en- bloc and 1919 per cent of the
total are of L-head type, another de-
velopment indicated by the figures of
past years This year 694 per cent
of the cylinders have integral heads,
leaving sos per cent with separate
heads. The new figures indicate the
position is reversed. separate heads
leading with 6S.Ss per cent.
New Ignition Popular.
Battery and distributor ignition
continues to gain in popularity, be-
ing no doubt. aided in a measure by
the fact that electrical starting ana
lighting systems involving the use OF
a generator and storage battery are
in universal use. The available fig
ures show that no less than 1896
per cent specify this form of ignition.
Vacuum fuel feed. which. with a
percentage of ESQ occupied third po-
sition in 1915. has displaced both pres
sure and gravity systems and now
heads the list with 1888 pre- cent, fol-
lowed by gravity with 3O.65 per cent,
and pressure with 2Os6 per cent
The battle to decide the respective
merits Of the cone and the disc clutch
still continues the latter. with 5e.W per
cent being now slightly in front. This
is an increase over the present season.
when disc clutches represented 45.12 per
cent Of the total and it was apparently
the turn Of the cone clutch to lead the
way.
Perhaps the most sweeping victory Is
that Of the thTee-speed transmission.
which held a practically stationary posi-
ton in 1913 1914 and 1915. with an aver
age Of approximately IS per cent of the
whole II now monopolizes no 'ess than
% II per cent. -Four speeds have dropped
from 2f.7 per cent to So per cent. and
the remaining l.37 per cent is sufficient
TO take care of the twO-speed lot.
The semi-eIliptiC front spring is PraC
ticaIIy universal. but the three-Guarter
elliptic rear spring drops slightly. from
So per cent to J6.52 per cent, and the
cantilever type further strengthens its
position ny advancing from IL per cent
in 1914 and 10 per cent i'm 1915 to the per-
Centage of 21.73. shown in the new speci-
fcatiuns The platform rear spring has
receded slowly during the last couple Of
years and il continues to do so 1t
should. of course. he understood that the
foregoing figures are by no means final
and that they cannot he taken as actually
representative of all the 1916 productions.
They. however, accurately represent the
position at the present time. and thus
serve TO indicate the trend of design
which marks the 1916 automobile.