New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-13
MAGNETIC CAR
INTERESTS MEN
OF PROMINENCE
More Than Fifty Already
Sold to Well Known
New Workers.
MADE IN MANHATTAN
FOR A SELECT TRADE
A Distinct Departure from Every
Other Automobile in
the Market.

The Owen Magnetic car is attracting
the attention Of many we'll known and
influential men. About fifty machines
most of them fitted with bodies Of spe-
cial design, have been placed in and
around New York. Several Of them
we're frequently seen at Belmont Park
during the last race meet, particularly
6 striking model owned by r. 7. Will
son. Others which have appeared on
Fifth Avenue and in Central Park are
owned By II. L. Whitney, Stoughton A.
Fletcher, Roy A. Rainey, George Lyons!
Lawrence Durant, II. Bellas Hess and
W. Van r. Whitehall.
The fact that men Of this type are
buying a car which Is complete de-
parture from all conventional practice
in motor car construction is interesting
from several angles.
The idea employed in the Owen Mag
netic is by no means new. Eight years
ago ]. b. Entz, the inventor Of the
Entz system, produced for the Electric
Vehicle Company gas car which was,
like the Owen Magnetic, controlled by
electricity.
Like many good things, 1t was far
ahead of the times. Numerous OBJ,
stacles arose to prevent its commercial
success. 1t was not then possible, for
example, for the designer to do cleo
trically great many things which sub
sequent electrical invention has made
perfectly simple and practical:
In the Owen Magnetic Mr.. Entz has
taken advantage Of forces which other
automobile engineers have either over
looked or been compelled to disregard
because their factories were tied to the
necessity of promoting and perfectlng
mechanical transmission and control.
During the several years which have
elapsed between the production of his
first car and the Owen Magnetic Mr.
Entz has held steadfastly to his early
theory that the ultimate car will be
propelled and governed. as he puts It.
'in q thousand speeds" by the power
Of the gas engine electrically con-
trolled.
He presents, therefore, not new
but rather a perfected. simplified gas
car which Is controlled by electricity
He has completely discarded the me,
chanical transmission, the clutch and
the gear shift and added without com,
plication an electric brake TO the usual
service brakes.
"Some of our friends in the indus
try" says Z. S. Partridge, Owen Mag
netic sales manager, "in answering the
popular demand for fexibility are Of
fcring TO the public eight and even
twelve cylinder cars. We must give
them credit for the fact that they
would not have added all these addl'
ticnal cylinders were il not for this
public demand for fexibility.
"In the case Of the twelve-cyllnder
car they have added six more cylinders
with ali the reciprocating parts. addi-
+ional carburetor connections, ignition
connections. etc. They still have the
lighting and starting system, clutch
clutch pedal and gears, whereas we
simplv take the lighting and starting
units. consisting Of a generator ana a
motor. and make these larger and have
these units give us feXibility that is
far greater than can be obtained re-
pardless of any number OF cylinders
reciprocating parts, clutch, cIutGn
pedal and gears. We are proving TINS
every day. ~ a.,
Magnetic into the crowded trarhC o.
Fifth Avenue and, if necessary, DRIVE
so slowly that one has 70 look over
the edge of the automobile and watcn
tho ground or some stationary OBJECT
otbeTwise there would be no indication
that the car was moving; everything Is
so quiet. -, ILL.,, :; .ho
ne;ebborhood of twenty-five to thirty
cars and from now on I believe that
we will be able TO take orders for reea-
scnabiy early delivery. We are de-
pending on our customers to sell our oI
cars for us now, as we are like the
nroverbial cobbler and his shoeless
Children. The men who own them
ave- telling their friends Of the delights
Of driving an owen Magnetic car Of 2
thousand speeds and not "a thousand