Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-25
TEST
BY CHEVROLET CAR
25 Miles Out of Gasoline With
-Four Ninety

Automobile owners and prospective
purchasers of motor cars will no doubt
he deeply interested in the statement
made recently by George b. zech, of
the City Auto Garage that he has,
under normal conditions, got as many
as 25 miles out of a gallon of gasoline
in the Chevrolet -Four Ninety" model
This car" says Mr.. Zech, 'is a
car that is on pedestal by itself. 1t
is car that is bound to be much in
demand because of its many features
and low cost of upkeep. 1t has a very
low and attractive body of the stream
line type with flush doors and con-
cealed hinges. one of the principal
features of the body is the fact that
the car is equipped with crown
Tenders"
At this point of the interview with
the Telegraph autom obile man, Mr..
zech ran across the salesroom and
jumped into the air., landing heavily
on the fender of the front part of the
car. 1t did not give a fraction of an
Inch, nor did the weight of the body
have any effect as regards to altering
the position of the fender in any way
The demonstration is one that few
statesmen or dealers representing cars
selling under $500 would care to make.
A peculiar feature in connection with
the tenders on the -Four Ninety is
that they are attached to the side of
the car, eliminating the use of an
apron. The peculiar method of Sc
curing the tenders does away with any
rafting when the car is being op-
Grated. The use of brake cables in
place of brake rods also tends to make
the car one without a rattle.
Unlike other low-priced cars the
-Four Ninety" is hand painted, care
ful attention being paid to the finish
ing OF the body. Mr.. Zech declares
lhat IL is common practice among
manufacturers of cars selling under
$500 to dip the bodies or apply the
paint and varnish with a spray system.
The interior finish of the car is also
good. The car also has a silk mohair
top and slip covers.
The windshield is of the double act
ing rain and wind protector type. All
instruments are mounted on the Cowl
dash, within easy reach of the driver
Following are some of the exclusive
features of the car. 1t has shock alb
sorbing, duplex front springs, making
1t an easy riding car, as the shock of
the road is easily taken up. 1t has
self-lubricating clutch collar eliminat-
ing clutch collar troubles, such as fric-
uon, heating and wear, reverse of the
ordinary construction, il has the rear
wheel bearing on the wheel hub, and
the bearing is three times the size
used in ordinary aXles. 1T has n COM
pound steering gear. The axle is of
the three-quarter floating type.
The engine in this Chevrolet model
is attracting attentions. 1t is of the
Valve-in-head type, but is different i'm
many respects. IT has a detachable
head which contains all the valve me-
chanism that can be easily disconnect-
ed, permitting the grinding of valves
and removal of carbon at bench. 1t
has utmost accessibility to all parts
and is very simple in construction.
The car is equipped with the double
unit starting and lighting system, built
into the car. A Zenith carburetor is
used. This type of carburetor has no
spring adjustments, there being only
single thumb screw for adjusting.
The transmission is of the selectiye
type, three speeds forward and re-
verse. The shifting device is easy to
operate and is of the kind usually
found In cars demanding much more
money.
In addition to the -Four Ninety"
the Chevrolet Motor Company is Of
ferinE Baby Grand touring. type IT.
for $3.50 f. o. b. Flint, Mich. This
car has all the standard equipment,
plenty of power and many refine
ments. 1t is car that should be a big
demand.
on September % last, following the
apjtalization of the Chevrolet
Motor Company into a $2O,OOO.OOO
corporation, and with view to silenc-
ing the rumor that the General Motors
Company was about to absorb the
Chevrolet Motor Company w. c.
Durant issued the following statement
to the newspapers:
There is not enough money in this
country to buy Chevrolet or Consoli-
dated Chevrolet, or take from our
little crowd control of Chevrolet. The
Chevrolet is my newest. latest and
best-prized baby, dedicated to and
controlled by the men who built it up
against terrific odds.
The significance of this statement is
Just becoming apparent. 1t was
argued by many that inasmuch as Mr..
Durant and his friends were in con-
troll of both General Motors and
Chevrolet consolidation was in
evitable, but it was the general i'm
preston that the only possibility of
consolidation would be through
General Motors absorbing Chevrolet.
The idea of Chevrolet absorbing the
controlling interest in General Motors
evidently slipped most peoples
minds.