The Washington herald., 1916-01-09
THE AUTO IN WASHINGTON
Economic M" Gurn
MOTOR GOSSIP
By asp GROGAN.

Dear Bo-Really too bad that you did
not get the chance to slip away from the
office long enough to visit the New York
shows-for, as you know, there were two
shows-the big one at the Grand Central
Palace and the importers salon at the
Astor. OId-timers who have never missed
a gathering of this kind admit that they
explain in detail just what was there and
what it looked like would be an awful
undertaking; in fact, l doubt If anyone
could really get away with the Job.
or course, the Grand Central Palace
contained the greatest number of exhibits.
Two floors of this mammoth buliding
were given entirely to the display OF
motor cars, and there was small over
flow on the third floor. The remainder
of this floor and the entire fourth moor
were occupied by the accessory manufac-
turers. At the importers salon there
were a few American cars displayed. but
the remainder were foreign. At the show.
several body-builders displayed various
types of their art. both mounted ON
chassis loaned for the purpose and sepa-
rately. If there was anything at either
of the two shows that would not suit the
tastes of the most fastidious in the way
of motors, bodies or accessories / did not
see it, and l believe that l saw every
thing that was to be seen.
One thing very noticeable was the fact
that all manufacturers. without exception,
have done everything in their power not
only to make their cars attractive to the
eye but comfortable as well. While no
one has gone to the extreme Of sacrificing
any element OF safety by the Tightening
of any part Of the car to the point OF
danger, all have made changes of one
sort or another that tend to reduce the
weight.
To try to tell you about the different
body designs, describing them in detail
would require a coach maker. I will
content myself with saying that, in gen
eral, they are all of the so-called yacht
| line effect very pleasing to the eye
| This applies to both touring cars and
roadster types. In the roadster there
Is something really new and distinctive
| 1t is a three-seated car and goes by
| the general name of the clover-leaf type
| of body. Many OF this design have two
separate seats and one small seat d.
| rectly back of the forward ones but ir
the space between or aisleway, as il
were Some few have this rear seat
| built large enough for two. Certainly
| makes for chummyness. Closed type cars
are also more in evidence this season
than ever before. or course, the linn.
| CUISINE and landulet have long been with
U.S. but the convertible or all-year type
| of car Is of recent origin.
In motors, eights and twelves seen
| to predominant. 1t is the opinion Of
| hat 80 ae
| will. from now on, command the field
Engineers who support this contention
claim that anything that tends to re
duce the vibration will naturally bt
| adopted In the motor car and that there
| is no question but what this Is the case
| with these multiple cylinder motors
On the other hand, there are those who
| still stick to the six-cylinder, and an
| nounce that, after repeated tests with
/, twelves, they have found the six to bt
| the best. One manufacturer who form.
| erly built some skies has gone back t.
| his four-cylinder any claims the small
| bore long g-stroke, high-speed motor is
| after all, the most flexible. Perhap.
| they are all correct; l do not know. and
| will not try to argue one way or the
| other.
OF course. no car today is considered
complete without Its speedometer, horn,
or electric lighting and starting system.
| Also. there are other things in the way
| of accessories that can be put on car.
| In fact, there are so many of them ii
| is impossible to or rather would be en-
/ tirely out OF reason to even hope to put
| one small fraction or them on the car.
| They have even got 1t down to the
point now where you can drop a nickel
| In the slot and have your gasoline meas
| ured out OF carbureters, there are
many, and just as many different makes
| of spark plugs to fire the charge after
it has been properly mixed and sucked
| in the combustion chamber. Likewise,
| there are many carbon removers for use
| IL your gas or oil are not Of the best.
To hear the oil men talk you would not
| think there was any need of worry about
a carbon knock in the motor II you only
used their goods.
Do not ask who was there from Wash
| ington. They were all there, that is
the trade at some time during the week.
| In addition, there were many private
owners among those present.
That's about all