The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-05-02
WILLYS-kN iii CARS
DO THEIR BIT

Mary Piekford's use Of her WHY'S
night car in leading the recent Red
Cross drive In San FraIcisco was pe-
culiaIly appropriate. as the Knight
motor has Won conspicuous lauTeis on
ell European battle fronts 1t was tie
Knight motor that drove he British
tanks through barbed wire entangle-
ments across German trenches and
over the Hindenberg lire at Cambria.
The brilliant military achievements
Of the knight motor bring to mind its
very romantic history, says }. K.
FOrden, Of the local Willys-Knight and
Overland agency.
In 1903 Charles Y knight, then of
Chicago now of Pasadena, applied
steam engine principles 10 automobile
mechanics and the result was the
Knight sleeve valve motor. American
manufacturers were slow to adopt the
new type Of engine. Why should they,
tney reasoned spend thousands of dol
lars to install the machinery necessary
to build motor which might, or might
not, prove to be an improved type.
when the American public was already
buying with alacrlty all the poppet
valve motors they could build? Ii was
two years before the knight motor
was first installed in an automobile.
A year later knight took his inven-
tioa TO Europe The leading automo
bile manufacturers Of England. the
Daimler Company, put the new motor
through the most gruelling tests and
finally adopted it for use in Daimler
made cars. Following quickly on the
heels Of this triumph the leading man.
ufacturers of other European countries
put the Knight motor through similar
tests and adopted it for use in their
cars. Prominent among these were
the Minerva Of Belgium, Mercedes of
Germany and Panhard of France.
/ Probably no other American inveu-
tion has ever scored such triumph in
I the field of European commerce.
The Knight motor was such a sensa-
! tion that it was suggested that an
Official test be made by the highest
authority in the world, the ROYAL
Automobile club of Great Britain. The
most severe trial that had ever been
! applied to any motor was decided up
on. Two Knight motors were driven
on a testing rack five and one-half
days at moderate speed, each motor
pulling one third more than its rated
horsepower. The motors were then
mounted in stock touring cars and
driven 1000 miles on the Brooklands
track at ~ miles an hour-a nonstop
run of AS hours. After a final five
hour block test it was found that each
motor had actually gained about 10 pen
cent in horsepower The triumph OF
the knight motor was complete. Or
ders were Immediately placed by the
royal households of the leading coun
tries Of Europe for Knight motorec
ears. Among the European potentates
who use Knight motored cars are the
kings of England, Belgium, Spain
Norway, Sweden and Greece, the EN-
peror Of Japan and the rulers of sew
eral other countries whom it is not de
sirable to mention, in view Of the
present international unpleasantness.
In June, 1914, at the Isle of Man in
ternational road races, team of thre,
Knight motored cars defeated all com
peting teams, including the flower o
the poppet-valye industry. The dis
tance was 600 miles over torturou
curves and mountain grades. The
winning knight motored cars main
tanned an average speed of 80 mile
an hour on all level stretches. Onl,
three of the l6 poppet-valve entrant
finished the race. All of the Knlgh
motored cars finished in excellent con
dtion.
John N. WHY'S began making nigh
motored cars in 1914 and established
separate Knight factory at Elyria
Ohio. In 1915 British engineers Sc
iected the knight motor as standar
equipment for all British tanks. Thi
was one Is, the greatest compliment
ever paid to any motor, as absolut
iependability and efficiency are NOR
necessary in the tank than in any othe
motor driven vehicle. Knight motor
are also used IN the high speed armore
ears OF the allies.