The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-28
SAYS POSTWAR GAR
IS TO Be LIGHTER
Marmon Vice president Gives HIS
Idea of Present Tendencies I'm Auto
mobile Convention.
By +. p. MosKoyICS,

By +. p. MOSKOVICS,
Vice president of the Nordykc & Nor
mon Company.
!. On November IL the armistice was
Aignsd, and up to that moment no cnp :,
TxtN4 WA.k taaz Syiy tpd1~srft "a ~,
Which followed the orders from Wash
angton ceUid possibly have Designed
and developed an automobile. Do not
forget that craftsmen. tool makers.
tool designers and, in fact. every metal
artisan, from the designer to the fin
shed tester, was busy with war.
therefore any concern which claims
during the period of war 1t designed
and developed postwar car admits
On the face of II that it verged very
closely to being exceedingly unpatri-
otto.
Bear In mind the element OF time
cannot be divorced from the design
and development OF a motor car Any
car that lie to be worthy of the name
postwar car must have in IL lessons
gathered from the war The war was
not over until November IL.
No designer in the world can design
and develop experiment models try
out these models. then turn them over
70 the factory and have the factory put
them into production without consid-
cradle time This varies from one
year In some factories TO several years
In others, but the element of time Is
utterly and absolutely necessary
Now. considerable Will be asked as
70 what Is "a postwar car. ] am gong
70 refer 10 some extracts from an ar
tcle entitled Mars shapes Industry's
friend" written by one of the best au-
thorities In the automobile industry. II.
A. Tarantous In the January number
OF Motor. First among headings he
brings out the following:
The Hot spots
Makers have learned better pro-
duction and manufacturing methods
Developments OF regular products
Retarded because OF war worA.
Work now In progress will result
IN cutting of car weights to starting
degree.
aluminium and pressed steel will
come In for greater use.
"Metallurgical knowledge gatr ed in
war period will be reflected in the cars
Of the uear future.
Engine and chassis fabrication
will be much improved.
Designs will be altered 70 lend
themselves to the lighter construc-
uoua
Fuel problem not so troublesome as
VA gined
Briefly those cars win be much
lighter than our present ones. they
will use more aluminium and pressed
steel parts they will have better bod
les be more comfortable, far more
economical. cheaper III price and
show q general refinement In detail all
through
Aluminium has had quite a bit to
say during these past few years.
Though it is known that a number OF
manufacturers have worked out alu-
Sninum engines with view TO Hight
eaing the chassis and getting better
cooling, there seems to he Z , especial
virtue in the former move unless the
rest of the chassis Is ilghtened accord
tngly. The aluminium engine certain
ly saves a hundred pounds or so OF
weight. tut do not believe that there
ever will he any great number OF such
engines in American GLASSES. What
khe maker must do is tighten the whole
chassis.
admittedly our chasses in general
are too heavy 4 certain few are enor-
knously heavy as com pared with others-
That these cars must he so heavy is
an adm lssion of q waste OF materials
ard Inability TO get riding comfort
without that weight
Lighter Construction.
aluminium and pressed steel must
conse into greater vogue as chassis
greather use ~ lighter materials. the
design must be altered TO lend itself
10 lighter construction The average
seven passenger car of today is high
ly inefficient when one considers the
ratio of it's load TO its weight The
trouble Is In many cases that the en-
tire chassis will have to be redesigned
ard this most makers hesitate 10 do.
I; IL supposed by a great many that
he heavier cars ride easier than the
lighter ones, but that is because of n
misa,n derstanding of tho fundamen
tails underlying easy riding. IT is not
result OF weight. though To hc sure
ANY very heavy car will ride easy. II
ia not meant that every light car is
better than the heavy one-Guite the
contrary but ii liz stated that the
whole run of chassis are G ntirely too
heavy and It has been shown It is pos
dble to tighten them by many hun
ired pounds and &c even better rid
ins qualities. With tho iightne -
comes better fuel economy. tires last
longer. the engine need not be so big
and powerful.
TN order to obtain the desired
lightness not only the larger parts Of
the chassis, such as the axles, frame.
<ng1ne, &c. but the small parts OF
these units must be attended to also.
pressed steel and aluminium parts
will further End their way into the
t,hasets with the result that our cars
81 : few years from now will be on
the average some 500 to 100 pounds
lightsE"
Smaller Car Unnecessary.
sFho vary FIRST thought in tbs
minds Of some engineers working In
~ direction II to decrease the wheel
ansA and made a smaller car and by
closer study Of the availability of
mace get the required room In the
hody and suitable body lines II the
ubjcct is given proper tn ought 1t viii
"a found that this is not entirely
necessary. A large car. that ia ono
n long whe eIbase and large body.
does not necessarily have to weigh
more han a short car. The public
Demands lot for 1t money and size
afways will he a desirable factor.
There Is n certain attachment for
ANAL vehicles by n certain class. but
NAT class could readily be .convartad
= the ideas of the others. II THE large
E.ars equal to the largest of today
rere as light in weight, as flexible and
Economical to operate as the smaller
rnes. This question Of added room
!. here inferred should not be con-