The Washington times., 1919-12-20
NEW CARS TO Be
MUCH IMPROVED
Attention Being Paid to
Body Design and Other
Details.
BY Fl. A. TARAvTOUS,
MANAGING Editor Of Motor.

While 1t is q little too early to ex-
pect the automotive engineering
world to have recovered from the
shock of war, which called for pro-
duction rather than design. the New
York and Chicago Automobile shows,
nevertheless, will give us q really
good conception of what has been
dome to make our passenger automo-
bile better. Briefly, the greatest at
tention has been given to body de-
sign, to engines and to chassis de-
tail, while clutches, transmissions,
steering and axles already highly re-
fined. have received practically no at
tention. There are certain move
ments apparent with respect to uni
versal joints, and to wheels, but aside
from these the underneath parts of
the car are as they were. This Is not
to say they will not be bettered in q
year or SO, but that there has not
been the time to permit engineers to
get to every part OF the car.
On every hand the cost Of keeping
a car is spoken Of more than the cost
Of buying. I look forward to seeing
a great many small lightweight cars,
such as the average man can afford
to buy, and, above all, to operate.
Europe has over forty Of these makes
which II produced in quantity here
would be the cheapest sort Of cars.
Attention to Details. -
In looking over the new produc-
tions one Is impressed with the great
attention to the smaller items Of
equipment, to such things as doors
and door handles. cowl boards, instru-
ments and rendering. Changes of this
sort are not costly and are made
much more easily than one involving
the making of a new, expensive die.
In the desire to give the lar q semb-
lance Of newness the body has been
attacked and there is a bewildering
array Of conceptions"
For the most part the designers
have adhered to the basic lines shown
last year In such numbers. This body
has q high hood, usually with an
angle at each side. the line Of the
angle meeting the top edge OF the
body. Hoods have more louvres, wind
shield supports are more substantial
and shields are much in evidence and
a few concerns have taken UP small
built-in side pieces attached to the
windshield. This form will undoubt-
edly be standard equipment in q few
years.
A few years ago car makers were
producing 10 per cent enclosed models
and the remainder open. This was
q fair average. Today. as one will
see at the shows, the enclosed mod
els will constitute two-thirds Of the
models and In production close to
40 per cent The Sedan is the most
popular Of the familiar cars and the
brougham or town car leads among
the chauffeur-driven models. 1t is
apparent that the coupelet, so-called,
has had a very short existence; just
why 1t Is very difficult to see, for it
seemed to serve the purpose of the
coupe and at the same time possessed
other advantages.
Power Output Greater.
There are considerably more over
head-valve engines and those that are
not new have been improved, espe-
cially SO far as fabrication is concern
ed. Power output is greater on the
average engines though displacement nj
has not varied much. The fuel prob
lem has brought about a vast num-
Der of changes in manifolding, and
practically every engine has some
means OF heating, the mixture.
Some wonderful examples of ad.
vanced engineering will appear al
the shows. refer to such new prac-
tices as bearings without shims, aud
new designs OF high-pressure oilinR