Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-11-14
OVERLAND 4 PUT
THROUGH HARD TESTS
DRIVEN go 0oo MILES N TWO
YEARS UNDER MOST TRYING
CONDITIONS.

The testing of motor cars. Ike the
building of motor cars, has under
gone marked advancement during
the last few years. New standards
have been created and new mechan-
ical testing devices have been per.
fected to keep pace with the devel-
opment of the automobile itself
1t remained for the WHY'S over
land company, however, to supply
the supreme test to its latest model,
Overland 4, which has just been an
nounced. This test, it is believed.
has established new standards of
testing and refinement of details to
make car practically perfect me-
chanically before it goes to an owner.
The history of the development,
building and testing of Overland 4.
which introduces the new three,point
spring suspension. covers a period of
years. The car is the product of
decade of progressive engineering
achievement toward the ideal light
weight car; of years intensive en-
gineering experiment and two years
actual demonstration and test in all
kinds Of weather and all sorts OF
roads.
During the two years of test, Over
land 4 was given 100000 miles of
actual road demonstration. That's
ten times around the world before
single car went on the market
These tests were of great value to
the engineering and the production
departments of the WHY'S Overland
company and, finally. to the man who
buys the car. A staff of engineers
studied the car during these $50, 900
miles of test to determine every re-
finement and improvement that
might be necessary to make the car
when it went on the market free
from service troubles and of assured
economy in operation and perfect
ease of riding because of the new
three point springs.
The value of 100000 miles of ex-
haustive testing may further be
judged from the comparison with
the usual custom of sending a new
car into the market after it has been
pounded on roads in some $4,000 to
$4,000 miles Of demonstration. Over
land 4, it is said, is the first car that
has gone on the market with q pedi- !
gree Of perfect production after two1
years of constant testing
The section of the country picked
for these tests was in natures labo-
ratory of the southwest-Colorad
New Mexico and Arizona. There
nature seems unfinished, a rough,
rock-strewn, tortured country. 1t |
was there that the engineers decided
that the new three point suspension
springs could be given . supreme
test of the unexcelled ease Of riding |
which they have now introduced.
Accordingly feet of Overland Is
were sent into this section. A stan |
Of engineers accompanied the cars to |
watch every hour of performance. In
Colorado the cars were set to work
scaling mountain sides. twisting and
turning around the hairpin turns of
the precipitous cliff and mountain
sides and rolling over the boulder
strewn roads. There was plenty of
mud-seas of it, thick and sticky as
glue. hub and running board deep.
In New Mexico there were great
stretches Of deep, shifting sand,
which threaten to rack and twist the
frames OF ordinary motor cars. In
Arizona there were great stretches
OF plain, innumerable river streams
to ford, worse mud than ever before
and stretches of road that were so
rough and tortuous that they resem-
bled saw-tooth blades of scraggy,
sharp rocks. No better testing
ground can be found than in the
Rocky Mountains.
Over these roads Overland was
pushed to the utmost. Days were
spent in mud, in streams. twisting
through rocky defiles, scaling boul-
der-sprinkled hill and moutain sides.
The drivers were amazed night after
night with their freedom from ia
tigue because of the easy riding of
the cars due to the wonderful three
point spring suspension.
The cars were found in perfect
mechanical condition after each ex-
animation by the engineers The
three point springs had saved the
cars, had given new ease and COM
fort to the d rivers; the balanced
light construction had conquered the
worst of the roads; the power of the
car itself had pulled it out of road
situations in which horses were
found hopelessly mired and dozens
Of automobiles were passed, sunk
deep and immovable
While these tests were going on,