The New York herald., 1920-01-04
Automobiles and Shows as They Are
and as They May Be.

AsA hut Z Win net be classified as an
automobile If it weighs less than ene
thousand pounds.
Any engineer ceuid design an automobile
which would be 50 light that a man. could
easily lift it around. but when the gentle
man started to step on his gas he would
land sunnyside up In the upper works Of
a shady elm tree.
It is perfectly truo that . tight car
would he ideal when you consider the
fuel saving possibilities, also tho opportu-
nifty, perchance, OF buying raid machine
bv the pound But the fact Is people love
speed and they love to be swayed about
easily with comfortable motion which can
be attained only by perfect balance OF
car. Balance does not como In tho same
package with speed when you contemplate
a bunch OF feathers. Exhaust steam
floats gracefully through the cool air, but
the unfortunate thing about 1t, doesn't
get any where. Neither will the car
which IS built with lightness as the dom
inant idea in the design.
On the other hand. Il cannot be denied
that some Of the cars on the market to-
day are too heavy. There are. in other
words. two extremes and both are faulty.
The car of the future will doubtless be q
car of medium weight. That is to say.
the commonly used car. but there will
probably always be certain number OF
buyers for very heavy. luxurious automo-
biles. The successful automobile designer
of the future will not run to any great ex-
tremes. particularly in the matter OF
weight
New designs will be interesting. but
changes from present design will be grad
ual so gradual that they will blend as
they appear. A manufacturer could not
alter so much as the exterior appearance
of his car tomorrow and get away with It.
Both mechanical and body refinements
will be merely refinementS. The pubic
is well set in its idea as to what car
should look like and how it should per-
form. You cannot buck the popular con-
ception of style and performance.
1t is pathetic thing to see the process
sion of inventors swarming about the
automobile industry. Hardly a one with
the ghost of a chance to get look IN on
the big gate money. 1t is stiIl more dis.
tressing to Sc men and women dumping
their good money into ideas which will
never be any but ideas.
There are some advanced automobile
designs rotting away in American auto
mobile building plants than could be util-
lied In a thousand years. II any we'll
known car builder SO desired he could
bring out something sensationally new
every day. but he would go broke inside
of a year.
One OF tho most successful car builders
7 know tells me that he never applied
anything new to his car in his life and
never intends to be pioneer In that d.
rection. After the other fellow has spent
his money to prove that design is right
this wise man adopts it-as nearly as he
can, without going to court and maun-
factures it just a little cheaper than the
pioneer. This manufacturer Is regarded
as one OF the sherwdest in the industry
and he has made all the money he can
handle.
If you visit the big automobile show this
week in the Grand Central Palace, where
passenger cars and accessories are on ex-
hibition. and in the Eight Coast Artillery
Armory. where commercial vehicles and
their accessories are shown. you will be
delighted with the progress which has
been made by the motor vehicle builders
since the war closed. but you will see
very few, II any, freaks. The commercial
vehicle show will be very interesting to
every man who Is in business which needs
better hauling facilities. 1t will, in fact.
be the finest exhibition and the most in
structive and helpful ever arranged for
transportation people. 1t will be far more
than truck show; going deeply into the
broad subject OF better roads and more
economic methods.