The New York herald., 1920-01-06
Ia FAYETTE IN
GOOD HANDS
IN NEW YORK
rfIgfl T. Porter, Distributor of New
Car. Made by Former Cadillac
Men, Also a Cadillac Official.
by HUGH r. PORTER.
(MetropoIitnn Distributor Lafayette
Motors COmpunyb.


There is one feature Of the new La
Fayette that made a very great impress
sion on me when 1 first saw the car short
~ before Christmas.
That feature is the limitless opportunity
which the Lafayette chassis affords FOR
the finest OF coach work.
1t is my belief. based on an experience
OF six years Of selling automobiles in the
metropolitan market. that there is an un-
dercurrent of dissatisfaction among New
York buyers due to the fact that there
has been no American car that would lend
itself to hat distinctive type of coach
work for which the best of European
cars are noted.
Both the chassis frame and the centre
Of car gravity has been too high. The
shane of the frame also has hindered the
designers OF special bodies in the fuilest
expression of their craftsmanship. Conse-
quently the bodies that have been de-
signed for American chassis nave not
eoualled the best of European cars In the
artistic details that contribute TO an ar
tistic ensemble.
Favette I am confident. will meet with
in,rnediate and enthusiastic favor from
those many metropolitan buyers VINO nave
found the American cars lacking In IN.
utmost snartnesS that they desire, anu
who rightly regard the European cars no
matter how distinctive they may De- ini-
practical for use in this country.
The chassis of the LaFayette' LOT eA
annie. fundamentally affords inspiration
for the creation of torpedo or open spo't !
bodies that will be both road hugglns anu
deep sided and in which neither coIilore
nor sensible accommodations need De sac
rificed for the low effect that models OF
this type must have.
In designing sport cars of low appear
ance II is the common practice TO have
the body sides measure from y TO ZSta
inches in height Since these cars are
usually deeply cushioned, the low SIDES
make imperative the putting of the SEATS
too close to the floor for physical comfort
and a sense of riding security.
The Lafayette, however, affords the
possibility of designing a low sport car
with body sides 26 inches in depth. This
car, moreover will provide the comfort
that can only be enjoyed when one is
riding i'm }uxuriously cushioned, well
protected body :,
In the development of distinctive closed
cars. the body designer often has been
forced to sacrifice head room to attain the
appearance of lowness, and in some in
stances, he has had to increase the over
all height of the car to a point out of
proportion with the other dimensions.
The overall height of a Lafayette closed
car however, need never be more than Il
or rs inches. with ample head room pro-
vided and the low exterior appearance
preserved
The Lafayette chassis, in fact, will be
an inspiration to the coach builder. The
layout is extremely simple and sensible.
The frame is low swung so that bodies
need not be distorted to secure fit. En-
treme care was taken in the design of
such a small but important unit as the
radiator In order that no limitations would
be placed on the body builder in his work.
The design of most cars on the market
today Is strongly influenced by the shape
of the radiators, which were designed, in
most instances, long before Americans
gave much serious thought to artistic
work and which are now regarded as too
valuable as trade marks to be changed.
The Lafayette radiator, l believe, has
been designed with the thought of proper
body design and a coordination with the
body lines behind il. One salient feature
of this radiator is the high shoulders, or
upper corners. In the past. these shoulders
on many radiators have dropped down so
far that 1t has been necessary to distort
hood and body lines. The body design,
in other words, has been automatically
restricted by radiator design.