The Washington times., 1922-06-11
CLOsEDN0DE[S
GROWING MORE
P0PULARlNU.s.
Engineers Trying Production
Scheme 10 Cut Prioe Of
DystIsss Cars.

The final slimination Of the pres
snt DAY fAmiiy touring car. the sub
stitution Of new closed models ana
ths development Of open models
along spcrt car lines. together With
price changes. are the plans Of some
u the leading automotive engineers
q the country. !. ,l 4
Nearly an the major motor car
producers Of the country have come
20 . point whore they believe that
the sales Of touring cars are going
20 bo les and less and the demand
Oreaeingly greater. The reason for
Shis, II y said, II an the year adapt
abiiity Of the coupe and sedan,
cleanliness while touring, easy facili-
tieg N meeting weather changes and
ths greater comfort they afford
WIN Reduce Prico.
Ths engineers are now trying TO
aevise q production scheme which
wiil allow them drastically TO reduce
the price Of closed cars to within q
hundred dollars or 20 Of the open
car figures and at the sumo time
Sales records show the family man
and five passenger coupe and the
larger sedan, II his family happens
90 b large or he does Q great deal
Of touring.
To those who really want an open
ear for summer touring and city
driving the manufactures are find
ing that the longer and lower slung
sport models are meeting with
greater popularity.
Il 10 for this reason that the Pack
ard recently heightened the wheel
base 6f the single SIX and slung It
several inches lower, and the same
reason prompted the General Motors
70 make important changes In near
~ an their models. The Buick five
passenger sport model and sport
roadster has made It's appearance;
( the Oakland has been slung lower
and made Of more racy lines; the
|, Cadillac phaeton IN the newest mod
els - also lower and o strictly sport
model In the Oldsmobile has been
put on the market
Liberty Oar Changed.
The Liberty makes also hare rad
tally Changed. their car. making Il
lower. longer and heavier and at the
same time giving Il an appearance
Of speed and power. The 1923 mod
els Of the Studebalser are also to be
siuns lower. It II reported at their
factories. -.'
Nearly every factory, II at work
on, three types OF closed models for
the use Of the family man. There
Is TO- be the so-called business coupe
which 10 strictly two-seated ve-
hicle; there is TO be the. four. ana
five-passenger coupe for touring pur-
poses and for those who would buy
q small touring car; there II to be
the ssven-passenger sedan and then
Of course there win be the usual
high-priced sedans and limousines
for touring and the closed town car
models. NJ.
The question of price reductions
IN the closed models 10 what is now
occupying the attention OF the large
manufacturers who assert that they
cannot possibly meet the public's de-
msnd for q closed car at q price
nearly equal to the open car model
and still finish II. In the Same man
ner they now do. Engineers hope
THAT this can be accomplished by
quantity production and radical
changes in the factory methods now
employed.
To meet this condition. until me-
cessary alterations can be made. the
Franklin and Dodge are putting out
the so-called convertible roadster"
which embodies the open car fea-
lures ana sends the machine from
the factory equipped with what
practically amounts to the winter
top. Only q step from this condi.
ton to the real closed car at low
price Is seen by the engineers at