The Washington herald., 1922-09-17
BODIESlOF AUTOS
PATTERNED AFTER
ANCIENT CARRIAGE
Modern Designs Proved
Impractical and Failed
To Meet Favor.

z. w. Goodwin, one of the hest
known automobile body designers in
the country. a pioneer of the indus
try, who has made a lifelong study
o. his work. and at present consult
ing engineer of the body division
Of the Maxwell Motor Corporation,
points out that almost every motor
car type known today is a direct
descendant OF some carriage body
in vogue for centuries. A few
bodies. entirely new in conception.
years, but these variations have not
cOrding to Goodwin. and have failed
to survive in popular favor.
Carriage bodies. as known before
the day of automobiles. were the re-
suit of centuries of development"
Goodwin states. "Often these We
hicles were of simple. sometimes Of
very elaborate design, dependent
upon the transportation require
ments Of the owner and his position
in society.
Needed strong body.
1T was natural when the auto
mobile was introduced that the body
types should follow identically those
of the horse-drawn vehicles Soon
1t was found. however, that the au-
tomobile demanded a body OF
stronger, more durable construction,
due to the great mileage made pos
sible by the motor. and the greater
speed. The need for quantity pro-
In N ha
in design and manufacturing meth
DDS.
In less than twenty-five years the
art Of body building progressed in far
greater measure than ii had in sew
eral previous centuries Appearance
was bettered, construction improved.
production methods greatly ad-
vanced. but the body as a type--de-
temined by passenger carrying ca
pacity, number of passenger com
partments and the extent of side
and overhead protection to passen-
gers-has known no new develop
ments. a brougham is as truly
brougham today as was Lord
Brougham's famous carriage; a lam
daulet is as certtinly a landaulet as
those vehicles which were originated
in the city of Landau. Their names
may have changed. but not their
types.
Buyers Demand Beauty.
Neither has there been any de-
Walton in the aims and purposes of
coach builders throughout the
years. Always development has
been toward greater utility an1
GtA
and comfort without extravaganza.
Motor body builders have adhered
to this thought. Every resource Of
and every facility or
has been exercised to
meet the public demand for sturdy.
reliable vehicles OF beauty and sim
pie luxury. For example. in develop
ing the good Maxwell coupe and Sc
dan. types which have become most
popular here because they have best
met tho conditions OF American cit
mate, highway and motoring de-
we understood that We must
build for strength and lasting serv-
ice. answer at once the cry for beauty
and grace. offer every convenience
and comfort. combine simple ele-
gance with pure efficiency and vet
not burden the purchaser with eN-
cessive initial or maintenance costs.
1T is possible that some morning
we will awaken to behold some va
sically new body style. but not until
the requirements of motorists insist
upon a fundamental change. In the
meantime body builders may con-
tinue to christen their product 9c-
Cording TO their fancy refnementS
may he instituted, appointments may
be made more complete. but il re-
mains a fact that bodies have not
chan ged in type. nor has the public
demand which inspired those types"