Evening star., 1923-01-07
BODY BUILDING
SEESFEW CHANGES
Fundamentals Have Been
About Same for Several
Hundred Years.

Motor body construction, which TO
the eye has changed enormously in
decade. in reality has changed but
little in several hundred years as far
as the principles of body framing and
bracing are concerned. Methods Of
manufacture, of course, have been
vastly improved and thoroughly mod
ernized, in America. at least, to meet
the demands of large scale produc-
tion; appearance has been so altered
that beauty, durability and utility for
all types of services are well COM
bined, but the raw frame of a motor
car body built today and the skeleton
of a kings coach of the middle ages
would easily pass for blood kin in
virtually all details of construction.
studies Coach Work.
This is the statement of +. w
Goodwin. consulting engineer of Max
well Motor Corporations body divi-
sion, who has just returned from two
months in Europe, during which time
he visited the Paris and London du-
tomobile shows and the factories Of
leading motor car manufacturers and
coach builders in England France and
Belgium lie also visited the muse
ums which hold the finest examples
of coach work.
In the Palace of Kings in Versailles.
Mr.. Goodwin made a close inspection
of g.orgeously appointed vehlcle
used in the coronation ceremonies OF
French kings in the middle ages, and
again brought to use by Napoleon
upon the ocCa sion of his marriage to
Josephine This carriage Is orna-
mented with solid gold. Hand-caryed
figures adorn the top. The harness is
of gold. Genuine tapestry IS used
throughout for upholstery. i'aint-
ings are on the side panels, done by
the leading artists of the day. Yet
the framework OF this regal affair,
built centuries ago. is no different t
than is to be found in high grade
motor car body of approved cOnstruc-
tion.
Equipment Lacking.
Mr.. Goodwin states that European
builders are not in position to avail
themselves of the advantages OF large
scale production in body building.
They have neither the. equipment nor
the manufacturing system. They build
today in about the same manner that
specially designed jobs are manufac-
tured here-a slow, costly system that
has been made complete in this coun-
try by modern machinery and
The present demand for cars of the
closed type in France has not dc-
.Yanced in the same proportions mat
IT has in the Dnl1eQ states. lie SbtS
on. Open cars or closed cars of the
collapSibIe type are the most pnpu-
lar The English closed-cIr demand
is increasing. but principally Tor cars
of the landaulet type.
Motorists ExactinG.
In no country. Mr.. Goodwin claims,
are motorists SO eXacting IN their Ge-
mands for quiet operation as here. lie
relates the story of trip with an
English motoriSt who was driving
large, expensive car of foreiEn make.
That car was unusually NOISY, SAID
Mr. Goodwin THE axle was howl
ing and the motor gears gave ftrth
sounds that came and went III crCS-
cendos that depended upon :hc speed
of the car. / called the owner at
tention to the fact that his car seemed
to be doing more than its share OF
noise e-making l suggested little
oil. He was angry He felt that re
needed to express his ceilings ana
did it, with. ! wouldn't give a snap
for one Of these fool Yankee cars that
YOU cawnt tell when the motors
running Perhaps he was sincere in
his statement. and perha 2s that IS
why European makes are not par GcE-
larly quiet But the fact that Am@Ti-
cans demand quiet Operatin1 has re
suited in their getting Il. We can
undoubtedly learn from Europe, and
1t is just as true that Europe can
learn from us