San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-11
They Are So Typical Of
Our Country and So Ex-
pressive of Our Prog
ress-Great Contrast Be-
tween First Show and
Motor Exhibition of To-
day.
(From Durant's Standard. 10

tr rum Durd0l SIdnOdIO.J
There is nothing so typically Amer
ican-so expressive of the advance
ment which we as n country have
made in engineering science. in crafts
manship and in manufacturers the
annual automobile shows which have
become yearly events of great inter-
est to millions throughout the United
States.
1t is interesting to contrast the mo-
tor car exhibits which will be held
during the coming months in all the
larger cities with the exhibits of the
same character which were conducted
20 years ago.
Z Each succeeding show in those
early days saw the introduction OF
some radical departure in the accepted
practices of automotive design of that
time. And the exhibition of those
last words in horseless carriages"
was always a noteworthy event. In
light of present developments, it is
amusing to review the claims which
were made for some of them,-and the
heated controversies they occasioned.
But it was intensely serious business
in those pioneer days. Yet, after all,
it is interesting as we view the as
9mblage Of modern motor cars this
year, housed in many instances. IN
the same exhibition halls where their
predecessors so proudly held forth, to
consider the enthusiasm which perme-
ated both engineers and laymen as
they visioned the wonders Of these
unprecedented Improvements.
First Show interesting.
II flying machine had alighted
on the roof of Madison Square Gar
den at that time, it would not have
caused a bit more excitement than
did the appearance Of the first sue
cessful two-cylinder motor in that
building. This was the horseless car
riage which crowded the old zone
hunger" with its leather dashboard.
whip socket and carriage wheels, off
the stage of public approval. And
will a visitor to one of those early
shows ever forget the amazement
which attended the introduction of
those first motor cars, designed by n
group of venturesome engineers VINO
defied all the honored traditions of the
past, and offered for the first time n
style of body whose lines were COM
pletely divorced from the old familiar
contour of the family horse-drown car
riage?
Then equally interesting were the
claims advanced by pioneer builders
for various types of cars. How serious
and plausible appeared the merits Of
the three-wheel motor carriage which
looked for all the world like an over
grown velocipede. And how the press
and trade papers throughout the ma
ton featured the amazing perform
ance of that wonder vehicle which
actually negotiated built-up incline
on the roof of Madison Square Garden
under its own power.
Indeed, those early days were col
.orful, marked with such glamour and
Romance as only the sprouting Of great
achievements overshadowing tragic
failures, invest the history of an EN-
bryonic industry.
Naturally, with the perfection of
the motor car, these yearly exhibitions
have gradually assumed a more stable
character. The picturesque glamour
of personalized achievements have
given way TO the co-ordinated results
Of highly specialized engineering
stats. The thrills which came from
speculative prophecy has been trans
lateu INTO actudlltleS DORM from eA-
haustive laboratory and road tests.
As the character of these exhibits
have changed, so likewise has the
viewpoint of the visitors. In those
days people were attracted largely
from curiosity. They knew little,
even in the sketchiest way of auto
motive design and its future. So. take
it all in all, automobile exhibits were
| in reality magnificent side shows of
mechanical freaks, the like of which
had never been seen before. A car
riage that ran without horse. What
could be a more compelling attrac-
| ton?
How different today, A predom-
mating percentage of those who will
attend the automobile shows this year
own and drive motor cars themselves.
For this reason. they are intimately
| concerned with the exhibits. Their
knowledge of automotive design is suf-
| ficient to enable them to determine
| with an adequate degree Of accuracy
the value of the various improvements
they will see. And the impulse which
will prompt their visit will be stimu.