Evening star., 1924-01-13
4utos Slo~ly Reaching Point
Where Garage VIII Be Useless
Makers Studying Designs to Withstand
All Sorts Of Weather and Keep Beauty.
Storage Proring Un,celcone Expense.

cars In the same neighborhood were
stolen from locked garages.
Thieves. in confessing their meth
DDS, declare that the public garage
represents an excellent field for loot,
but claim that this method of stealing
cars is being saved for a bad year In
the stolen car game.
The average motorist does not lock
! his car in the public garage on ac-
| count of the fire danger, and with in
| competent or inadequate help to
guard the cars 1t doesn't require much
| conniving on the part OF an efficient
| crook to get what he's after.
The matter OF the Increase in rre
I hazard due to garaging is among the
facts pointed to ny those who predict
| the Earageless ear. 1t is shown that
the stored car has two fire hazards,
! it's own and that of exposure to ad-
| jacent cars which may also catch fire.
This disadvantage of garaging,
| however, is Offset by the increase in
! tornado, cioudburst and blizzard haZ-
ards. to which automobiles would be
subjected ii customarily left out in
all kinds Of weather and in all
climates.
! How the automobile is becoming
more and more weatherproof and
| storm-tieht. however, is an impor-
tant point. Already certain manufac-
turers and body builders are discour-
aging the highly finished car body
and are advocating more serviceable
! finish.
| weatherproOf BODIES Seen.
A number of cars are being built
along these lines, and this, together
! with popularity of the closed car, is
taken as an indication of the de-
yelopment or a car tha. will not he
in any way the worse for always
! being at the owners front door
| 1t is Furthermore shown that many
| objections TO leaving cars out are
being eliminated by changes in car
| design.
1t is not many years ago. for in
stance. when a rainstorm would send
motorist rushing to the garage
with his car for fear the water beat
| ing in through the core OF the radiator
| would wet the coil or the distributor
/ That fear has largely passed through
| improvements in design and, now that
a number OF makes offer permanent
| adjustable coverings for the radiator
| core, the engine and its various units
are unusually we'll protected.
| The trend toward more Serviceable
/ finishing on cars means that neither
| sun nor water will have any appre-
ciable effect upon appearance OF cars,
| the beauty being attained through
the lines rather than the trimmings,
and this beauty 10 last regardless OF
how strenuously the ear is used.
Nickel Trimmings Discarded.
| AS an indication of this trend ii is
| seen that one of the leading makers
has just offered a 1924 set of models
| devoid of all nickel trimmings. The
| lines are attractive, and the interior
work on the closed models lis luxuri-
| Gus, but the purpose is plainly to of
| fer car that will remain attractive
| despite hard service and the abuse
which must necessarily accompany
such service.
From a financial standpoint 1t is
generally conceded that the mere
storage of cars at rates that are any
where near being satisfactory to car
| owners is not profitable. One garage
owner doing a large business claims