Evening star., 1926-12-12

skies selling At more than $1,000
were dead letters. Immediately
Packard. Marmon, Franklin. Pierce
Arrow and others jumped into high
er production schedules. Just to
rurther upset this forecast OF the
demise OF the high-priced skies.
Chrvster tossed its big car into the
ring. This was followed later by
Studebaker's President model
But the prophecy may BE right,
after all. One never can tell IN
motordom. for sometimes prophets
look unusually far ahead and forget
to mention temporary TRENDS IN the
interval between prediction and IT'S
realization. If the food OF light
eiehts this coming year sweeps all
America with it. just as the food OF
light skies did before, it is reason.
able to suppose that Americans VIII
have the eight craze and will!
continue to have it regardless OF
whether these light eights are re-
liable. The public wifi be tempted
sorely to swing to the better eights.
And then, what about the higher
priced skies?
-
Jordan was one of the first in the
field with an eight under 5000 At
the New York show he will present
new light eight, which is rumored
to be something that will lure the
public to this type. At the same
time, Jordan offers custom work on
the larger eight, and it has been
announced that the straight eight
Marmon, which will list for as low
as $3.50, will be offered in de luxe
form for as high as $500. .
1t begins to look as II the idea IA
to get the public "eight-cylinder
nscious" at any cost, and then
lead it by gentle stages to the bet
ter eishts. Apparently, this is what
Stutz has in the back OF its head
in introducing at the show a new
and lighter straight eight.
Rickenbacker will introduce two
new lines Of Straight eights. The
smaller one,stzrts at 81 ,7os, while the
larger bows its way in at 0,S9s
This is another contribution to the
idea. Meanwhile Hupmo6ile and
Diana are pushing the medium
straight eight idea to the limit.
1t is interesting to note that since
A great many persons do not know
the difference btween straight
eirhts and V-type eights. nor which
cars are which, the so-called battle
Of the cylinders is resolving itself
into an actual alliance Of all types
of eights. All of them appear TO be
getting together to fight the sixes.
They believe that the man who
drives an eight under 5000 will
keep in mind that some of the bet
ter eishts. like Hupp, Kissel, Larger
Jordan, Rickenbacker, Gardner and
Stutz also are eights, while the man
with any Of the better eikhts keeps
reminding himself that some Of the
country's best cars, like Packard
Eight, Peerless, Duesenberg, CAdil--
lac and Lincoln also are eights.
There is i lot Of psychology in
this fight and the manufacturers are
making excellent capital of it. 1t
remains to be seen. Of course, what
the exponents Of skies will have to
say. 1t is worth noting. however,
that one Of the manufacturers who
FORMERLY quoted the finest of the
worlds engineers in support OF his
contention that six was naturally
better than an eight now is one OF
the biggest boosters Of the eight
but keeping the six in production
Just the same.
1t is not expected that there will
be any startling ideas in the design
of the straight eishts. The single
sleeve valve engine does not appear
to be quite ready for production,
and most manufacturers, appear to
consider the light straight eight a
novelty and in Itself sufficient ex-
pertinent without flirting with un-
usual design.
America is facing an oil shortage.
There is no shortage of autorio-
bile fuel in sight and there never
will be any.
Now what is the motorist to be-
lever Authorities speak passion
ately on both sides OF the question.
One strikes new note in saying
that no one will believe that the
end of Americas fuel oil supply ia
in sight if the end really comes. he
cause there have been so many false
alarms.
The question, however. is not so
much whether the Nation will be-
lieve as whether there are any
grounds for assuming that the mo-
torist some day will wake up to find
himself with nothing to run his
automobile except fuels priced at
prohibitive figures.
1t is true that Americans are vast
ing fuel at staggering rate, but
oil makes the car 60 and the mod
ern car is mental stimulant. The
power plants for transportation pur-
poses tomorrow will no more oper-
ate on fuel oil than our modern
motors operate on oats.
Experts are worried because there
are only 1S,OOO,OO0,OO0 barrels of oil
in the ground and because we'll get
only about. Is per cent of it. The
cry is that the reserves in our coun-
try will take care of the consumption
for only six more years. 1t Is stated
that the development Of fuel from
shale, from coal or by synthetic
methods definitely Is limited.
Claims aplenty. Expert testimony.
A million and one arguments. But
what does il amount to? Why as
sumo that the engines that will take
us anywhere we want to 90. along
the city streets. through the air and
across the water, will have to be
powered by oil or substitutes for
oil?