Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-15
Keen Interest Shown.

The interest III the lS-S autonlo
bile shows, beginning with thu
eighth annual exhibit which
closed yesterday in New York, die
not fail to materialize. Larger
crowds than ever before visitee
Grand Central Palace, where the
first four floors were filled to ca,
pacity with - makes of cars, Is
makes Of trucks. lS6 accessories ant
So exhibitors OF Service, shop and
taxi equipment.
Four hundred and eighty thousand
visited the show last year. and it is
eonservatively believed that the
complete totaling of the crowds for
this year will disclose more than
10000 entrants. The Ford exhibit
a, Madison Square Garden has at
trac;ed It's crowds as we'll. An eSti-
mate has been made that more than
100000 made their pilgrimage there.
Nor did the crowds surge in and
file ont after brief visit. At both
the morning. afternoon and evening
sessions they came and stayed. Dur
inc MANY times each day the gather
inSs were so dense that many OF the
more popular makes were tenn
porarily obsourcd from the gaze OF
those in the back lines. The war
al competition. now being carried
or with more intensity than at any
time in the history of the automo-
tive industry. seemed 10 stir the
visitors on 10 greater interest and
enthusiasm.
The narrowing down OF the num-
Der OF makes each year has tight
encd further the lines OF keen COM
petition. A few years ago there
were nearly 100 makes on cXhibi-
ton. However. since then, the
various models OF each make have
increased. which in many ways
slleviates this dropping off. Some
manufacturers had as many as a
score OF machines on exhibition.
Similarity Noticed.
One similarity among the ma
chimes is the long narrow radiators
that practically all the producers
have come to. Another is the alb
sence OF the black and drab paint
jobs that heretofore frequently have
been displayed All the cars are
decorated in bright oolors.
1t has been pointed out also that
there was not car exhibited this
year that is not equipped with four
wheel brakes. Bumpers. rear view
mirrors, and many other fittings that
had to be bought extra are now a
part of the car and are not only Of
good quality but are designed 10 ut
the car so that they look as If they
belonged to it and were not stuck
on as an afterthought. Paint work
and upholstery arc better in the
iower-priced cars than would have
been thought possible a few years
ago.
Just above the low-priee car class
is q field that from a performance
standpoint rival the more expensive
makes. They are small and light.
but the engines appear powerful and
durable. Some of the makers in
this field through improved design
have increased the power output of
their engines nearly Is per cent
without any changes in the cylinder
dimensions.
In the thousand dollar class is
found another interesting field. Here
the six is universal and there is now
offered an exceptional range of cars.
The cars in this class at the show
revealed some of the finest engineer
ing improvements that are TO be
found.
From the $500 class up the
makers exhibited cars in which the
super-performance is the leading
claim. In this price range the eight
milne car has taken an effective
fold. in fact. the number of makers
who exhibited Fights far outranked
those who did not. The new Fights
are exceptionally well balanced cars.
In spite OF the long engine. there is
no unusual length about the hood
OF the car. as the height of the
radiator has the effect of offsetting
tie length. with the result that the
cars look no longer than the SKIES.
Speed Claims Made.
Speed claims BY many manufac-
tuners are evidenced this year more
TRAN before. Probably nearly all
TIE cars are faster and more eco
nomicsl. due 70 the practically uni
yersal use Of higher compression.
Ali the makers in the medium and
uoper priced cars are using fully
n1achined combustion chamber heads
in some instances the compression
are run SO high that il is impossible
20 use the reasia fuel with com.
fort In some cases the makers are
offering a choice OF high or low
compression heads to give the buyei
. choice as 20 whether he will USE
the special fuel or not. Ihe highei
ecnloression heads are claimed II
provide sufficient gain in econom,
30 more than make up the difference
in the price ri gasoline.
Where makers have not been abb,
% increase the horsepower suffi'
GENTLY with the old engines thej
have prt in larger models. A grea'
MANY increases have been noted IL
the dimensions Of the crankshaft il
nrGeY 20 take care Of the increased
output. Al of the makers have
s. NJ method of yentilzting IN
crankcsses on the new models.
-Four point suspension for III
engine is becoming about UNIVERSAL,
used. the small amount Of fexbiiit,
required being secured through th'
Use 81 rubber block supports unde
two and SOMETIMES aii four Of th'
supports. Silent chsin front en-
drive is stili ou the increase. Will
- ore 'in. j, was Characteristic o
Use hign-priced carr, il is now u
bt found righ' down 20 the loves
prize ievei Il ~ used almost en-
iBrejy on the eight-cyiinder models
Large Valves Used.
Large valves, with quieter opeIAt