Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-07
PLANTS TURN OUT
NEW AUTO RECORD
Increase of 100000 Cars
for Six Months of 1929
Is Noted.
BY E. Y. WATSON.

Special Dispatch to The Star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.
DETROIT, Mich, July 6.-The first
six months of 1929 will go down in au-
tomotive annals as the period in which
for the first time the automobile plants
produced approximately 100000 cars
and trucks, or In round figures 1,000,-
600 more than ever before in like
time.
In connection with the achievement
certain high lights developed Among
them is the creation of a new record
total for one days output. This was
by the Ford Co., which few days ago
manufactured 9,100 cars in "a hours
The previous record for single day
was made by Ford in october, 1925,
! when the plants produced 6,7l0 OF the
old model in one day.
Many Six-cylinder Cars.
Another manufacturing performance
which will go on record is that of the
Chevrolet Co. in producing and dis
tributing more than 800 900 six-cylinder
cars in six months. This is the first
time it has been done in the six-cylinder
division. Manufacturers of six-cylinder
cars, by the way, gained just that num-
Der of units beyond the normal rate of
increase by the Chevrolet's adoption of
the principle at the beginning of this
year.
During the first half of 1929 General
Motors added to its list of makes the
Viking, introduced by the Oldsmobile
organization, and the Marquette, pro-
duct of the Buick factories.
The period also brought the first
eight-cylinder car listing at less than
81 1000. This is the Roosevelt, built by
Marmon.
The revival of the front wheel drive
principle for passenger cars became
actual with the appearance of the
Cord car, sponsored by the Auburn
company and named after e. L. Cord
its president, and Ruxton car, by New
Era Motors, Inc, headed by A. M
Andrews, New York.
Front Wheel Drive.
Descriptions of the Cord car became
available this week. It is straight
eight with a wheel base of 1877 inches.
The engine is of Lycoming manufac-
ture, rated at 125 brake horsepower.
Use Of the front wheel drive, it is
said, has made it possible to build
the chassis Az inches lower than the
usual run Of rear wheel drive cars.
The entire operative mechanism Is con-
centrated In front OF the dash. The
car both drives and steers through the
front wheels. In these models are
said to be incorporated the rights and
patents developed by Harry A. Miller,
Los Angeles racing car designer, which
have passed into the ownership OF
Mr.. Cord and the $125, 100000 cor
poration he has formed. There are
four body types in the first offering
of the Cord car. The models are
listed In the $4,000 range.
Ruxton Is Changed.
Slight changes have been made In
the Ruxton. According to the pro-
ducers 1t will have an eight-cylinder
engine set in the frame in the reverse
position to that usually occupied. Power
is transmitted to each front wheel by
a transverse shaft with a standard
type Of universal joint at each end,
thus making four such joints In the
linkage, or two for each wheel.
The gear shift is of conventional
type, with three speeds forward and
one reverse. The wheels are 10 inches
in diameter and take a 6-inch tire.
Service brakes are of the wheel
hydraulic type with emergency brake
operating on the service brake shoes
of the rear wheels by mechanical ap-
plication. The wheel base Is 100 inches.
Bodies for the Ruxton are said to be
| in production in Cleveland, and axles
are being made in the same city.