The Washington times., 1930-01-25
1880 PRESENTS
BETTER MOTOR
FOR MONEY
BY ]. LEO SUGRUE
Timee Automobile Editor

certainly never had a chance to
get bigger dollars worth than
in the 1880 products already in
troduced, but there are surprises
yet to come.
AS a matter of fact, it looks as
Y the whole year would be one Of
surprises.
For instance. those who claim
10 be on the inside already are
pointing out that one of the snap
piest Of the eight-cylinder prod
uctS shown in the auto shows
is not yet in it's final form. 1t Of
fers q body that is a bit unusual
and striking. That body differ
ence, one hears, Is due to the fact
that the design is made with an
eye to the fact that the car is des'
tined soon to be driven through
the front wheels. The company
has been working on such a power
application for several years. 1t
is declared to have just about per-
fected it and may make the switch
before autumn. In the meantime,
1t has put the car on the market
with everything but the drlve
mechanism the same as it Will be
later.
AS far as getting his moneys
worth, those who prophesy tne
change declare one can get 1t now
without waiting.
Wait .AxlelesS Car
Some of the most optimistic OBJ
servers Of the moment are not at
al certain that before the end OF
the year the axleless car will not
make it's appearance. Such a
chassis, with an eight-cylinder
engine, has been designed in a
laboratory manned by an engineer
of world renoWn. A departure OF
this character would be radical,
indeed, Yet one has the word OF
one of the foremost commentators
on motordom that:
Radical engineering departures
IN stock car practice conceiVably
may be brought about by the
strongly competitive condltlonS
which will exist in 1880.
An axleless car would not 1T
poorly or inconsistently into such
., picture as this observer sees.
The inventor Of the new design
declares that it would fit ideally
into the competitive price situa-
ton In that it may be offered
with eight-cylinder power in a
price range from $1,100 to $4,000.
Further than that, it may be
driven either through the front
or the rear wheels. BY taking
such a design and driving it
through the front, the producer
would have something much more
radical than has been offered in
some time.
Free Of Shimmy
In a chassis of this character
D feature that interests engineers
is that each of the four wheels
is independently sprung. It is
this feature of front-driye that
Is generally credited with the fact
that such products enjoy relative
freedom from wheel fight or
stinrny. Independently sprung
wheels, as fitted into front-drive
design in this country, fortunately
escape the deficiency Of uncon-
ventional appearance, which is a
criticism offered Of European pro-
ducts of this character.
It is not l11conceivable to some
observers that there may be
partial reversal in 1880 Of a de-
sign trend that extends from one
end Of the motor car price list
to the other. That trend is to
increase engine power. It follows
as a natural result Of all manu-
facturerS to make bodies as large
and roemy as possible. For the
weight thus added engine power
must be raised If performance is
TO remain at the level demanded
by car buyers.
That there is another way out
OF the dilemma is indicated by
some authorities today. Instead
OF increasing engine power beyond
the need Of normal average per-
Torrance, they propose to make
bodies lighter. BY this they do
not mean smaller, but rather of
lower weight through the employ
ment Of lighter materials. This
solution is not an easy one and
it may not be found during the
current year, but just the same
it is held to be possible. It has
been done, Of course, in motor
coach construction by employing
aluminium. Aluminium, however,
is eXpenSive-too expensive for
use in passenger car bodies, as
the manufacturer sees it. That
this situation may eventually
changes regarded as not incon-
geivable, however.
New Metal Sought
Always, Of course, there Is the
chance that something other than
aluminium may prove the way
put.
New departures in fabrication,
both of the engine and chassis.
are not unlocked for among the
changes anticipated before the
close Of the year. AS to motor
fabrication, some question whether
pressure oil feed to the piston
pins has not set an example that
viii be followed by many during
the months just ahead. There
is little question but that this
bearing surface carries the larg-