Evening star., 1932-10-23
MOTOR CAR SOON !
TO HAVE CHANGES.
Speedometer, Gyr.o scopic
Shock Absorbers and Safe.
ty Features Seen.

Motordom has stepped on the gas,
shifted into top high" and Is travel
ing at the rate of an idea a minute.
Believe it or let it pass with the seem
cry, never before have there been so
| many innovations on the cards for early
adoption by the car makers.
Free wheeling, automatic clutch con-
troll and ride regulations have become
standard equipment. The motor world
takes them as matter of course and
speeds on to new achievements. Before
| many months we shall have sway con-
troll, sealed cooling systems and brak-
ing that requires virtually no physical
| effort.
Novelty Features.
Some of the detailed changes will
be arresting in point Of novelty. The
latest in hot water car heaters, for in
| stance, is vacuum-Operated motor to
eliminate the electric type. The motor
| is propelled by intake suction in the
same way the windshield wiper func-
tions One of the new fuel feed Sys-
| TENS Is all electric and of quite ad-
vanced design.
Recently an inventor visited one OF
| the motor car factories where engineers
and designers were feveEishly working
over a new model. One of the features
of the job was top of the steering post.
Lifting the enlarged horn button re-
vealed a compartment for smoking
equipment and vanitieS for milady. The
inventor, however, wasn't as surprised
as they thought he should have been.
He invited the engineers outside and
showed them his own car, which had
the speedometer head installed In the
center of the steering wheel at the top
Of the post.
Sense Of Security.
The new position for the speedometer
has stimulated thought along the lines
of revolutionizing the instrument board.
Driving a car with the speedometer on
the wheel gives new sense OF security.
At a glance, even at high speed, the
driver follows the rate CT travel accu-
rately. The speedometer is also easier
to service in this position since 1t mas
merely to be raised up. The horn op-
crates when the chromium rim OF the
instrument is pressed and there Is
small light on the inside TO illuminate
the dial.
Plans are now being made to put
some of the other instruments OF the
panel in the center OF the wheel. The
value of this is questioned by another
school of engineers who believe that
the gauges should be changed to warn
ings. That Is, the driver would not
need to know anything about the charg-
ing rate or the oil pressure until some
thing threatened to go wrong. Then
he would be warned, either by means
of light or a noise of some kind. This
trend is already seen on two OF the
popular makes.
Body sway, that foe to safety in trav-
cling crowned roads or in driving fast
on modern highways. will be outlawed
by a new type of spring control oper-
ating on a new principle. A sort OF
gyroscope effect is had where car is
equipped with these devices, the result
being that the car remains steady even
though the driver has to swing it back
into line sharply. What this develop
ment will mean to the security Of mo-
torists is difficult to estimate.
New Ref1ectors Seen.
Another innovation is new applica-
ton of the familiar refiectors used on
boulevard stop signs and other high
way warnings. One Of the progressives
in the development of the automobile
/
ing new effects with these refectors by
putting them in motion. He tried few
Of them on the left wheels Of the car
and found that when other machines
approached at night the reflector
equipped wheels gave the Illusion of
circle of light.
With cars standard equipped with
these reflectors it would be possible to
eliminate the need for much of the
brighter headlighting. With both head
lamps and the tail light out any car
equipped with ref1ectors is identified
at night when other machines follow
or approach it.
Another new safety light is built into
the front and rear bumpers SO as to
give the illusion of a streak of light.
The rear bumper shows a red light
which is further intensified when the
brake pedal is depressed At the front
green light is provided. In addition,
the units cary reflex glass SO that the
bumpers light up automatically when
the headlights of other cars play upon
them.
One of the encouraging features of
the newer developments is the fact that
they seem to be designed for the pur-
pose of safeguarding motoring. 1t is
the first time that safety devices have
had novelty to capture the fancy of the
public. They should be big step for
ward in highway security.
Copyright, 1882, The Russell service).