Evening star., 1932-05-22
INDUSTRY REVIEWS
INTEREST IN RACING
Automobile Factory Forces
Turn to Indianapolis
Event.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


DETROIT, May 21.-To take the mind
of production, selling and the problems
of a troublous period, the automobile
factory forces are renewing interest in
racing.
As a consequence, the annual speed
struggle at Indianapolis on Decoration
day will bring names like Studebaker,
Hudson, Hupmobile, possibly REQ and
others into track competition as in past
wears. In more than threescore cars
that will try for starting positions this
year, the stock or semi-Stock group Will
vie with the Millers, the Deusenberg
and others whose prestige is largely
confined to the track and speed.
Qualification Speed.
This year all the cars that qualify
must do better than 100 miles an hour.
The trials, therefore, will pit factory
built cars against the racing jobs that
the specialized machine shops produce
and there will be battle OF power
plants.
The l00-mile limit. boosted from 80
miles an hour which the rules OF last
years race called for, is recognition OF
the added power and speed that have
been built into the average passenger
car and of the fact that a stock car in
the contest of 1891 won the pole po-
sition at the start by showing the judges
ll2 miles an hour and finishing flfth.
Unlike the two previous years OF two
man car competition that gave the stock
cars their chance, the factory magnates
are allowing their racers full sponsor
ship instead of limited designation and
partial support of entries for which in
the past the drivers who built the cars
took the responsibility.
On this order, Studebaker Is backing
team Of five entries which advance
reports credit with being fast and Mt.
Hudson has two racing jobs which
Buddy" Mari has prepared with the
plant resources and engineers at his
back. Hupmobile has its entry in the
hands of Russell Snowberger, who was
the Studebaker pilot one year ago.
In the unnamed of mystery" group,
which first publication Of the entry
usually discloses, there are known to
be other manufacturers behind certain
cars in the dark horse class.
Old Record StAnds
The two-man cars, in which up to
366 inches Of cubic inch displacement
is allowed for the engines, have yet to
beat the 500-mile record of 10l.l3 miles
an hour which Duesenberg was credited
with in 1925. AS compared with the
present cars, the Duesenberg OF that
year had only 122 cubic inches OF com
bustion space and only one driver
seat, which was occupied by Peter de
Paolo. This car. however, had super
charger equipment, which Is parreo
under the present rules,
This will be the third year in which
the larger cars without the supercharses
have striven to beat the time OF little
ones that used them. The track wise
acres expect the big jobs to do 1t.
Swinging into the Summer, manu-
featuring In the Detroit district may
be said to be holding its own with the
prospect that the present month may
show the best aggregate total OF any
so far this year.
An official hint from the National
Automobile Chamber OF Commerce
points to the possibility that member
companies may depart from the present
plan of advertising motor car prices
"F. o. B. Detroit" and substitute de-
| livered prices The matter is to be
| debated when the sales executives OF
the companies meet here next week.
Delivered Prices.
In the official view, it is stated that
| certain manufacturers believe a policy
| Of advertising delivered prices would
aid materially in restoring public con-
| fidence and eliminate misunderstanding
for which the present F, o. B. system
has been called into question, The
| change, If made, would involve ad-
verttsing car prices by communities OF
zones.
1t will be recalled that one company
operating independently. tried this idea
several years ago, but it did not catch
ON then because 1t lacked support by
other producers. Now the belief is
that it might be successful If enough
makers agree to follow it.
| (Copyright. 1892. by the North American
| Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)