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Show SPECIFICATIONS FDR 1920 AUTO CLASSIC Next Year's Speed Event to Have Marked Bearing Bear-ing on Designs. Details Call for New Model Cars ; Present Types Are Banished. Specifications announced for the 1920 600-rii Ho race on the Indianapolis' motor speedway foreshadow sweeping changes In the field of automobile racing, with vitally important consequences affecting the trend of automotive design in general predicted as certain to follow. The specifications speci-fications were decided upon after an exhaustive ex-haustive investigation as to the line of development that promised to he of great- est benefit to automotive progress, in- , volving eonsultation with engineers and I munufucturers both in this country and, in Kurope, and are expected to prove an impetus that will result in the discovery) of startling new and improved principles ; of gasoline locomotion, blazing the trail , to the ultimate car combining roominess and comfort and with light weight and low operating and upkeep cost. Qualifying Speed. The detailed specifications are as follows: fol-lows: I'ifiton displacement, lb3 cubic inches; minimum weight, 1700 pounds, witli no ballast allowed; standard tread, 56 inches; seats may be staggered 8 inches; rlghL hand drive; qualifying speed, average of 80 mites an hour for four laps of the track, 10 miles. These specifications, though few and simple, are nevertheless all embracing in their scope, directing the activity of automobile auto-mobile racing designers into entirely new channels, at the same time imposing no restrictions on their inventive ability within the limits assigned. The problem now is to produce a car with greater en- j gine efficiency than ever before, the high speed required, coupled with small en-Kino en-Kino size, setting a task to test the skill of the world's greatest designers; at the same time requiring them to build a car that will be a practicable, road-worthy vehicle in every sense, capable of application appli-cation to the field of passenger car construction, con-struction, this feature being insured by the minimum weight restriction of 1700 pounds, and the provision fur a standard tread. Body Arrangements. The regulation permitting the staggering stagger-ing of the seats is to give the driver more room, at the same time permitting the body to be nrndo as narrow as possible pos-sible to reduce wind resistance, also to move the mechanic back where he can observe three of the four tires, the two in the rear and the left front. Right hand drive is specified, inasmuch as on speedways cars always pass to the right, and left hand drive would therefore be dangerous. The speedway's announcement precludes pre-cludes all chance of converted light cars now in existence being entered for the lOl'O classic, cars of this type being considered con-sidered incapable of producing anything of profit to the advancement of automobile automo-bile design, and being effectually barred by the restrictions governing speed and minimum weight. A fresh Infusion of inventive in-ventive discovery Into the field of engineering engi-neering knowledge is what the Indianapolis Indianap-olis speedway seeks to stimulate, and its ' 1920 specifications have been carefully-drawn carefully-drawn with this in view. |