OCR Text |
Show War's Influence Seen at the National Auto Shows New AAodels Expected to Have Improvements in Bodies, Engines and Chassis; Running Gear Is Left Untouched. By H. A. TAEANTOTJS, Managing Editor of Motor. While it is a little too early to expect the automotive engineering world to have recovered from the shock of war, which called for production rather than design, de-sign, the New York and Chicago automobile automo-bile shows nevertheless will give us a really good conception of what has been done to make our passenger automobile better. Briefly, the greatest attention has been plven to body design, to engines en-gines and to chassis detail, while clutches, transmissions, steering and axles, already al-ready highly refined, have received practically prac-tically no attention. There are certain movements apparent with respect to universal uni-versal joints and to whBels, but aside from these the underneath parts of the car are as thev were. This is not to say they will not be bettered In a year or so, but that there has not been the time to permit engineers to get to every part of the car. . , On every hand the cost, of keeping a car Is 6poken of more than the cost of buying. I look forward to seeing a great manv small, lightweight cars, such as the average man can afford to buy and, above all, to operate. Europe has over forty of these makes, which, if produced pro-duced in quantity here, would be the cheapest sort of cars. In looking over the new productions one is impressed with the great attention atten-tion to the smallest items of equipment, to such tilings as doors and door handles han-dles cowl boards, instruments and tendering. ten-dering. Changes of this sort are not costly and are made much more easily than one involving the making of a new, expensive die. In the desire to give the car a semblance of newness the body has been attacked and there 18 a bewildering be-wildering array of 'conceptions. For tho most part the designers have adhered to the basic lines shown last vcar in such numbers. This body has a high hood, usually with an angle at each aide the line of the angle meeting the top edge of the body. Hoods have more louvres, windshield supports are more substantial and shields are much In evidence evi-dence and a few concerns have taken up small built-in. side pieces attached to the v.indehield. This form will undoubtedly bo standard equipment In a few years. More Closed Cars Built. A few years aso car makers were producing pro-ducing to" Per cent inclosed model and the remainder open. This was a tatr average Todav. as one will s.o at the shows the inclosed models will constitute consti-tute two-thirds of Uie models and m production close to 40 per cent T he sedan se-dan is the most popular of the familiar care and the brougham or town car K; among the chauffeur-driven models. . !. irent that the coupelet. so-It.,,s, so-It.,,s, ,PP- i verv short existence; fallethx- It it very difficult to see, for rtemed to eon" the purpose of the coupe nd at the same time possessed "'Xh'erf arfcSderably more overhead-valve overhead-valve engines, and those that are not new have been improved e.-peclallv so far ?v lobrtaUlon is concerned. Power out-mlt out-mlt if greater on the average engines. Miough displacement has not varied much. The fuel problem has brought about a vast number of changes in manifolding and practically every engine has some means of heating the mixture. Some wonderful examples of advanced engineering will appear at Uieshows. I refer to Euch new practices as bearings without shims and new designs of high-pressure high-pressure oiling systems, new detail improvements im-provements in valve Kar. and, vh;il cannot can-not be seen new metals. Most of these really new things have come as a result re-sult of war experience, and one will find tiiat where such changes are noted it is on products of concerns who were doing war work on engines. The detachable cylinder head, vacuum fuel feed, battery ignition, six-volt separate unit starting and lighting are features that have not changed. Aside from engino development, I believe be-lieve the universal and the wheels have been given greatest consideration. There are considera bly mnre labric universal than there were, and it looks as tliou'h tills type will take the place of the all-metal all-metal joint for certain installaiions where tile shaft angularity is not great. The show cars will for the most part be fitted witli metal wheels, though wood is still the standard for regular production. We can look for further development in metal wheels for passenger cars, with the disc steadily gaining in favor. |