Indholdsfortegnelse for August 1950 i MotorTrend

Letters published in this department are the opinions of the writers and are not to be construed as those of the editors. Address correspondence to: Letters From Our Readers, MOTOR TREND, 1015 So. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles 35, California. A Fifth from London Gentlemen: A copy of your interesting magazine for May 1950 has been shown to me and I refer to your article “Duster Data” on page 31. I note that so far as is known in the U. S. there are only three Model “A” Cadillacs in existence. I enclose a photograph taken on the 13th of November last, when the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain made its Annual Emancipation Day Run from London to Brighton. This run is made annually to commemorate the passing of…

THE FAMED Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is similar to other races in one respect— it is won or lost in the garages before the day of the race. There its similarity ends, for it has an aura of splendor, awe and appeal about it that cannot be equalled anywhere. As if to further emphasize this point, the 1950 race, for the first time in its history, was included on the FI A (international governing board of racing) schedule as one of seven races for the purpose of determining an international champion. So it would appear that Johnny Parsons, last year’s National Champion and this year’s 500 winner, could be the 1950 International Champion. THREE hours before starting time and the Blue Crown Special to be driven by Tony Bettenhausen gets last…

A CAR of comfort … a car of class … that’s the Chrysler New Yorker. The most expensive model of the Chrysler line (outside of the Crown Imperial), the New Yorker spells quality from bumper to bumper. This is not to say that the Chrysler is faultless, for what car is? Yet, as even the Chrysler people admit, “… there is little chance of making a poor investment in an automobile today, regardless of which make you buy.” If you want a car in the fine car class … a car you can be proud of, the Chrysler New Yorker is worthy of your consideration. It is designed and intended for the person who prefers luxury, fine appointments, and comfort. For long distance cruising on straight stretches of highway, the…

THE SUBJECT of function in design is, of course, highly controversial. Some pundit argued that an educated person finds unquestioned beauty in a product which is styled to make its function apparent. This is a vicious statement, because the buying public is composed of millions who react emotionally rather than logically to eye-appeal. We also have the important contingent of women buyers, who generally are oblivious to technical advantages when eye-appeal is missing and also the large group of the unenlightened, who fail to grasp the relation between the function of the car and what they expect it to be. For these reasons it has been our formula over many years of designing for the masses, to suggest the function, rather than use it as a leit-motif. We feel that…

WHILE thousands of white-feathered Long Island ducklings were still too sleepy to give any quacks and before the potato farmers were up and worried about their neatly groomed potato fields, soon to be trampled by thousands of sports car spectators, Long Island’s Highway Route 27 was echoing to the exhausts of hundreds of trackbound MG’s and other foreign cars. Bridgehampton’s first postwar road race had been a terrific success and now, launched by the Bridgehampton Lions Club, under the co-sponsorship of the Motor Sports Club, . Sports Car Club of America and the MG Clubs of America, and under the chairmanship of Bruce Stevenson, the second annual Bridgehampton Sports Car Road Race was practically under way. The circuit itself comprised approximately ¾-mile of two-lane concrete on Ocean Road, on which…

THE IDEA of diesel-powered passenger cars still sounds new enough to be classed with atomic energy and jet planes, and it comes as something of a shock to realize that mass-produced diesel autos have been rolling down Continental highways since the middle ‘30’s. The whole idea was permanently taken out of the “impossible” class, into which many experts had shoved it, by the Daimler-Benz Co., who, to cope with prewar fuel shortage problems, installed a small, perfectly balanced diesel engine in one of their standard light chassis, producing a car whose practical economy and flawless performance added new glory to the famous Mercedes name. Their latest model, the Mercedes 170-D, represents the second generation of production-line diesel cars, is clean, handsome, and long past the experimental stage. Quality from coachwork…

IN KEEPING with the lead established by Allard in combining a superbly designed body line (incorporating unquestionable superior roadability characteristics with a lowcost American automotive engine), the Ftal-meccanica designers of the IT blowers have combined with body designer and builder, Farina, to produce the tentatively named 1T-160. The IT-160, like the Allard, makes use of a Ford engine installation. The new IT-160, one model of which has already been delivered to the United States and is expected to be seen in action in road events this summer, has a super-rigid tubular torsion bar suspended chassis, with a standard Ford V-8 100 hp engine. Also used are a Ford transmission and rear axle, topped by an exceptionally lightweight body designed by Farina of Stabilimenti Farina. The car was first displayed at…

BECOMING increasingly more evident in California are restyled cars, such as those in the accompanying photographs. Some time ago, restyling was confined to Fords, hut this is no longer the case, All cars, from Chevys to Cadillacs, are subject to the whims and desires of restylists. One of the better ‘41 Buick Specials is the one restyled by Pierre Paul of Oakland, California. The overall height of this car, from the ground to the top of the padded top by C. A. Hall of Oakland, is only four feet, eight inches. This reduction in height was made possible by 3½-inch channeling of the body and a 3½-inch section removed from the windshield. A frontal view of this car is probably the most outstanding, since this view shows the ‘48 Cadillac…

MAY 1949—The Davis Car Company’s plant at 8055 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys, California, closes. May 1950—Gary Davis, doing business as Davis Motor Car Co., is held to answer to a charge of grand theft. May 1950—Assets of the Davis Motor Car Co. remaining in the Van Nuys plant are sold at auction to settle tax claims. May 1950—Assets of the Davis Motor Car Co., previously transferred from Van Nuys, are sold in Torrance, California, to settle more tax claims. And your chances of owning a Davis are still good! The three-wheel Davis is too healthy to die. For one thing, it’s a good car, slanted toward a growing market. Even more important at this point, the men who invested in dealerships and distributorships have formed a corporation for the purpose…

THIS IS your chance … the Ford Motor Company has commissioned MOTOR TREND to conduct a contest for all persons interested in designing their own car. They have graciously donated a Ford Anglia chassis (see photos) and the sum of $500, both to be awarded to the person who submits the body design adjudged to be the most practical for this chassis. You don’t have to be a professional automotive designer, nor do you have to be an accomplished artist. If you have an idea for . a body design, you can submit it—it may be the one that will win. Keep in mind that the automotive public has a standard for looks—they are attracted to the new, but resist the unfamiliar. As brought out by one of America’s foremost…

NOTE: If you have a custom car or have a car with any unusual features, and care to submit photographs, MOTOR TREND will be pleased to consider them for publication. Payment will be made on publication. 8 x 10 glossy photographs are preferred; however, 5 x 7 or 4 x 5’s are also suitable. MOTOR TREND assumes no responsibility for the return of any photographs not accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.—Editor.…

TURBOTRUCK: NOW—TURBOCAR? Latest step toward tomorrow’s turbocars comes with the news that Boeing has been successfully running the world’s first gas turbine-powered truck over Washington highways and mountain passes for several months past. The tiny, 200-pound power plant has ably replaced a 2340-pound diesel engine in a ten ton Kenworth chassis (see photos), cruises with a 35-foot trailer at 55 mph. The implications of this news for the trucking industry may be immense, but for the motor industry they’re much greater. If, after tens of thousands of miles of the heaviest sort of duty, the little gas turbine engine proves its ruggedness and dependability, it certainly will be able to propel your family car. That Boeing has called the attention of the world to this project indicates their engineers are…