Indholdsfortegnelse for May 1951 i MotorTrend

Once behind the wheel of one of these two cars you recapture the first thrill of driving. You can flash across town quicker than the others — because the sleek narrow lines of the body make weaving in and out of traffic dead easy. You can command the open road — because the unique “flat-four” engine cruises effortlessly all day, up hill and down dale, at whatever speed you want. You can park in space impossible for bigger cars — because these models have a manoeuvrability you’ve never before experienced. You can take corners safely at very high speeds — because the suspension system gives you race-bred road-holding. And you can save money all round—o because you can get anything up to 50% increase in miles per gallon of gas.…

THE FIRST National Motor Racing Exposition (Feb. 8-12) brought motor racing fans to the Linden (New Jersey) Commercial Airport for the third time in the last two years. The two previous occasions for speed fans were sports car road racing events. This time the crowd moved inside acre-large hanger No. 1 to view the more than 250 exhibits, ranging from an 1899 four hp Locomobile Steamer (see “Duster Data”) through the gamut of motor racing novelties, hop-up and dress-up motor parts and accessories, to such sleek new luxury speedsters as a white Muntz Road Jet and the metallic grey, John Perona Alfa Romeo. Strong emphasis was placed on racing equipment with two championship cars, the Maserati-powered Federal Engineering Special—which at one time under Mauri Rose sat in pole position at…

NOTE: When the Henry J Convertible test was first announced (Feb. ’51 MOTOR TREND) it was intended that only the ning design would receive a prize. Since received so many good entries, however thought it only fair to select some wc runners-up. On these two pages are showr winning design and the four honorable mentions. John G. Gump will receive a $50 ings Bond, while the four honorable mer winners will get $10 each. The winning design was selected on basis of the most practical application convertible top to the Henry J, the economical feasibility of the changeover, and the quality of the rendition. The honorable mention awards were made on the same basis except that restyled features were allowed. These were not considered for the top award since they…

FOUR CYLINDER CLUBS are springing up all over the country, generally following the tormula of the Four Cylinder Club of America in Glendale, Calif. This is not a sports car club in the more athletic sense of the term. Any four-cyl. car, foreign or domestic, is acceptable to this group, which devotes itself to planned activities that are safe and still fun, charges $1 per month dues, has a packed schedule of events. Anyone interested in forming such a club can be sure of receiving helpful advice from this California group (address, 201 South Glendale Ave., Glendale, Calif.). WE QUOTE from a query just received from that outstanding Rolls-Royce authority and enthusiast, C. S. Shoup, 100 West Magnolia Lane, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: “THE ROLLS-ROYCE CLUB OF AMERICA—There is no such…

THE THOMPSON VITAMETER, A PRACTICAL UNIT FOR INCREASING ENGINE PERFORMANCE, unlike many water injectors, uses on anti-knock fuel (Vitane). The unit is installed between the carburetor and the intake manifold and injects Vitane into the engine only under heavy throttle pressure. The kit (average cost, $37.50, not $30-34 as quoted previously) consists of a one-gal. tank, a filter, the Vitameter, and the necessary lines and fittings. This unit is available from Thompson Products, Inc., 6402 Cedar Ave., Cleveland 3, Ohio. FOREIGN CAR ENTHUSIASTS ON THE WEST COAST will be interested in the fact that the Lea-Francis line of cars will soon be made available here. These four-cyl., 99-in. wheelbase, $3895 jobs will be handled by Singer West Coast Distributor, Vaughan-Singer Motors, 6730 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. The 2½-litre sports…

PARALLEL to the advance of engineering and production technology during 50 years of the automobile’s development, our concept of design—that is, the moulding and blending of all functional components into harmonious shape and form—has progressed to such a level that it is now universally recognized as a true art medium in its own right. It is not surprising that the Italians have emerged as acknowledged leaders in the new field. An excellent example of this contemporary art is now offered to the American purchaser: the Simca 8 Sport with body styled by Pin in Farina. Simca is the licensed French branch of the huge Fiat company of Italy. The name is formed from the initials of Societe Industrielle de Mecanique et Carrosserie Autobile. United States West Coast distributor for…

THE TALK of the automotive industry—and definitely something to talk about— is the Chrysler V-8 engine. In almost any discussion among the motor-minded gentry, the topic of this engine and its performance is brought up. Small wonder. It’s a beauty of a beast, built to really go. After testing such a performance-packed car, it’s hard to hold to an objective viewpoint and not to get overly enthusiastic. Check these figures and see what we mean: 180 bhp @ 4000 rpm, average two-way top speed of 102.27 mph, 92 road hp @ 2000 rpm, fuel consumption average of 17.98 mpg, standing start ¼-mile in :19.32 seconds, and a weight/bhp ratio of 24.7:1. (Additional figures are given in Table of Performance and General Specifications.) Our point of departure with the Chrysler New…

DEMENTIA Duesenberg is a highly contagious form of classic-car madness. Something about the thundering Js reduces a certain type of individual to a throbbing pulp of desire. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Fred and August’s locomotives is the number of fans who subsist on little more than pictures and copy, substituting these flimsy possessions for the real McMonster. A reader in Connecticut confesses that he hangs out at the shop owned by an enthusiast nearby just to see the Duesenbergs. To get to and from the shop he drives his own ’37 Lincoln LeBaron convertible sedan, but this, he is quick to say, is only a temporary arrangement. “Being a student, I have to settle for the Lincoln.” No other automobile manufactured in America commands this respect. Nor has any…

INDUSTRY WILL OPPOSE CAR RATIONING… INTRODUCTION OF 1952 MODELS MAY BE POSTPONED… DETROIT MAY BUILD “MOTHBALL” CAR FLEET… DETROIT, MICHIGAN—The spectre of serious unemployment continues to hover over auto plants in the motor city. Industry here is in a transitional period between civilian output and military production. During this time, expected to last three or four months, large numbers of skilled workers will be idle. As experts see it, automobile manufacturing will remain at fairly high rates until July. Then comes the changeover to a two-fold production job…. Also, the full impact of scarce materials will continue to hit car making. These factors add up to an unemployment load of nearly ¼-million by fall, in the opinion of Michigan Unemployment Compensation Commission officials…. Thus, one of the important tasks facing…

RECENTLY a major metropolitan area went into a near state of hysteria when an unknown sniper started taking random pot shots at members of its citizenry. A housewife was shot down as she bent over a kitchen sink washing dishes. A teenager waiting for a bus got a slug through his topcoat but was otherwise uninjured. The morning newspaper frontpaged a story with the headline, “Only Terror Walks The Streets Where Sniper Lurks.” The city’s mayor ordered an emergency manhunt. The Director of Public Safety called on the public for aid in tracking down the fiend. Streets were temporarily deserted. Residents drew curtains at night or darkened their homes. Total toll was one fatality and one near hit. During the same period of fear of shooting by a “lone crazed…

THE MAN who dons rubbers, raincoat and scarf and carries an umbrella on a cloudy day has become famous as Caspar Milquetoast, butt of one of the great American jokes. He is labeled “sissy” or “old woman” or “fussbudget” and pointed out on the street to strangers as one of the town characters. Caution, thereby, has become almost un-American. No single trait of character costs the used car buyer more money than this reaction from caution. The customer in a used-car lot is as naive as a six-year-old girl standing in front of a candy counter with a dime twisted in the corner of her handkerchief. He stares open-mouthed at the goodies displayed by the dealer, his normal intelligence blinded by desire. When he finally makes a selection, his attitude…

FOLLOWING close on the heels of General Motors’ announcement of the experimental Le Sabre, the Buick Motor Division has introduced the XP-300, an “experimental laboratory on wheels.” The two-passenger car, built by Buick for its designer, Charles A. Chayne, resulted from a co-operative experimental program inaugurated several years ago by Chayne and Harley J. Earl, GM Vicepresident in charge of styling. Chayne was responsible for the styling of the XP-300 and Le Sabre, and the mechanical features of the former. Like Le Sabre, the car is strictly a test car and no plans have been made to put it into production. The XP-300 is also powered by the same 215 cu. in. supercharged V-8 used in Le Sabre (March ’51 MOTOR TREND). It is hoped that Le Sabre and the…

BUD SCHAFFN1T of San Francisco built his first personalized car back in ’26. He was then driving flat track races in the Middle West and Creation Number One was the adaptation of a Blitzen Benz body to a Dodge Four chassis. Since then he’s built better than a dozen very unusual jobs but none has been as outstanding in terms of both performance and appearance as his new Olds 88-powered Cord convert. It goes like the proverbial bomb and it looks like—well, judge for yourself. Construction began in November of ’49, when the mint Cord body and engineless chassis was discovered. A new Olds 88 chassis was obtained and this engine, transmission, driveshaft and rear axle were fitted to the ex-front drive car with surprising ease. Frame modifications were necessary,…

SLIGHTLY over 50 years ago proof that a car could be steered, could brake to a stop in a reasonable distance and could be propelled by some form of motor was enough to attract a crowd’s attention. The initial exhibit of automobiles in 1899, to which 46 manufacturers sent entries, included contests on an ½-mile track to demonstrate these remarkable qualities. Although Selden’s first Auto Wagon, a high buggy-wheeled single seater with a vertical steering post that required its driver to stand upright, had proved that vapor cars were possible as early as 1879, the interest of spectators was largely in the electrics and the steamers. While William K. Vanderbilt. Jr., reportedly had pushed a gasoline engined Daimler at 40 mph, the sentiments of the small group of automobile owners…