MotorTrend July 1951

WHY NOT a flying car? It sounds fantastic, but what miracle of our times hasn’t seemed unlikely to millions? Henry Keck, nationally-known industrial designer, will bring you the story of the helicar, his own design for the automobile-helicopter of the future. Gordon Schroeder, one of the best race car builders in the business, covers the Memorial Day classic from a fresh slant: “Indianapolis As Seen From the Pits.” John Bentley will bring us a participant’s report on SCCA’s grueling Giant’s Despair Hill Climb, a revival of one of America’s toughest tests of drivers, cars. That’s just a sample of what’s coming.…

MANY TIMES in the past we’ve been approached on the question of club organization and conduct of motor sporting events. Although these two questions are basically separate, they are closely interwoven: A motoring club is formed with one purpose in mind—to allow members to have fun with their cars. Among the many thousands of motor enthusiasts, much potential club activity is laying dormant, simply because these motorists have lacked the necessary contacts and organizational answers. We believe we’re in a position to help these persons, particularly with little-known or overlooked facts. For example, how many club members know that in the event of an accident during an ordinary touring event, each member is liable? We want to help YOU—if you have any club problems or would like to form a…

DIVIDED WE FALL Gentlemen: I would like to express my firm agreement with your May editorial concerning friction between motoring clubs. The recent development of this friction is most depressing and should be corrected as quickly as possible. There is no justification for it and it can cause nothing but harm. Shortly before your May issue appeared I had received notice of a Bugatti Owners’ Club rally. This was distinctly a B.O.C. event, organized and run by the B.O.C., one of the biggest and best-managed clubs in existence. The following Clubs were invited to participate: Aston Martin Owners’, North Staffs Motor Club, Severn Valley M.C., Vintage Sports Car Club, Hants and Berks Motor Club, Liverpool Motor Club, and Cheltenham Motor Club. This seems to me a much more civilized and…

DETROIT, MICHIGAN—An economic and social revolution is brewing in the Motor City. Make no mistake about the importance of events now shaping up for the auto industry in the field of labor-management relations, even though you see little publicity about them for months to come. They revolve around the UAW-CIO’s long-time dream of a “Guaranteed Annual Wage” as a means of reassuring uninterrupted employment in normal times for its more than a million members…. The opening gun has been fired by the union, and during the next three and a half years it will press this campaign relentlessly. Actual negotiations will start in 1955 when present contracts come up for renewal. Should this annual wage drive be successful it is likely to establish a new method of operation for manufacturers,…

NOTE: If you have complaints about—or suggestions for improvement of your car, SOUND OFF! Address MOTOR TREND, 1015 So. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles 35, Calif. …I own a 1949 Mercury Sport Sedan. I have no complaints except the usual ignition “miss” and that was fixed. Oh yes, the clock stopped once. I have no water leaks, no oil consumption, 20 mpg on 70 to 80 mph trips, 16 to 18 mph around town…. Ed WebsterTucson, Arizona …ON THE ROAD my 1950 Olds 88 gets 20 to 21 mpg at 65 mph. I have around 30,000 miles on it, hard miles I might say, and haven’t touched the engine. I burn regular gas although with ethyl it has more pickup. My biggest complaint is the U.S. Royal air ride tires…

YOU DON’T need an XK-120 to have fun and sport on wheels. The rugged, roadworthy four-wheel-drive Jeep, with its unique qualifications for plowing through ultra-tough terrain, can be as much a challenge to driving skill as more orthodox road-racers. All this and more was proved by 425 hardy adventurers who converged on Hemet, California, to participate in the third annual “DeAnza Trail Jeep Cavalcade.” The Jeepers followed the early Spanish explorer’s tracks from Hemet to Borrego Springs—a short hop which has only one drawback: there’s no road. Its 60 miles of swamp, mountain, desert, and rock are grounds for one of the most grueling two-day rallies anywhere. The 174 Jeeps were assembled for an early-morning start. Some, like true high-performance iron, had been towed to the scene by conventional cars.…