MotorTrend August 1951

HENRY KECK, who brings you the Helicar story, is far from being “just another writer with another screwy idea.” Mr. Keck’s idea for freer, more flexible personal transportation is based upon knowledge that stems from his remarkable background. Both his father and an uncle were well-known sculptors, a close cousin was a world-renowned engineer. Influenced by these talented personalities, Keck decided upon a career in industrial design while he was still a boy. He graduated in mechanical engineering and business at Dartmouth, went on to two years of postgraduate work at California Institute of Technology, where he acquired a degree in Industrial Design. His formal education out of the way, Keck became Raymond Lowey’s chief product designer on the West Coast and did similar work for the Corning Glass Company.…

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: Reader Reflections, MOTOR TREND, 1015 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles 35, Calif. WHAT IS A STOCK CAR? Gentlemen: There is a question in my mind as to what constitutes a “strictly” stock car. Marshall Teague, the winner of the Grand National Stock Car Championship at Daytona Beach, claims to have used Grant Piston Rings in his winning Hudson Hornet. He states that he considers they gave him an extra two to three miles per hour. In your column, “Spotlight on Detroit,” you say that Teague had only 167 miles on the car at the beginning of the race. This means he had piston rings…

CARS OF distinction, class and uniqueness will constitute the focal point of interest at the second annual Motorama which will be held in the Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Hollywood, Nov. 7-11. This show, the nation’s outstanding motorized’ equipment exposition, features the largest display of foreign cars ever shown in the west as well as foremost custom creations, sport cars, classic cars and record-holding competition cars from all sections of the country. With 100,000 sq. ft. of display space available, Motorama is expected to attract scores of commercial exhibitors in the automotive specialty parts, accessories, and supply category, as well as leading oil companies. Emphasis is being placed on show design and decorations by the sponsors who have employed a nationally known expert in this field to prepare the floor plan, which…

DETROIT, MICHIGAN—Engineering developments, affording a more detailed and accurate view of power plants for tomorrow’s cars, are in the center of this month’s automotive spotlight. Much of the attention is focused on General Motors’ fabulous research engine project, the 19XX, and a vastly improved Hydra-Matic transmission. In recent tests these two devices showed the ability to slash gasoline cosumption between 29 and 40 per cent, depending upon speed. The new GM V-8 engine with a 12:1 compression ratio has been mounted in a standard 1951 Cadillac sedan chassis for test purposes. At 30 mph it gets 29 mpg; at 40 mph the figure is 27.6 mpg and 20 mpg at 70 mph. By comparison, today’s Cadillac V-8 with 7.5:1 comp, ratio covers 19.8 miles per gallon of gas at 40…

NOTE: If you have complaints about—or suggestions for improvement of your car, SOUND OFF I Address MOTOR TREND, 1015 So. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles 35, Calif. …THE PICTURE of a 1951 Chevrolet being tested for leaks was of particular interest to me…. Have a 1949 Fleetline and I don’t need a vacuum interior to make it leak, just a shower…. Wallace R. BenefielMedicine Lodqe, Kansas I HAVE a 1949 Oldsmobile 88 which I purchased new and have always taken decent care of mechanically. In spite of repeated trips to the garage, tune ups, new plugs, etc., this car is a gas hog. For a while I was able to use white aviation gas and got much better mileage, but this was back in 1949…. The front end of this…

AS A TOURIST, traveling cross-country through state after state recently, I got sick and tired of the inconsistency of traffic laws. I’m just one of the millions of motorists disgusted with the wide variance in traffic regulations. Of course, we realize that each state has set up its own regulations without consulting any other states, and probably not even caring what neighboring states’ traffic laws are. But, what reason can be given for traffic laws in one state being almost the reverse of those in another state? Those of you who have traveled cross-country know how confusing it is to be driving at a comfortably high and safe speed, cross the border into another state and find yourself pulled over to the side of the road, an officer staring you…