Indholdsfortegnelse for March 1952 i MotorTrend

DETROIT, MICHIGAN—The work of months, and in some cases years, is culminating in auto dealer showrooms throughout the nation these days. Now at last the closely held secrets of stylists and engineers are being laid bare and you may see for yourself whether improvements are as important as advertising executives proclaim. Most of the car manufacturers currently are premiering their 1952 creations. A whopping total of 10 new offerings are competing for public attention. They are Lincoln, Mercury, Buick, Plymouth, Chevrolet, Hudson, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Studebaker and the recently announced Willys passenger car. Some of these jobs have really exciting engineering and styling features, others are mere face-lifted versions of last year’s models. Here is a run-down on what you may expect to find when you look them over at your…

AS I LEFT the semi-tropical climate of Southern California, flying eastward toward the chilly snows of the Midwest, I - began to wonder how much effect the weather would have on the performance of the '52 Studebaker I was to test. Much to my personal discomfort, I was soon to find out, for when I arrived at the Studebaker Proving Grounds (in South Bend, Ind.) the temperature had nosedived to 28°F., with the air crisp, but clear. As it turned out, the Studebaker Commander V-8 performed every bit as good, and slightly better (in some respects) than last year’s car. The reason for some of the improved performance was that the last Studebaker “Motor Trial” (June °51 MOTOR TREND) was done with a Commander equipped with Automatic Drive; this year’s…

BIG NEWS HAS been made again by a little man with a long name and a background that extends back to the dawn of automotive history. Joe Jaegersburger’s career seemed to have hit its climax back in the 1920s when he invented, produced, and sold by the thousands the famous “Rajo” ohv head for Model Ts. The Rajo (“Ra” for Racine, where it was made and “Jo” for Joe, its maker) turned Lizzies into high-performance bombs and was one of the cornerstones of the great speed and power industry that was to grow into the hot rod movement. But now, at the age of 68, Joe has done it all over again, this time for Chevvy owners. I’ve driven Joe’s own ’51 Rajo-equipped machine and it’s a great understatement to…

FROM THE FAMOUS custom shops, from the small town local garages, from backyards all over the United States, will come the most revolutionary custom cars ever put on the highways—that's my prediction for 1952. These cars will be as radical mechanically as they are in styling, for these two factors affect each other. And you can be sure that the 1952 custom cars will have an immeasurable influence on Detroit in the years to come. This will be an interesting year in automobile development. There are several major reasons why both the professional and amateur custom car builder will evolve radical cars this year. The strangest reason is the most important: “Nobody has any money!” Yes, everywhere I went gathering material for this story, I heard that phrase; yet this…

IF YOU OWN a ’47 Buick convertible and would like to dress the old girl up a little, you might try some of Dale Collister’s tricks. His ““Monte Carlo,” as shown in the unusual illustrations on these two pages, is one of the most ambitious jobs of customizing ever attempted on the Buick groundwork. The cost of the car exceeded $6,200, which puts it out of the-reach of the ordinary enthusiast, but there are many helpful ideas for you. The deck lid for example—it’s double hinged so that it will rise straight up when the switch on the dash panel is thrown. This solved the problem of the spare tire, making it unnecessary to hinge the solid cover so it could be swung out of the way to get to…

• TORREY PINES • PALM BEACH SHORES THE FINEST RACE I’ve ever seen!” was heard all around the course at Torrey Pines, near San Diego, on Dec. 9. There the California Sports Car Club set a new precedent by inviting motorcyclists to participate in a race of their own—a 10-lap event over the 2.7-mile road course. as part of the day’s racing. The circuit itself was superlative in every way: two long straightaways gave the equipment a chance to unwind, plenty of sharp bends tested the skill of pilots and the roadability of machines. Gently sloping ground made unusually good crowd control possible and allowed spectators a view of almost the entire course. The view also included a 180-degree sweep of the blue Pacific—in all, an ideal setting. From the…

“… This ’37 Ford was built by Bill Abbott Body Shop in Abilene, Kansas. The frame is from a ’40 Ford, and ’48 Ford steering was used. A ’40 Merc is the power plant. The body was a ’37 Ford five-window coupe which has been channeled and chopped. Grille is ’39 Buick with center section removed. Front fenders are ’40 Ford, reshaped to match cowl. Colors are cream and red.” W. L. (Bill) Abbott Abilene, Kansas…

THIS IS YOUR YEAR! If you have felt the urge for “surge,” rise now and shout. For the new RAJO head for Chevrolet gives your engine “jackrabbit jump” with the slightest increase of throttle pressure, uncanny smoothness in operation (see editor's note page 33), more miles per gallon and greater all-around engine efficiency. RAJO for Chevrolet means surpassing power! The story is told in the horsepower curve. “No stocker ever went like this.” And the man who points the way to better things for Chevrolet is Joe Jagers-berger who gave wings to the Model T. We salute this great pioneer of speed and power … and we'd like to demonstrate the RAJO for Chevrolet story in detail. The Complete Kit is Just $169.50 (tax incl.) Write us or see us…

THE LADY WAS NOT impressed by the office. But she had already opened the door and three men were watching her so it was too late to back out. “I want to speak to Mr. LeBaron,” she said. Nothing in the lady’s background prepared her for the silence that followed. She had only to beckon wordlessly to summon owners and managers in the best shops on Fifth Avenue. Yet the young men in the sparsely furnished room only looked at each other, not at her. Finally a slight, curly-haired man who did not bother to wear a coat to hide his suspenders, rose and walked toward her. “Tam Mr. LeBaron,” he said. “May I be of assistance?” If the lady stayed to become a customer she soon learned that Mr.…

• FOREIGN CAR PERFORMANCE • MERCEDES REVIVES LUXURY LINE • GRAND PRIX OUTLOOK IF YOU READ the revealing analysis of American production cars in February's Motor Trend, you may have been struck by—or you may have taken for granted—the all-round superiority of the few best-engineered makes. Chrysler, for example, had not only the best acceleration and the best top speed, but also the best brakes and the best figure in ton-miles per gallon. The table on this page, based on figures provided by the excellent and irreproachably impartial road tests conducted by The Motor (London), has an entirely different story to tell. Each of the overseas cars tested is designed for a specific job, rather than for a variety of jobs, like U.S. cars. Look, for example, at the ratings…