Indholdsfortegnelse for January 1953 i MotorTrend

ARRIVING TOO LATE to be included in our “New Car Announcements” (see page 26), here is information on the new 1953 Aero Willys Eagle, to be announced nationally on December 10. The car, a hardtop style, is one of four new models incorporating seven body styles to be introduced by Willys in 1953. The new Willys have four inches more leg room in the rear seats than in previous models. Other new features include a one-piece windshield, new instrument panel, and new upholstery—Naugahyde, a material which looks like leather GM’s air conditioning system is shown in a diagram on page 10 of this issue; at presstime we learned that Chrysler also is coming out with a unit which will be produced by its Airtemp Division in Dayton, Ohio. James C.…

FOR A PERIOD of approximately two months preceding Motorama, we were besieged by many custom car owners, each wondering if their particular proud and shining beauty had a chance of being displayed in the show. We spent many afternoons appraising cars, ranging from smooth conservatives to nervous radical types, and interviewing owners whose occupations were as varied as the style of their creations. During these conversations the question arose which prompted the research for this article. Why do owners customize their cars? On this and the following pages we give you the owners’ reasons for customizing as well as a description and pictures of their completed work, some of which is outstanding. LEE DUMMEL, shown with his customized ’50 Ford, above, wanted something a little out of the ordinary. A…

ARE TODAY’S CARS improving? Do they look better … ride softer … drive easier … go faster? What’s the trend of cars today; what improvements can we expect tomorrow? In looking back at our road tests of the ’52 cars, it’s quickly apparent what the general trend is: engines are more powerful; interiors are somewhat more luxurious and safer in design; rides are softer; body design continues to favor boxy (but rounded-off) shapes; and driving is easier, but handling is not improving greatly. This, of course, is only a cursory examination; it takes a much closer look to determine the relative importance of the many factors that make up today’s cars. Engine Trends The trend toward larger bores, shorter strokes, and overhead valves predominates throughout the industry. A year or…

PURSUING THE PREVENTION of accidents, the E. S. Hoobler Mfg. Co. (Costa Mesa, Calif.) has designed a new automotive device, called the Hoo-bler-matic. Essentially a wedding of the brake and accelerator pedals into a single unit, the Hoobler-matic allows independent operation of either pedal. Normal operation of the Hoobler-matic is simple-push down with the toe of your foot for acceleration; push forward with your entire foot for braking. The purpose of the unit is to improve brake efficiency by reducing driver reaction time. It is accepted that many accidents could have been avoided if the cars involved had stopped a few feet sooner. The Hoobler-matic, by reducing reaction time, may contribute to the reduction of such accidents. When first driving a car equipped with the Hoobler-matic, your normal reaction is…

AT THE CONCLUSION of a recent road race, the owner of the winning car was industriously attempting to roll it on its trailer. A spectator in the milling crowd cast a critical glance at the car, turned to the sweating owner and asked, “What did you fellows prove?” The average classic car owner is frequently asked questions with similar import by inquisitive neighbors. He is constantly besieged with inquiries concerning the price of his car, the restoration cost, horsepower, and vintage. Finally, the inevitable coup de grace is applied, “If it costs so much, why drive a classic?” Good reasons exist for the questions asked in each of the foregoing illustrations. The racing spectator is easily informed of the advances in safety, garnered as a result of numerous racing events.…

TOP CROWD STOPPER in the new accessories department at the MOTORAMA SHOW was AUTOSPHERE’S PerfOMeter. You’ll be hearing a lot about this unit—”the Complete Car Test Instrument … for Performance-Minded Drivers.” The first thing to note is that it is not a vacuum gauge, but an entirely self-contained instrument that can accurately measure every important factor in the operation of cars and trucks. Utilizing the action of a balanced pendulum dampened by baffles in oil and sealed hermetically, the PerfOMeter tests and evaluates brake efficiency, safety acceleration, pick-up ratings, engine pulling power, hill climbing ability, wind, and rolling resistance. As one of our amateur hot rod engineers at the show observed: “It’s the poor man’s dynamometer!” The PerfOMeter is compact, sturdy … can be mounted easily in any convenient spot…

MOTOR TREND AD GIVES SPEEDY ACTION Gentlemen: MOTOR TREND deals in many matters of speed, but I was quite unaware that it was so fast that a Packard Super Eight I advertised for sale early in the Spring was sold and delivered before the issue carrying the insertion was on the newsstands of this city ! I find your magazine valuable for many references as well as up-to-the-minute information. David Singer Lexington, Kentucky SPORTING SCENE CONTROVERSY Gentlemen: Just finished reading “Sporting Scene” by Jack Campbell in your November issue. I feel his comments on Watkins Glen are way out of line. It was my impression that between the lines he was saying that Fred Wacker is a reckless and unskilled driver. Though a member of SCCA I have never met…

FIRST COP-SIL-LOY—the new alloy brake conditioner that protects your bakes (and your life) in the wet winter driving ahead. It waterproofs the brakes, gives you quick recovery from wet brakes! It stops FADE, stops drum scoring, reduces wear—gives you smooth, silent positive braking. Moreover, it will actually DOUBLE brake lining life! Just brush it on the linings with a paint brush … and your half-worn (or new) brakes are made better than new. $4.95 ppd. SECOND P.C.A. SAFETY BELTS—the only known, advertised automotive belts which conform to C.A.A.’s Technical Standard Order C-22A. (Will withstand a load of 2850 lbs. around the human body.) P.C.A. Belts reduce the hazard of being thrown against dash or windshield; prevent any occupant from being hurled out onto the pavement; enable driver to maintain control…

THREE LOW-PRICED CARS present 1953 models this month with numerous styling and mechanical changes. They are Plymouth, Ford and Willys; while Chevrolet, the other leader in this field, holds up announcement of its new offerings until after the first of the year. From a styling standpoint, Plymouth is offering the most completely changed cars in its 25-year history. Not too much has been done to its dependable engine. This year’s body is absolutely new from grille to taillights. Height has been reduced, yet passenger and luggage compartment space is enlarged. Moving the engine forward two inches and relocating rear wheel housings are responsible. Better visibility is achieved through a one-piece windshield and a wrap-around rear window which extends into each quarter panel. Total glass area is 16 per cent greater…

TO GIVE the readers of MOTOR TREND a more comprehensive view of the foreign car picture, we have assembled a group of imported automobiles that are readily accessible in most of the major cities throughout the United States. In most cases we avoided any car that would have to be put on special order. The cars shown on the following pages are the newest types available, many of which are being built for the export trade exclusively. Specifications of all the cars shown are to be found on page 40. EUROPEAN automobiles, with a few notable exceptions, are designed to give maximum fuel economy for their engine size. This, along with their generally excellent handling characteristics, has made them increasingly popular on this side of the Atlantic in the last…

MOTORDOM once again was the star of one of the West’s most spectacular shows—Motorama! To observe this assemblage of the country’s most unusual vehicles came another record-breaking crowd—over 11,000 people—and this despite two days of torrential rains during the seven-day exhibition. What makes a show like Motorama so popular with the public? To us, who talked with the owners of the cars exhibited, and learned of their struggles, their inspirations and their aspirations, it was a revelation of individualism expressed in automobiles. Here, for the world to see, were the results of a driving force that has made America what she is—a race of people dedicated, in no small measure, to mechanical ingenuity and genius. And, as long as this enthusiasm continues to grow, we know we shall never be…

GERMANY: Biggest news to come out of this country prior to presstime was concerned with two different places, but with the same make of car—Mercedes-Benz. Under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, on world-famous Champs Elysees, Paris, Mercedes introduced its new 300S roadster, coupled in display with its 300SL LeMans victorious coupe (sister to the ones that will be competing at presstime in the Mexican Pan-American Road Race). The roadster is well-finished, fitted with an overhead camshaft, six-cylinder engine, giving 150 hp and 110 mph. Although its styling is superb, perhaps its best feature is its roadability. … As for Mercedes roadability, I can speak from personal experience—that of riding in the cockpit of a 300SLK, while Karl Kling threw it around the 176 turns of famous Nurburgring in…

In 1948, top auto economy engineers proved that it was possible to double the miles per gallon of any car regardless of make or age … actually get from 42 to 47 miles a gallon WITHOUT MAKING ONE MAJOR MECHANICAL CHANGE. If your car is less than 15 years old and hasn’t hit the 100,000 mile mark . . then in less than 24 hours, you can boost your mileage 2 to 9 more miles per gallon. Within seven days you can be getting 50% better mileage … get up to 8000 miles between oil changes … and “dig out” from stop lights 0 to 60 m.p.h. in less than 14 seconds. To Get Top Performance From Your Car—You Must Know These Facts! In 1948, the top national authorities on…

DETROIT, MICHIGAN—Apparently the auto industry’s “horsepower race” has just rounded the far turn and entered the backstretch, if current rumored plans are carried through to completion. Lincoln, temporarily out in front by the width of a radiator with its 205 blip engine, will drop into second slot along about January when the 1953 Cadillac is unveiled in New York at General Motors’ Wal-dorf-Astoria show. These massive monsters are reputed to be powered with a 210 blip engine, which is said to come closer to advertised claims than the current one. Cadiliac’s lead will be short lived, however, and, as the closely bunched pack accelerates out of the first curve into the long back straight-away, Chrysler is destined to surge ahead. Its very potent “FirePower” is slated to hit 220 blip…

DETROIT CARS all look alike.” This statement is not original. It has been repeated constantly since the war by an increasing number of people who finally turned in rage or despair from Detroit to the MG, the Jaguar, or to the custom craftsman in an effort to achieve individuality and distinction. The great custom body designers of the Twenties and Thirties—Le Baron, Bohman and Schwartz, Dietrich, Brunn, Rollston—have now found their way into misty, nostalgic discussions of “the good old days”; and, in the opinion of many heretics, cars now tumble off all the assembly lines of Detroit in a monotonous blur of identical chrome trim and tail fins —distinctive only in name plates and price tags. But now Nash industries has announced that Pinin Farina—called the leading designer of…

WHEN DODGE ANNOUNCED its new, completely restyled car featuring the 140-horsepower “Red Ram” V-8 engine, we placed this car at the top of our 1953 model road testing program. It so happened that we were scheduled to be at the finish line of the Mexican Road Race (see page 41) at the same time that we were to put the new Dodge through its paces, so we were able to give the car close to a 2500-mile, cross-country road check. Our route from Los Angeles to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico and return is shown on the accompanying map. While we learned much about the handling characteristics of our Dodge Coronet four-door sedan on our Mexican trip, we will save a discussion of this until later on, since the…

A CONTEST of not only speed, but endurance as well, the Pan American Road Race tests the stamina of drivers, codrivers and crews. As we go to press, we’ll give you our thoughts of this third annual event. Next month we’ll give you a complete, searching analysis. On Mercedes: The only thing that kept these fantastic cars from having a clean sweep was that John Fitch (in the roadster) was disqualified for returning to the starting line in Parral, going to a garage where it is claimed that someone other than he and his co-driver worked on the car. This is in violation of the rules. Strategy of the Mercedes team was to wear out the Ferraris—to keep after them, pushing them to the limit in the hopes they would…

MT RESEARCH does it again—by it we refer to sticking out our collective necks by comparative road tests of the standard Hudson Hornet and the Hudson Hornet with Twin H power equipment. Due to Hudson’s fine showing in stock car races throughout the country, we will probably receive many letters casting reflections on the weight of our throttle foot and our reaction time in hitting the stop watch. In our defense we would like to say both cars were furnished by the Hudson factory and both were equipped with Dual-Range Hydra-Matic transmissions. Power equipment consists of a dual intake manifold with two single-throat carburetors, each having its own air cleaner and silencer, a higher compression cylinder head with 7.2 to 1 compression ratio, and a modified camshaft to take advantage…

Requirements are: copy limit of 25 words (not including name and address), first come, first served; we reserve the right to edit where necessary; we are not responsible for accuracy of descriptions, although we will reject any misleading statements. This service is not open to commercial advertisers. No ads will be accepted if payment is not made in advance and such communications will not be acknowledged. Address your request to Sell ’N’ Swap. The charge is two dollars per insertion—Editor. IMPORTANT NOTICE! Only one CAR may be listed in any single Sell ’N’ Swap insertion. This limitation will not apply to parts, catalogs, etc. SELL—’36 eight-cylinder Pierce-Arrow five-passenger wire wheel sedan. Very good throughout, Penna. inspected, second complete car for parts, is restorable, $600 for both. G. Domer, 618 Hepburn…