Indholdsfortegnelse for December 1953 i MotorTrend

Each month, this page will carry a selection of new and interesting automotive specialties, plus a few of the old favorites from the enormous stockrooms of the world’s largest distributors of high performance auto parts. Naturally, only a few items can be shown in each issue—so whatever your need’ may be, in power, speed, custom or economy equipment—any item—any brand—for any car, if you don’t see it here, order from the address below—Enclose only 20% deposit on C.O.D. orders—item will be mailed immediately. Built like a power house transformer! From England comes the Runbaken OilCoil, which engineers acclaim the hottest coil in the world! 30,000 volts output compared to ordinary coils’ 10-12,000 volts. Gives quicker starts, more pulling power and acceleration, better mileage. Features unbreakable transparent case with visible windings…

THIS ARTICLE concerns the German automobile industry of the Federal Republic and does not include factories in the Soviet-occupied zone, since conditions there are abnormal. I tried to get that picture by writing the plants there, but received no answers. And for me personally to pursue the quest … well, my freedom means too much to me. In one corner of the Daimler-Benz museum in Stuttgart stands a two-wheeled vehicle which smells pretty awful and crackles and spits fire whenever it’s driven. Built by Gottlieb Daimler, the world’s first motorcycle still runs today. If you don’t believe me. ask Gary Cooper, who rode it early this summer while ordering his Mercedes. In 1885 this two wheeler drove over the rough streets of old Cannstatt under its own power. Its journey…

WHEN BOB ESTES’ three-year-old son, Dale, formally dumped a full quart of homogenized milk on the gleaming hood of his father’s new sprint car early this year, the casual observer might have tagged it a-sentimental family christening and father-son gesture. But nothing could have been more appropriate. For Estes, who has driven or sponsored AAA midgets, stock cars, Big Cars, and sprint cars, in hot rodding, outlaw racing, hillclimbs, the Mobilgas Economy Run, the Championship Trail and the Pan-American Road Race, plus Bonneville Salt Flats and Indianapolis (to name a few he can recall offhand), actually got his start by filching his school “milk money” every day, saving enough to buy an abandoned Model T when he was seven years old. To complicate matters, young Estes drove a hard bargain…

Last month, Walt Woron gave you his driving impressions of the Chevrolet Corvette. Now, to bring you right up to date on the story of the first Fiberglas car to be mass-produced anywhere, Walt went right to the assembly line to answer the question—”How is it made?” TO UNDERSTAND the overall picture of the Corvette in construction, let’s first review the groundwork that went into the car’s conception. Fabricating a plastic-bodied automobile requires more time, more men, and more floor space than that needed for a steel body. On the other hand, the Fiberglas body offered these advantages: less weight, with resulting ease in handling; elimination of heavy stamping presses; and quick molding of parts, affording short cuts in design processes. A final analysis of Fiberglas, as opposed to steel,…

NOTE: MOTOR TREND was at last successful in obtaining the following report by the distinguished Professor Brunn, which contains matter of extreme interest to classic car fans. Out of respect for Professor Brunn, we have substituted the report in its entirety in place of our usual classic car article.—Robert J. Gottlieb MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE Professor Kinsey contributed greatly to the world of medical science with his recent disclosures. As far as detail is concerned. he is most thorough; but he omitted all reference to the contemporary disease classicitis, or classique collectitis, which has a most deleterious effect on American family life. The illness affects young and old males and in isolated cases has been discovered in the female. The first symptoms appear when an afflicted patient carts rusted and greasy…

QUESTION—I would like to have the answers to the following questions regarding braking ability as shown by your car tests: 1. Your tests indicate generally that stopping distance doubles for each increase of 15 mph. Would this hold good for speeds over 60 mph, i.e., 75, 90 and 105 mph? 2. Is the pressure applied to the brake pedal measured with a gauge? 3. Is full-force pressure applied to the pedal or is the pressure varied to get the shortest possible stop? 4. In making brake tests, are tests made to find the stopping distance at maximum car speed? 5. Would it be safe for a driver who has never been required to make a stop at maximum speed to try such stops without practice or proper instruction? Emory E.…

NEED THREE CARS, ONE FOR OPERA, ONE FOR TOURING, ONE FOR WIFE. DO YOUR BEST. SEND BILL” was all the telegram said, except for the signature—”KING OF SIAM.” Five months later the ruler’s garage housed a Rolls-Royce (opera purposes), a Mercedes-Benz for touring, and—for the royal ruler’s wife to whiz around in—a Hispano Suiza town coupe, all custom built, of course. The king’s bookkeeper was also the recipient of a bill for the equivalent of $60,000 from Saoutchik of Paris—Carrossier par Excellence. For 47 years—since 1906—the name of Saoutchik has been synonymous with top-notch custom body work in automobiles—as well as the utmost in elegance and individuality which four wheels can carry and money can buy. Innumerable titled heads, millionaires, and movie stars continually beseech Saoutchik to “design something special…

Here are the first new Ford and Standard “eights” since the war — and that doesn’t mean eight cylinders, either…

AFTER TWO DAYS behind the wheel of the ’54 Hudson Hornet (at presstime I’m driving it cross-country from Detroit to Los Angeles) I find that I like the cars roadworthiness above all else. Sure, it has plenty of punch at all speeds (this one has Twin-H Power, giving it 170 horses) and wherever I stop people ask me. “How fast will it go?” But a more important thing is that it sticks in corners so well that most of the time I find I don’t have to slow down for them. Because this car is equipped with export springs it corners somewhat flatter, but all Hudsons corner better than average anyway. This car also has power steering, which I personally don’t feel it needs since the feel of a Hornet…

I INSTALLED A CHRYSLER horn relay on my car so the horn can be blown only when the ignition is on. Next, I put in a burglar alarm switch (a sensitive contact switch which blows the horn when the car is moved the slightest amount), and mounted a key-operated switch outside the car to control the alarm. Now children can’t blow the horn when the car is unattended, and I have added theft protection. Robert E. L. Keller, Wappinger Falls, N.Y. WHEN A FLAT TIRE is repaired, it is rarely mounted in the same position it was in before it was removed. This can upset wheel balance. To avoid the cost of unnecessary balancing jobs, mark the tire (with chalk or pencil) opposite the valve before repairing the flat; this…

IF YOU OWN a ’53 Studebaker, you’ll be interested in this highly polished, finned aluminum valve cover, said to aid in heat dissipation and reduce tappet noise. Price, $43.50 a pair. For information on other Stude accessories, write: Offenhauser Equipment Corp., 5054 Alhambra Ave., Los Angeles 32, Calif. (California orders add three per cent State sales tax.) IF YOUR CONVERTIBLE TOP looks shabby, or if you don’t like its color, this item may be for you. Two coats (one quart) of a new plastic solution is claimed to add from one to three years to the life of your top. Price, $5.00 a quart (includes taxes and postage). Wide choice of colors. Top Secret, Box 2232, Van Nuys, Calif. (California orders add three per cent State sales tax.) HERE’S THE…

DETROIT, MICHIGAN—Travelers on the highways in and around the Motor City these days are enjoying an outdoor auto show. Haulaway trucks headed for every corner of the country display the new models openly. There really isn’t any need for secrecy; restyling on those announced so far has been so slight that it takes a sharp eye to detect the difference. For example, we had a good look at … THE NEW CHRYSLERS which have undergone a tasteful but minor facelifting for ’54. Windsor, New Yorker, New Yorker DeLuxe, and Custom Imperial each have restyled grilles that give the cars individuality within the family. You’ll like the “eyebrows” over the headlights and the way the parking lights have been integrated into the design. New body chrome on the sides should give…

FROM 1905 until 1930 the Moon Motor Car Company of St. Louis, Mo., turned out far-better-than-average cars. In fact. Moon Brothers Carriage Company, predecessors of the auto company and makers of horse-drawn carriages long before the day of the gas automobile, had established a reputation for reliability and quality finish. Joseph W. Moon, the carriage company’s head and later president of the motor car business, took great pride in quality rather than quantity production. It’s true that a popular love song, “Get Out and Get Under the Moon,” enjoyed great popularity among Moon’s competitors, but the car was sturdy. From 1905 until the demise of the firm in 1931, Moon developed few automotive firsts. But Moon was quick to grab at good features and incorporate them into its own cars.…

HERE IT IS—motor trend’S fun-filled, prize-filled “Do You Know Your Cars?” contest! It’s open to anyone (except employees of Trend. Inc., or members of employees’ families), so if you want to find out just how well you know your cars, just fill out the form below with your name and address, and your answers to the corresponding numbered pictures. (Print clearly; fill in only the make of car to which the picture applies. It is not necessary to give the year or model.) Prizes are: first prize, $100 U.S. Savings Bond; second, $50 bond; third, $25 bond. In addition, 25 two-year subscriptions, and 50 one-year subscriptions to MOTOR TREND will be awarded runners-up in the contest. There is no entry fee for any of the three quizzes required for completion…

SO MUCH GENERAL BAFFLEMENT has resulted from the revival of the term “sports car” that MOTOR TREND feels it should try to define it. The term, once before common in this country and never out of favor in Europe except, possibly, during World War II, has been as frequently misused as any other in the English language. To start, let us be sure we all agree that, no matter what fine products of Detroit, Coventry, or elsewhere may come so equipped, “wire wheels do not a sports car make.” Thus at rest with what may appear to be a serious question, we can proceed to further definition. Time was when anyone in charge of any motorized vehicle whatsoever might expect to hear the cry (derisive, more often than not) of…

A CUSTOM doesn’t have to be a mass of flowing lines designed to conceal a car’s identity; it can be as simple as the cars shown here, where a dechromed deck, an altered top, or an open wheel well can make the difference between a stock car and a distinctive custom. More and more customizers are retaining stock appearance in their creations, but rely upon dechroming, lowering, and altering stock contours to gain individuality.…