Indholdsfortegnelse for October 1958 i MotorTrend

CHRYSLER’S ADROIT ENTRY into the small-car field—through its purchase or the 15.2 per cent Ford Motor Co. holdings in Simca of France—is this car maker’s stop-gap answer to the big Detroit question mark: smaller cars. Merchandising Simca’s ready-made family of cars through its dealers will give Chrysler a first-hand feel of the market and enable them to better judge which way the frog may jump. It will also enable Chrysler to realize some return from imported car sales; at present a number of its dealers carry imports in addition to Chrysler lines, but from these sales the corporation makes no profit. Further evidence that the small car is looming larger in Detroit thinking was the added statement of L. L. Colbert, Chrysler president, when announcing the Simca agreement. “We are…

IN THE JULY ISSUE OF MOTOR TREND we asked our readers for their reasons as to why they did not buy a new Detroit car—providing, of course, that they were in the market for one. We were overwhelmed by the response, but more particularly by the fact that so many readers had given it such serious thought before taking pen in hand. The reasons given were almost as numerous as there are days in the year. Most were serious, some were amusing. Almost half of the letters dealt with more than one reason as the root of the trouble; the others pinpointed it to one specific reason. One reader had no reason—except that no one had asked him to buy. (And this with the “You Auto Buy Now” campaign?) Quoting…

THOUGH I HAD SEEN Isabella before, and had been taken by her fine lines, everything I knew about her was from hearsay. She had been described as being not too dashing, but nice and comfortable to be with. In one long weekend and the week that followed, I was to find out why. On further acquaintance, I found I knew her many cousins and sisters, all with the same first name of Borgward. It seems that Isabella is her middle name, which is also shared with her cousins Two-Door and Combi, and with sister Convertible; her last name is Coupe. I soon discovered that she had many virtues, too few of which are found in today’s cars: adequate power for city traffic, country roads and mountain grades; an all-synchro steering-column-shifted…

WHEN WE TESTED the first of the 85-hp Volvos (MT Sept. ’57) we recognized that the Swedish firm had done a remarkable job of squeezing brilliant performance and outstanding reliability from the 97-cubic-inch engine. What’s more, they had packaged a vehicle with surprising room, riding comfort and handling qualities — all at a price which has made Volvo one of the hottest imports in the salesroom as well as on the highway. So what have they done for an encore? Simply added a major improvement which apparently won’t make them a dime in extra profits. They now offer, as a no-extra-cost option, a highly desirable four-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox. It is no secret that it is more expensive to manufacture an all-synchro four-speed than a partly synchronized three-speed transmission. Top speed,…

Editor’s Note: When the author of this article graduated from the University of Michigan he went to work as an apprentice designer under Luigi Segra, president of the Ghia Body Co. in Turin, Italy. Before leaving the U.S. he made a thorough study of the cars Detroit is building today. He then came up with this design as his answer to fit the needs of today’s buyers. It is certainly an interesting and thought-provoking concept. THE JOB OF “CRYSTAL BALL” GAZERS is to design a car which is 10 years ahead of its time. This strikes me as quite an amusing pastime. They are basing their predictions upon present-day public opinion. In 10 years, who knows what the public will accept? The car that I have conceived to lick some…

photo contest THE EDITORS OF MOTOR TREND are looking for the three best photos or sequences of photos taken each month in the field of motor sports. And this includes all forms of motorized racing on land or water—anything that is exciting and pictorial. Picture quality, good composition, current news value and photos that tell a story are what we want. First prize is $25, second $15 and third award is $10. If we select a picture sequence, we will pay the place award for the first photo plus $7.50 for each additional photograph published in the series. Please identify all photos with names, dates, locations and pertinent caption data. Contest is open to amateurs and professionals alike. Photos should be black and white glossy prints, four by five inches…

LETTERS FROM READERS have indicated that a nation-wide mail order campaign to sell spark plugs (oops! pardon us—“fuel igniters”) had aroused their curiosity to a point where a MOTOR TREND use test was in order. We filled out the coupon, requested a matched set of eight igniters and enclosed $11.92 for a set of Lectra Spark Fuel Igniters. Upon opening the package we found that the articles looked a lot like ordinary spark plugs, despite the fact that the literature made a point of calling them “fuel igniters.” Visual examination or the business end of the igniters showed a great variation in the spacing between the center electrode and the outer or ground contacts. The gap between the insulator and the outer rim also varied a great deal—wide on some…

With the growing importance of Alaska’s statehood, we feel that a story dealing with driving conditions on the Alcan Highway is an especially significant way to kick-off the first issue of MOTOR TREND’S Western Section. There is hardly a spot in the West that isn’t expanding and we plan to keep pace with that growth every month in this 16-page supplement. Readers in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, and Mexico will find news of the people, the places, the events, and the industries of the West. The Western Section may venture off the beaten path at times, but our primary aim is to keep our readers aware of automotive doings in the West that are or will be important to…

BROAD SWEEPING FINS of sheet metal fiberglassed to this ’51 Ford coupe body have given it a distinctive dramatic look. Owner Ronald Courtney of McMinnville, Ore., has invested $2000 and 1500 man-hours of labor to achieve the striking results. The completely reworked front end features a grille handmade from strap iron, and Packard and Mercury parts. Headlight rings are ’55 Olds. Rear bumper is formed from pipe, sheet steel and Lincoln parts; strap iron rims frame the lucite tail lights. Electrically operated doors and trunk lid complement power seats and windows. The Festival Red lacquer finish is matched with red and white vinyl upholstery. Pulling this finned flier through the air is a Chevy V8 engine with Corvette cam and McCulloch blower, tied to a Powerglide transmission.…

HERE ARE THE FACTS, SIR! Dear Walt: The article ‘Why Fangio Withdrew” by D. M. Bartley in your August issue was interesting. I would like to make a few corrections, however. The article stated that I paid Fangio’s manager, Giambertone, $1500 of the $6500 deposited by me in the Speedway Bank which Fangio had a chance to win. Actually, Fangio won $500 of my money, as his entry was accepted. He very graciously donated this money to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund—and not the Cancer Research Fund in Indianapolis, as stated. Another $1000, mentioned in the story, was “for passing his driver’s test.” I made no offer for his passing the driver’s test; the $1000 additional offer was for qualifying—which he did not do. Fangio was a good sport about…

DURING HER FIRST LOOK at the Nardi-Vignale coupe, a feminine member of MOTOR TREND’S staff promptly remarked, “Why, it’s as cute as a bug’s ear!” And she was right. It is. But calling a sportscar “cute” is frowned upon by enthusiasts, most of whom prefer their machines to be considered slightly more virile in nature. All is not lost. The Nardi offers this sort of appeal, too. It comes as close to being all things to all people as anything we have come across in a long while. It is small and compact, yet spacious. Fuel consumption is in the economy car class, while performance is satisfactorily brisk. Performance is sensational when you consider that the engine displaces only 45.5 cubic inches (750cc). And the styling is in the eye-stopping,…

GERMANY Increasing competition in minicars shows here: Maico went bankrupt as their new sport coupe was being shown in New York; Maico or Pfaffingen is dead, but Maico of Herrenberg will continue production. Heinkel manufacture shifts to the Irish Republic, and Zundapp is concentrating their production in one plant, having sold the other…. Plans to de-nationalize Volkswagen being held up by dispute between Federal Republic and State of Lower Saxony as to who owns it…. Mercedes-Benz 300-D four-door hardtops will soon be available with power steering and air conditioning…. Reutter, body builder for Porsche, can no longer build all the bodies Porsche wants, so they have contracted Drauz to produce convertible bodies. At the same time the “Convertible D,” which replaces the Speedster, will have the following improvements: roll-up windows,…

GUTTERS, GROOVES, GASKETS—Be sure to clean the trunk’s gutter (inside) and grooves and gasket (outside) of vacation-time’s accumulation of dust and dirt so that rain won’t get caught in crevices, leak in, and collect in rust-causing dampness. While you’re at it, squirt a little oil along the welting of any fender or body seams, wiping off the surplus. This seals rust out of chrome or metal insert strips and keeps fabric welt “alive,” preventing hard-to-locate body squeaks. LOOKING FOR LEAK?—Water leaks in your car’s cowl, windshield, trunk, etc., are hard to find because the water may travel far from where it enters to where it actually drips. You can pinpoint elusive leaks with a garden hose (nozzle removed and water flowing about two inches to simulate rainfall). Start spraying suspected…

TUCKER AUTOMOBILES, the cars that at tracted multitudes of sightseers, would-be buyers and court cases, have been laid to rest as a collector’s item in a Florida garage. Their custodian-owner is N. R. (Nick) Jenin, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a former race car driver, who began buying up Tuckers in 1952. Since then he has acquired nine or the 17 engine-equipped Tuckers he knows to be in existence. Some he purchased from individuals. Two he bought from a St. Louis finance company; several were obtained at auction. He has paid as much as $4000 for one and been offered $6500 for another. “The fellow who made the top offer told me he wanted a car no-one else could duplicate,” Jenin said. “He said he was tired of driving a car…

IT’S A FACT. Westerners are more receptive to new ideas than people in other sections of the country, particularly when automobiles are involved. More sportscars are sold and more customs are built in the West than anywhere else in the country. One of the latest auto ideas, bolt-on replacement bodies from Fiberglas, is finding rapid favor. And one of the best we have seen is the Aiken D-2, designed exclusively to fit the VW chassis. The Aiken Corp. (Venice, Calif.) is the only such firm to build a body for only one chassis. Practice in the past has been to build a body adaptable to many* wheelbases and fitted to none. In this instance, specialization has many advantages, not the least of which are ease of installation and a finished…

AT THE SCCA Laguna Seca races, held on California’s lush, ocean-cooled Monterey Peninsula near San Francisco in June, a crowd of some 50,000 excited racing fans were treated to a devastating display of driving prowess on the part of a 27-year-old, slightly-built (5 feet, 6 inches—128 pounds) lead foot from the Los Angeles region. Alternately tooling a pair of hot Ferraris, a Berlinetta coupe and a 2.5 Testa Rossa, Paul “Richie” Ginther won four races that weekend: three production events with the coupe—and the big-bore Sunday main with the potent Testa Rossa (in which he averaged 81.1 mph over the 1.9-mile uphill-downhill course). Earlier this season, at the famed 12-hour speed enduro at Sebring, Richie crossed swords with a top international field and did himself proud. With only an hour…

A FUN EVENT of the sort we need more of is the 1st Annual Riverside Field Day, Oct. 26, at the Riverside Raceway. A series of events includes a rally to the track, lap time trials, acceleration and braking tests, a slalom and a gymkhana. Each contestant may enter three of the five events. Post entries at the course or write Field Day, c/o Compton FCCA, P.O. Box 371, Compton, Calif…. Major-league sportscar racing comes to the West in October. The United States Grand Prix will be run at the Riverside Raceway the weekend of Oct. 11-12. With USAC sanction and FIA approval it is expected to attract some of international racing’s best drivers … A late season racing event will be the Pebble Beach National Races, Nov. 8 and…

DATSUN, JAPAN’S NEWEST automobile to seek recognition on the American market, is a perky, four-door sedan, whose 87.4-inch wheelbase somehow manages to provide seating capacity and legroom for four passengers. Engineered for ruggedness, economy and low manufacturing cost, its functional simplicity rather than austerity is evident throughout the entire car. From the vinyl upholstering and headliner, the full foam rubber seats and well-fitting floor mats, to the easily accessible engine compartment with its built-in work light, there is a feeling of quality and workmanship. Unadorned with glitter, all the necessary components have been executed in a straightforward manner. Suspended pedals, hydraulic clutch, oil bath air cleaner, built-in heater, turn indicators, underseal and white sidewall tires are all standard for a port-of-entry price of $1849 on the West Coast. Mechanically, everything…

YOU CAN’T SPEND MORE than you’ve got” is a fundamental law of economics that should apply to customizing too. The first consideration in “customodernizing” your car is to determine the amount of money you can afford to lay out. After selecting the degree of customizing desired — mild, moderate, semi or full — you should decide how the available funds are to be distributed over the entire car, to assure a well-rounded treatment. Spending all the money on one end of the car can produce an unbalanced custom … and an unhappy owner. The reworking job can be undertaken all at once or — employing the “ladder” plan — be spread out over a period of time, making sure that each stage leaves the car looking complete. Areas that can…

THE GREATEST THING to hit these shores since the coming of the MG!” said one observer about the Austin-Healey Sprite. And that enthusiastic opinion sums up the feeling of nearly everyone who has come in contact with the Sprite. If you weren’t a sportscar enthusiast back in the MG-TC and subsequently the TD days, it is only necessary to be aware that these were the cars which enticed thousands of novices into sports motoring. We predict that the Sprite will do the same thing on a larger scale. Our appetites whetted by Gordon Wilkins’ early report from England (July MOTOR TREND), we were anxious to drive the car, curious to see if it is as good as he claimed. It is. Frankly, I haven’t enjoyed driving a car as much…

“WHY ARE NO CLASSICS being built today?” a reader asks. There are many reasons, the paramount one being our present high income tax. During the classic era the cheapest cars sold for approximately $600; Packards, Lincolns, and Pierce-Arrows were in the $3000 class. For those who had the money, Duesenberg, Rolls, etc., could be had for $10,000. The highest priced cars today cost only twice as much as the cheapest. Another reason for the gradual demise of the classic is one rarely mentioned. Going back into automotive history, car buyers al-ways sought a machine that would ride smoothly, and this consideration was more important than practically any other. Early electric cars (of the pre-1920 era) were the smoothest riding cars because of their carriage construction and design. They sold well…

ALTHOUGH THE OUTPUT of the small Italian firm of Moretti has always been small, their under-750cc cars have made a real dent in European competition, both before and after the war. A few Morettis have turned up in America from time to time, but only about the time this appears in print will they be distributed in the U.S. in any organized fashion. In spite of the fact that production is limited and the cars are, to a large degree, hand-made, quite a full line is offered. The single-overhead-camshaft 750cc engine with a two-barrel Weber carb puts out 35 hp at 4800 rpm and is used in the two-seater coupe, the four-passenger sedan, a small station wagon, and several utility vehicles. The same engine, but with a double overhead camshaft…

IF YOUR NAME WERE Carl Kohler and your knowledge of automotive repair could be stuffed into a nutshell (and leave room for a symphony of hollow echoes), then it’s no? unlikely you would have encountered the gentlemen pictured here in your travels from shop to shop……

QUADRUPLE-TALK? One of the big three’s dollar sales in the first half of 1958 were 87 per cent of those in the first six months of last year, the company’s president and board chairman announced. They pointed out that the drop in sales of their cars and trucks was “relatively less that that of the domestic automobile business as a whole … In fact, the preference for our 1958 automobiles over other American makes was at an all-time high.” (Guess every dark lining has its silver cloud.) SIGN REPORTED SEEN on used car lot: “You can fool some of the people some of the time—and that’s, good enough for us. WHAT DO THEY DO with old Volkswagens…? Send them to the Old Volks Home. INSULT TO INJURY: A motorist was…