Indholdsfortegnelse for July 1959 i MotorTrend

The smartly styled car from the craftsmen of England sold and serviced by Pontiac dealers British good taste and craftsmanship are reflected in every line of the Vauxhall. It’s beautifully styled inside and out. And there’s a noticeable quality of workmanship in the way it’s built and trimmed. The body is tight and solid. The interiors reveal careful tailoring and painstaking hand work. The Englishmen who make the Vauxhall understand American demands for convenience, too. ‘Chey give you top-hat roominess for five, plus vacation-size luggage space. There’s an abundance of visibility in the wrap-around windshield and rear window. And there’s nothing new to learn with its standard American gearshift. It’s quite frugal in its use of gasoline, delivering up to 35 miles on each gallon. Sold all over America by…

Fiat “1100”, above, $1743, suggested price P.O.E., New York Prices slightly higher on West Coast FACTS ABOUT FIAT Up to 53 miles/gallon 15 different models European attention to detail Rugged, sure-footed safety PRICED FROM $1098 P.0.E., N.Y. Big people–have a seat! There’s lots of room in any Fiat. In fact, every part of the car–from robust engine to illuminated mirror–has been space-engineered. You’ll like the precision coachwork, the solid craftsmanship of all parts (moving and unmoving). Come see the Fiat and don’t come alone. Fiat fits the family! It’s the greatest little family car in the world. DISTRIBUTED BY MOTOR CAR CO., INC. Distributor for Northeast States, California, Arizona, and Nevada SEE YOUR FIAT DEALER…

VOLVO SPORTS Like any good design, Per Petterson’s (Frua) Volvo Coupe is uncluttered; use or good taste replaces use of chrome. Length is 173 in., height only 51 in.; 85-hp 1500cc engine is coupled to 4-speed all-synchro gearbox. Excellent Volvo engine and aerodynamic body combination adds substantially to top-end performance. Interior is plush, somewhat ornate; reminiscent of Detroit instrument panel styling of a few years ago before designers started on guided missile kick. Shifting lever is well placed, seats comfortable. Rear seats two for short distances, or luggage. DKW Junior The DKW Junior will enter production by year’s end. It has 3-cyl. 2-stroke 74lcc engine, 4-speed all-synch gearbox, top speed of 80 mph. Saxomat (automatic clutch) is optional extra.…

”Willys is planning to re-enter the passenger car field with a revised version of its Aero, compact model which was discontinued in 1954.” FALSE—This rumor probably grew out of the recent announcement or a station wagon model called the Maverick which will be marketed through about 700 dealers (about half of its outlets) in the United States. There is no plan to revive Aero production in this country. “Horsepower will be drastically curtailed in 1960 models.” FALSE—While more buyers are showing a preference for six-cylinder engines, and the advent of compact cars will further increase their use, those who still want the Eights will find little drop in power output. However, even the Eights will be tuned for better mileage. “A variable ratio steering gear is under development that may…

ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS SPOTS to look at first when considering the purchase of a used car is the wheels. But don’t just kick the tire … shake the wheel vigorously in and out (as shown in photo above) to check for bad bearings and worn suspension. If you don’t catch it before you become the owner, you may have to add up to $75 in repair costs. Such knowledge of what to look for in evaluating a used car is vital if you want a car that will give you good service with a minimum of repair and maintenance costs. In addition to admiring the polish or repaint job, you should examine the inside, inspect underneath, check out the engine and road test the car. This procedure will…

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING NEW with its clear-cut lines and gay colors. Michelotti’s Italian custom styling has triumphantly survived the transition from prototype to production model. The service and repair story is good—no chassis greasing or lubrication to worry about beyond a change of engine oil every 6000 miles and an annual check on oil levels in gearbox, differential and steering pivot pins. How about that accessibility they speak of? Release the catch, grab the handle on top of the hood and prepare to lift. But the pivot point is so cleverly placed that hood, fenders and headlights swing forward with a light pull that any woman could manage … and there you have engine, accessories, radiator, steering, front suspension and brakes in full view. Opening the wide doors reveals…

WAY BACK IN JULY, 1948 a young California hot rodder named Stuart Hilborn put a simple home-made fuel injector on a ’34 Ford V8 engine, dropped it in a belly tank speedster, and proceeded to clock a two-way average of 146.46 mph on El Mirage dry lake. Ever since that time most of the sharper hop-up artists in this country have considered the conventional suction carburetor as an unnecessary evil —to be shucked off as soon as money was available for fuel injection. The art of fuel injection has come a long way in these last 10 years, on street as well as competition engines. Several European cars, such as Mercedes and Goliath, feature it as standard equipment today. No less than seven American car manufacturers have offered it as…

AUTOMOBILE DESIGN is never static. In some cases perhaps it should be. Consider some of the great Italian coachwork turned out in the early ’50s by Vignale, Farina and others building bodies for high- performance Gran Turismos. It has been said that many Italian stylists reached a level of esthetic perfection in those formative postwar years which hasn’t been surpassed. Whether or not this is true, there is no denying that the Ferrari shown here is a thing of beauty-and it was crafted by Vignale in 1952. A fastback aluminum body with little overhang is set off by sparkling red and silver lacquer. The black leather interior combines to present a package which makes the car a true modern classic. Originally powered by a 1.9-liter engine, the car was intended…

WITHOUT THE IGNITION SYSTEM on your car functioning properly, the engine can’t deliver all the horsepower you expect from it. Heat, oil, moisture, rubbing against other parts—all these things help break down the ignition wires leading from distributor to spark plugs, from coil to distributor. Faulty ignition wires may cause these common symptoms: hard starting, engine miss, flat spots under load, and a big power loss. Cracked or kinked wiring may lead to a complete short-circuit, especially in wet weather, which could kill your engine at a critical moment. Resistors should be replaced at intervals because with age they tend to increase resistance, up to 35 per cent. Purchase ignition wiring for quality, not for color to match your car trim! An added convenience at slight extra cost are snap-on-type…

Magnificent successor to the great LOTUS “15” – with increased torque to claw out of corners … close-ratio 4-speed gear box … ZF limited slip differential … 2-liter twin OHC Coventry Climax engine … Chapman suspension. AND … LOTUS Seven sprint and hill climb roadster … LOTUS Eleven Le Mans, 1098cc Climax … LOTUS Fifteen with 1475cc Climax … an d torus Seventeen with 750cc or 1098cc Climax. NEW, FAST, ELEGANT! LOTUS ELITE COUPE Gran Turismo offspring of the famous competition models. LOTUS ENGINEERING CO., LTD. TOTTENHAM LANE, LONDON N.8, ENGLAND JAY CHAMBERLAIN AUTOMOTIVE, INC. UNITED STATES DISTRIBUTOR 4110 LANKERSHIM BLVD. • NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA • POPLAR 6-8103…

HANDS, net machines, CRAFT MORETTI TO $14,000 STANDARDS … FIT COMPONENTS OF BRONZE, BRASS, ALUMINUM … RUB 20 COATS OF PAINT … FORGE THE ALUMINUM CRANKCASE … PAD THE JAEGER PANEL… ENGINEER UP TO 103 MPH FROM 43 HP … COAX 45 SILENT MILES PER GALLON … PROMISE 60,000 MILES WITHOUT OVERHAUL … and ASSEMBLE THIS HEIR TO A WORLD-FAMOUS RACING TRADITION. Part by part, component by component, Moretti is unique refinement. ENGINE — hand-fitted overhead valve system; hand-forged finned aluminum crankcase; 3 bronze main bearings, crankshaft “locked in” engine casting for stability at high RPM; bronze distributor shaft; polished steel cylinder walls. OPTIONAL ENGINES: 55 HP, 750 c.c. (double overhead cam) (double Weber carburetor); 75 HP, 750 c.c. (two double Weber carburetors, five main bearings). TRANSMISSION — all aluminum…

The name Raybestos, part number, and shoe position are branded on the lining for your protection. Right now, down some back alley in an old garage, the fast-buck boys are cooking up a mess of linings and slapping them on shoes. In just a couple more hours they’ll be peddling these murder weapons … at what looks like a very attractive price. Some people will buy. But we don’t think you want to be the “fall” guy. We’re confident that you—the well-informed, the knowing, car owner—will steer clear of this cheap, untested junk. Today only the very best linings can hold up under the brutal attack of heat and wear. That’s why only the finest materials and most advanced methods go into the making of Raybestos Lined Brake Shoes. That’s…

SOMEWHERE IN THE VAST COLLECTION of horsepower, garish chrome, extra-long wheelbase, excessive overhang, bulging widths, interiors by ultra-modern decorators and instrument panels by Salvador Dali, there must be a domestic automobile that is a simple functional vehicle. We think we found the answer in Studebaker’s Silver Hawk sports coupe. Here is a compact package with enough front seat width to accommodate the driver and two passengers, and a back seat for those occassional extra riders. Although legroom is surprisingly good, the body shape is still that of a two-door coupe, and not a long sedan with two doors eliminated. At the risk of being called old-fashioned, we personally like instruments that look like instruments, control knobs that are clearly marked, and lights that illuminate. This is one of the pleasures…

COMPETITION CALENDAR If you use a calendar, you might as well use an interesting one. We came across one with GP, sportscar race and rally schedules placed on the month-page when the event takes place. In addition, there is space provided to pencil in interesting local races, in advance of their running. Each page is decorated with a color drawing of a racing car and a scale map of an interesting course, making a good wall decoration. To get one, send $2 to International Competition Calendar, P.O. Box 25147, Houston 5, Tex. BRACE OF WATCHES A beautiful set of Heuer Autavia watches, mounted on a solid block and chromed, is suitable for a multiplicity of uses. Both watches are graduated in fifth-seconds, the right has marginal markings that convert elapsed…

Glide Control enables locking throttle for constant speed ON RARE OCCASIONS, the MOTOR TREND product-testing staff gets a chance to test a product from the prototype to the production model. The changes are fascinating to watch even though our only concern is that the product must work. The Glide Control Corp. of Los Angeles and Duro-Matic Products Co. of Culver City, Calif, spent months and an untold number of dollars perfecting a constantspeed control for automotive, truck and marine use. Our tests covered the automotive application, and while the prototype functioned well, the production model is simple, rugged, easily installed and reasonably priced. The main function of the device is to eliminate a form of driving fatigue called “throttle foot.” Operation is simple: The accelerator pedal is pressed until the…

“The material you have in your book of Hot Rodding is the most complete and authentic I have seen. Anyone interested im Hot Rodding should have these facts in this great book at their side.”—AK MILLER “COMPLETE” is truly the word to describe this amazing book. For beginners and seasoned Hot Rodders, from basic theory to the latest in techniques, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF HOT RODDING covers the entire field in detail. Authored by automotive magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen and the editors of Hot Rod Magazine, this master reference is certain to provide you with scores of ideas YOU CAN USE. OVER 200 PAGES OF THE MOST EXCITING HOT RODDING MATERIAL EVER COMPILED IN ONE VOLUME! THE HOT ROD STORY—Learn how the sport of hot rodding actually began. Here…

“When I sold my business and retired I knew exactly what I wanted to do: slide behind the wheel of a big longlegged car and spend a solid year seeing the U.S.A., all the places I’d missed. “And I knew exactly the car I wanted, too, after an evening studying Chevy’s all-out list of options. Here’s my own recipe for the ideal cross-country automobile: “An Impala convertible (wind through the Grand Tetons just one glorious morning with the top down and you’ll know why I wouldn’t have anything else); the Turboglide transmission* (so completely automatic it takes the strain out of strange big-city traffic—and that Grade Retard range really saves the brakes in the Western mountains); and that whopping 348-cubic-inch Turbo-Thrust V8* (of the nine engines Chevy offers, this is…

THE SUBJECT OF SMALLER CARS, compact cars (call them what you will, they’re actually “practical-size cars”) will be coming up with increasing frequency in the next several months. And while the Big Three start touting their “discovery” of this new market (that share of the American motoring public which hungers for cars that aren’t monstrously big, that provide a reasonable interior package and give good economy of operation), the “Little Two” have been doing a fine job of providing just such cars. We at MOTOR TREND are probably in a better position to compare the hundred-and-one cars built here and abroad in more varied conditions than any one other organization. This enables us to discuss and evaluate the cars in various lights. This, coupled with brickbats and bouquets thrown at…

With the need for more emphasis on safety these days, we feel it important to report on any development along these lines. Such is the case of the Sir Vival, a “swivel” car built in Worcester. Mass. We assigned our New York Editor, Steve DaCosta, to take a firsthand look and talk to the designer. Here’s what he had to report. —The Editor WE FOUND THAT SIR VIVA’S designer and builder, Walter C Jerome, began his experiments “to eliminate inherent lack or safety in modern car concept.” Figuring that driving concentration is difficult because of the over-relaxing comforts of today’s car, Mr. Jerome has perched his driver on a shelf elevated from the passenger compartment, his head and shoulders encircled by a dome-like structure that permits almost unobstructed 360-degree vision.…

THE AMBASSADOR, like other cars in the American Motors’ line, has some features pioneered by them that are so good the big competitors are being forced in the same direction. The most outstanding of these is the unitized body-frame construction. Recognizing the advantages of eliminating the frame to which a body had to be bolted, American Motors engineered a method of making the body part of the frame and vice-versa. This not only reduces the extra production line operations, but eliminates most of the rattles, squeaks and other by-products of highway and engine vibration. It is a shame they could not make more complete use of this extremely quiet construction by wind tunnel testing to reduce wind noise. This is one very annoying feature of this car. With front windows…

Honorable Mention goes to Herman D. Jordan (13) of Urbana, III., for two design sketches. One is for a duraluminum-reinforced fiberglass body for a Gran Turismo-type coupe. His second design is for an adjustable-vane impeller blade, turning in a pressurized oil bath, to enable a throttle effect on a constant-speed gas turbine engine. ENTRIES FOR THE SECOND MONTH in the Project IDEAS contest continue to prove that one is never too young to start getting ideas for designing cars or styling features. Not only were sub-teens generously represented, but there were entries from two eight-year-olds, and even from two six-year-olds! This does not mean, however, that only youngsters are dreamers, for there were many thought-provoking ideas from older readers that showed an amazing grasp of automotive design concepts and ingenious…

1958 FORDS.. $700* 1957 FORDS.. $350* 1957 CHEVS.. $375* 1957 DODGES $325* 1956 FORDS.. $200* *FLEET OF COMMERCIAL 4-DOOR SEDANS GOOD BODIES, GOOD RUNNING CONDITION. OUR MEMBERS CAN BUY ALMOST ANY MAKE OR MODEL OF CAR THEY WANT NEW OR USED, AMERICAN OR FOREIGN, ANY DAY OF THE YEAR, AT WHOLESALE! THEIR CAR DEPRECIATION IS MINIMAL. WE ARE PROUD! WANT CONVINICING? ORDER TODAY FOR OUR TEN DAY EXAMINATION PRIVILEGE. IF YOU ARE NOT DELIGHTED KEEP THE AUTO BLUEBOOK AND ASK FOR YOUR REFUND. This is what happens to the average man. During his lifetime he spends $25,000 on automobiles and at the end all he has to show for this investment is one car and $25,000 worth of depreciation. The opposite of this sorry dilemma is the average automobile dealer…

Requirements are: copy limit of 25 words (not including name and address); 1st come. 1st served: we reserve the right to edit where necessary: wc are not responsible for accuracy of description, 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. Only one CAR may be listed in any single Sell ‘N’ Swap insertion. This limitation will not apply to parts, catalogs, etc. The charge is $4 per insertion. If your car is unusual and. you have a photo of it suitable for publication, you may submit it with your ad. If we decide to print it there’s no cost to you for the cut,…

Does YOUR car give you the pep and power it had when new? — if not you need a Magna-Power! With a Magna-Power you can save 80% of your engine repair bills and have a “new” car longer. — it takes only one minute to install — at a cost of less than .005¢ per mile (five/thousandths of a cent!). — a $4.95 investment in a Magna-Power will return itself IN FULL every time you change your oil — and keep on doing so for years, saving you hundreds of dollars in formerly unnecessary oil changes, engine repairs, etc. As one Magna-Power fan wrote: “There is no excuse whatever for a man to change oil every 2000 miles if he knows there is such a thing as a Magna-Power antacid…