Indholdsfortegnelse for September 1959 i MotorTrend

Dear Editor: I am quite sincere in my belief that the poor steering qualities of our cars are responsible for many deaths on our highways. It is criminal, in my opinion, to allow a highspeed car to be put on the market without the quick, positive steering found on most European cars. In certain hands, Detroit cars are deadly, as the traffic tolls show. Our cars are evidently still being made for the time when the roads were practically empty, and the speed was low. The slow type of steering was okay for times gone by, but not today. If Detroit wants me to buy their products, they will have to give me what I want—not what my women have been talked into wanting. I would, of course, prefer to…

Wide-Track Wheel design brings car and road into a new relationship. The wheels of a Pontiac are farther apart, widening the stance but not the car. There’s a feeling of complete control, road-holding response. You’re steadier, more secure, balanced. It’s the automotive advancement of the year and one of the big reasons Pontiac is now first in sales in its price class. Hasn’t the day come for you to drive this sleek beauty? The keys are waiting at your nearest dealer. PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION • GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION THE WIDE-TRACK STORY Pontiac wheels are five inches farther apart. This widens the stance, not the car. Lower center of gravity makes the car grip the road. Lean and sway disappear. You get safer cornering, easier handling, a steadier, balanced, smoother ride.…

WASTEFUL PEDAL “PALPITATION” Hundreds of thousands of rpm, gallon upon gallon of gas, wasted every day! Figure it out for yourself—engineers estimate waste by multiplying this way: number of miles driven x number of “palpitations” per mi. x useless rpm per “palpitation.” Now, GLIDE CONTROL lets you achieve automatically, with any car, exactly what professional “economy run” drivers are famous for — record-breaking fuel savings through precise, even throttle control and fuel-feed! You get any speed you want, without the usual gas pedal “palpitation”—without excessive, wasted rpm—without burning up gasoline needlessly. GLIDE CONTROL is a perfected, precision-made electronic instrument, proven efficient and fool-proof in rigid performance tests by leading engineers. GREATLY REDUCES FATIGUE Another constant aim of “pro” drivers is minimum fatigue, and GLIDE CONTROL can promise you this advantage.…

CHRYSLER CORP. ENGINEERS are bringing out a new line of bodies for their 1960 models that they are confident will obsolete conventional body construction methods overnight. They will feature a highly advanced form of “unit” construction— where the body is welded up from panels and braces into a sturdy box unit, without any separate sub-frame. Auto engineers have been arguing the pros and cons of unit body construction for 30 years; for every advantage there always seemed to be at least one disadvantage. But the Chrysler people think they have the answer now. They’re sure they can offer you a tighter, quieter, longer- lasting body than you have ever been able to buy in a Detroit product before—and one that does not kill compromises on style, weight or cost. If…

You may enter the monthly Project IDEAS contest by submitting 1) an original automotive design sketch or detail drawing — for a complete car or for one or more components, 2) an original model car or a model built any form any Revell (or other make) customizing hit, or 3) photographs of an actual full-sized car that you have desigor customized, The various entry classes, monthly and grand prizes, and address for information and entry blanks are listed below. Have you entered? PRIZES AWARDED EVERY MONTH SENIOR DESIGNER CLASS $100 Savings Bond (open to all entrants) JUNIOR DESIGNER CLASS $50 Savings Bond (Entrants aged 19 or under) APPERTICE DESIGNER CLASS $25 Savings Bond (Entrants aged 13 or under) GRAND PRIZES (awarded at year’s end) FIRST PLACE: A 16 x 32-foot…

ADDITIVES—USES AND LIMITATIONS Most every oil or fuel additive works by chemical action; that is, it is usually some kind of solvent. If the additive is used to reduce oil consumption, it dissolves the gum that holds the carbon that is clogging the rings. Once loosened, these deposits are suspended in the oil and the rings are able to perform their function. This consists of scraping all but an ultra-fine film of lubricant off the cylinder walls, and holding combustion pressures within the combustion chambers. Depending on the purpose of the additive, the valves, combustion chambers and the fuel system may also be cleaned out. If these are the things causing trouble in your engine, a good purge will probably do a lot of good. For example, I tried a…

U. S. Version of the Monte Carlo Rally COMING THIS OCTOBER, the American Rally Club, Inc. intends to stage one of the most ambitious rallies for domestic and imported cars ever seen in this country. To date 100 entries have been received and over 400 are expected. There will be eight starting points: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dallas, Mexico City, Detroit, New York and Miami. A crew of two or three drivers can start from any of these cities, winding up about 3200 miles and five days later at the finish point in Las Vegas. There is a guaranteed purse of $10,000 to be divided among the first 25 finishers and best teams. To get a crack at this dough, all you have to do is put up…

THE CAR YOU SEE in action here is known as the Shamrock, but we think it looks enough like a Thunderbird to call it the Irish T-Bird. It’s a prototype four-seater sportscar designed by Bill Curtis, built in Ireland and intended for full-scale production around the first of ’60. The shot was taken at Riverside Raceway, where we had intended to run a full-scale test on the car. We encountered some problems with the engine though (through no fault of the builders), and will have to wait until they are solved before we bring you our test report. In the meantime, you can read our introductory story on page 48. EVERY SUMMER—and in some sections of the country that’s from May to December—there’s good reason to want air conditioning in…

CALL IT A REJUVENATION, revolution, reversal of trend or just plain revival of competition—whatever tag you place on the industry’s new direction for I960, it nonetheless offers the American car buyer a much wider choice of cars to pick from than has been offered in years. When first I started chronicling the events in this industry in 1925 there were 54 companies catering to the whims of American motorists. Among them were such venerable names as Ajax, Auburn, Apperson, Chandler, Locomobile, Pierce-Arrow, Rickenbacker, Haynes and countless others. Corporate integration and cold, hard competition whittled down the list until this year only 16 nameplates remain. The choice among series of cars marketed under the various names then became limited largely to a choice of powerplants, interior and exterior trim and an…

THE DECISION TO BUILD a new car at Ford starts with the find-? ings of the Market Research Department, composed of top-flight personnel (and not to be confused with Consumer Research, which has to do with the customer’s likes and dislikes as applied to specific cars). This committee’s continuing studies of marketing factors such as population growth, population shifts, probable changes in living, travel and shopping habits, competition from other sources for spendable dollars and many other imponderables, bring a conviction that perhaps three to four years down the road a new type .of car will be needed to meet the customer’s wants. Such was the decision made to start development of a new small car. While the Falcon followed much the normal pattern of development of year-to-year models, certain…

BEARING THE FITTING NAME of Shamrock, the prototype of a new four-passenger sportscar was re-cently introduced to the American public by a 27-year-old Californian of Irish descent. Starting into production in the early fall, the fiberglass-bodied car will be available at a proposed price of $2495. About two years ago, William Curtis, present managing director of Shamrock Motors, Ltd. was visiting his wife’s family in Ireland. That’s where he got the idea “… to help the country and its people.” Looking for a favorable prospect to manufacture, he thought cars the most promising. After 16 months of intensive work, the prototype seen here was completed. He then set up a 40,000-sq.-ft. plant to produce it. Within six months he hopes to be employing 2400 workers. Plans are to ship 3000…

Eight Raybestos linings make each installation “custom” THE STOPPING ABILITY of an automobile depends on the quality and endurance of its brake lining. Weight distribution, pitch and tire condition are big factors that influence stopping distance, but no known brake lining can compensate for the attitude of the vehicle or its tire adhesion when the brakes are applied. Lining manufacturers are constantly researching to meet the demands of auto makers who seem to insist that the friction material has more to do with good braking than area or drum cooling.’ Just about the time a new lining has been perfected to work consistently within the rather narrow confines of the auto builders’ specifications, further demands, such as increased weight and smaller wheels, are made upon the lining material. Raybestos, no…

SOLID TEAM DISCIPLINE, sound tactics and the brilliance of Stirling Moss (who set a car-breaking pace which lured the Ferraris to destruction in the first three hours)—these were the essential elements that gave Aston Martin a 1-2 victory at Le Mans after 10 years of trying. Ferrari, who had much faster cars and started as hot favorites, seemed to have no coherent strategy. Not a single works car finished, and only the private owners who brought ordinary Gran Turismo models into 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th places saved the honor of Maranello. Le Mans still divides itself into two separate events: the unofficial Grand Prix which ends around midnight when most of the sprinters have worn their cars out; and, the real endurance event which is then fought out among…

Firestone is FIRST in competitive tests that prove performance for you! Nassau’s rugged coral track can tear tires to shreds in minutes—but it couldn’t stop Firestones! In the 1958 Nassau sports car classic, the winning cars in all three big races were on Firestone tires. Winners Chuck Daigh and Lance Reventlow took the Nassau trophy on Firestones at a blazing 87.549 m.p.h. average. Like other professional drivers, they know that Firestone’s proof of performance on the speedway means safer driving for you at turnpike speeds. You get the trackproved performance of Firestone Rubber-X, the longest-wearing rubber ever used in Firestone tires, along with Firestone S/F (Safety-Fortified) cord in the famous, turnpike-tough Firestone tires. Even if you drive an imported car, you get these same exclusive features that assure unmatched safety…

THE PROSPECTIVE CAR-BUYER who’s after a low-priced but handsome, easy and economical to operate, convertible machine that will seat four adults comfortably with sufficient luggage space to contain overnight necessities for each, is recommended to stop and shop a Rootes Group dealership for a look at the 1959 Singer Gazelle. Among the Hillmans and Humbers and Sunbeams will be found this recent addition to Rootes cars, available in either hardtop or convertible. The car in which we logged 181 city and country miles, around the New York area, was supplied by Peter Miller and Ken Langridge of the Rootes organization’s service depot in Long Island, N.Y. When it was returned, our figures read 27.16 mpg average for the tour. Less than half the total mileage logged was country cruising, and…

FROM FRANCE: The Panhard for 1960. The open snout is discarded in favor of the more “smiling” look on this trim four-door front-wheel-drive sedan. Panhard will also crack the sportscar field with a 100-hp roadster, due to arrive in September. Price: about $2700. FROM JAPAN: It’s a prototype not yet in production, but Datsun has been at work on a fourseater sports version. According to their figures, engine is 1200cc, 50 hp: gearbox, four speed: weight, under 2000 lbs.; top speed, about 85 mph: price, slightly under $2000 p.o.e. FROM RUSSIA: This is the latest small car from the Moscow Bantam Car Works, a completely new design with air-cooled engine located at the rear. Top speed, is about 55 mph, specific fuel consumption about 50 mpg. Features all-independent suspension, semi-automatic…

CHEVROLET’S PLAN to produce the Corvair with a flat, aluminum engine mounted in the rear has stirred up one of the biggest Detroit battles of recent years. Ford is taking dead aim on the question with TV commercials, likening a rear-engine car to an arrow with the weight in the rear. (!) Chrysler is using their Simca ads to air the question, offering a free booklet on “The Advantages of Front-Engine Cars’’ and openly refers to their upcoming Valiant as having the ‘engine up front, where it belongs.” Competitive tom-tom beaters are hammering out a tattoo of terror, declaiming that rear-engine design, except in very abbreviated models like the Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat 600, is inherently unstable and therefore has very unsatisfactory, if not downright dangerous, handling characteristics. The advocates…

IN STYLING, CRAFTSMANSHIP, interior luxury and attention to every detail, the Brougham has no peer. It is the true monarch in Cadillac’s realm of motoring majesty for 1959.” So said James M. Roche, general manager of Cadillac, when this GM division introduced the car at the Chicago International Auto Show in January of this year. Until recently, we had to take him at his word, for these $13,075 luxury cars were as scarce as the proverbial hen’s teeth. Now, however, we have been able to look over a virtual bevy of them that were being prepared for customers in the special shop set aside for this purpose in Detroit. And we’ll have to admit: styling, craftsmanship and interior luxury are all far better than on most any car we’ve seen.…

LOS ANGELES POWER EXPERT Vic Edelbrock recently ran a series of dynamometer tests on a “super stock” 330-hp Pontiac V8 engine. Right out of the crate, tuned to factory specs, the engine developed a peak of 186 hp at 4000 rpm. A check showed that a manufacturing inaccuracy in the spark advance mechanism was holding the advance six degrees below factory specs at high engine speeds. Correcting this, and opening up the carb jets a little, put the power up to 288 hp at 5000 rpm! Moral: Don’t belittle the effect of ignition refinements in your plans for getting more go. “Building a bigger fire” through ignition changes has never had the glamor appeal of hot cams and four-carb manifolds, but no real strong engine can do its best with…

THE PIKES PEAK AUTO HILL CLIMB is one of the best known, least understood events in American automobile racing. This is especially curious in view of the fact that this year’s July 4th and 5th meet was the 37th to be run up the Big Hill. Sponsored by the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Association Inc., the climb is many things, all of which make it a paradox in auto racing. It is dangerous yet safe; fast but slow; the weather may vary from sunny and warm at the bottom to a raging blizzard at the finish; and it requires specialized mechanical techniques, though in the stock car class the cars have very few modifications. Most important of all, from the competitors’ point of view, the cash payoff is the…

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