Innehållsförteckning för March 1950 från MotorTrend

NOTE: Whether you, are an adherent of the “classic” American car school or belong to the new school of “restylists,” you will have to admit that no matter how bad a thing is, it has some good. So it is with cars and their design. In the following article, staff writer George Finneran attempts to clarify the point of view of both schools of thought. After reading his objective treatment, you, the reader, will have a better insight into what the car of the future may well be.—Editor. TN OUR “Letters From Our Readers” section at the back of MOTOR TREND, a major ideological warfare has been conducted for the past four months by the adherents of two dissimilar schools of automobile design. One faction has termed its concepts of…

IN THE year preceding the first showing of the new Oldsmobile “Rocket” and Cadillac overhead-valve engines, there was considerable publicity on a radically new, high compression engine known as the Kettering engine. There were articles and comments in the press, technical trade journals and magazines about the advantages to be gained by the use of this 12:1 engine. The people were puzzled—many of them had already been taught that through higher compression ratios increased thermal efficiency and better gas mileage were possible—but if this were true, why wasn’t such a change made previously? Then, with considerable fanfare, the new cars hit the road. The people looked and were amazed. What had happened to the Kettering engine of 12:1 compression ratio? The Cadillac and Oldsmobile valve-in-head engines had compression ratios of…

CAR OWNERS are forever seeking individuality in their standard manufactured automobiles. Seeking to make their cars “different” has been a pastime of the motoring public ever since automobiles began to be produced by mass production methods. What is the trend in customized styling today? Is it the addition of certain eye-catching ornamentation? For years the accessory shops have had a lucrative business from car owners who “deck out” their cars in ornamental splendor. Some of these extras common on the roads today include metal sun visors, chrome exhaust stacks, port-holes, extra lights forward and aft, fender flaps, extra radio aerials, bumper guards and other frills. In the other group of “customizing” hobbyists are motorists who believe in smoothing off their cars. This process may be only the simple removal of…

AS THIS issue of MOTOR TREND reaches the newsstands, final preparations are being made by the General Petroleum Corporation and the AAA for the Mobilgas Economy Run. Thirty-two cars are entered in this event, to take place on February 15-16 (See February MOTOR TREND), and include the following: Cadillac “60” Special Cadillac “61” Cadillac “62” Cadillac “75” Chevrolet Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Windsor DeSoto Dodge Ford Frazer Hudson Commodore Hudson Pacemaker Hudson Super Kaiser Kaiser Virginian Lincoln Cosmopolitan Lincoln Sport Sedan Mercury Nash Ambassador Custom Nash Statesman Custom Oldsmobile 88 Oldsmobile 98 Packard 8 Packard Super 8 Plymouth Studebaker Champion Studebaker Commander Studebaker Land Cruiser 3 Willys Jeepsters (Special Class)…

FOR THE last twenty years, American automotive manufacturers have been attempting to sell the American public an economy car. The American Austin tried its midget on the car buyer during the depression and lost out because of litigation with Austin in England over the use of the name. Willys put out a low horsepower car in 1933 and managed to stay in the market only with difficulty. The American Bantam was introduced in 1938, had a brief popularity, and left the field when the war began. Crosley made a bid for the economy car business with the two-cylinder air-cooled midget in 1939, and since 1947 with some success, the brazed-block four and the new cast-iron block four-cylinder engine. Foreign manufacturers have also attempted to create an American market. Fiat brought…

The car for this road test was furnished to MOTOR TREND by Paul Bobst Co., 6119 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California, through arrangement with the Chrysler Corporation, Los Angeles branch. AMONG the many tributes that can be paid to the new 1950 Plymouth is the fact that the car is functionally designed. With the introduction of their 1949 line of cars, the Chrysler Corporation evolved functional styling and again this year they have set the pace in this type of styling concept. Basically, the new Plymouth is designed with comfort in mind—comfort for the driver and comfort for the passengers. Chrysler engineers believe that they have achieved this result through the provision of “chair-height” seats and considerable headroom, in conjunction with the conventional suspension system. Before taking the Special DeLuxe Plymouth…

THERE comes a time in every car owner’s harried life when his car—known in the month of March as “The Rolling Deduction”—suddenly begins to look like an old floosey. She pops her upholstery at the seams, her door-panels sag and bulge, if she’s a convertible, she blows her top, and if she’s a hard-top, her head-liner stuffing starts dripping down your neck. In other words, she is one sad car and it is time you pulled her off the street (I better watch my metaphors) and bought her a new dress. But the average man is at a dead loss when he rolls Mehitabel into the nearest top and seat-cover shop. What’s good and what ain’t in fabrics, top materials, and natural and artificial leathers? What about airfoam rubber pads?…

BIGGEST news out of Detroit this past month was from Nash—the exciting news being in the form of a two-place convertible, with a possible future market as the family’s second car (featured on page six). Although Nash is the first one into this new market, you can be certain they won’t be the last. IN his first letter to Packard dealers as president of the Packard Motor Car Company, Hugh J. Ferry forecasted a new production record of upwards of 110,000 Packards in 1950. This will be more than 5,000 cars above the postwar production high set in 1949. WITH the Buick Special combination of grille and bumper apparently meeting with more favor than predicted, Buick has now adopted this feature on both of their more expensive cars—the Super and…

FROM OUR READERS… Letters published in this department are the opinions of the writers and are not to be construed as those of the editors. Address correspondence to: Letters From Our Readers, MOTOR TREND, 548 South San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles 48, California. CALENDAR OF EVENTS Gentlemen: … In response to your invitation for criticism… 1 believe a calendar of coming events for a period of at least 60 days in advance would be welcomed by many… I am sure many others feel the same way. J. R. Korbein Ypsilanti, Michigan —Reader Korbein is right. Many other readers do feel the same way. See page 20 of this issue.—Editor. SACRAMENTO RACE CORRECTION Gentlemen: Your January issue contained two reports on big car races at Sacramento and Del Mar by Griffith…

THE BUGATTI THERE is quite a hassel going on these days over whether the “engineered” car of the past was superior to the “styled” modern product, or vice versa. Such a controversy is admittedly futile. The forces of evolution aren’t equipped with a reverse gear, and present trends aren’t likely to turn back on themselves and produce a “renaissance” that lacks mass appeal. Nevertheless, there were some phenomenal cars produced during the “prestylist” period, and since they often were decades ahead of their own time, an occasional backward glance at them isn’t wasted. How many men, for example, are there today capable of conceiving and designing a complete automobile…frame, engine, running gear, and all? Not many, of course. And of this number most would simply reshuffle the applications of lecture-room…

STRONGLY influenced by its European counterpart, automobile racing in Brazil differs noticeably from United States practice and offers a new experience to the North American racing fan who, though interested in European cars and drivers, seldoms sees them in competition in his own country. While residing some three years in Brazil, I became an enthusiastic follower of the sport. I witnessed numerous races at the famous Interlagos Circuit, located in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, a metropolis of nearly 2,000,000 people, situated some 300 miles southwest of Rio de Janeiro. (Most of the American motor manufacturers have large assembly plants in industrial Sao Paulo.) Sao Paulo residents, called Paulistas, are of predominantly Italian origin, a fact which helps to explain their love of racing and the presence of Italian cars…

This portfolio of sketches by Colonel Alexis de Sakhnoffsky covers car interiors with the instrument panel being the main point of attraction. Since the present trend of putting heavy shrouds around the steering column leaves a certain amount of empty space under that cover, a clock has been fitted into the top portion of the shroud. With higher speeds, it is possible that the angle of the steering column will become sharper until it is almost horizontal. For that reason, one perspective has been shown in such a position. Note that the automatic transmission controls are built into the shroud, which is practical from the visibility standpoint when the column is horizontal. In the upper perspective, note that the instruments use only half of the dial for the readings. The…

ENGLAND: Last month we predicted an inevitable return to small car production here. Austin has come through with the first fulfilment: early re-issue of the classic “Seven,” Britain’s “Model A,” but smaller… Not to be caught napping on other fronts either, Lord Austin’s group is in the news with the purchase of a patent for a gas-turbine driven car. Under this patent the 30,000 rpm turbine drives an oil pump which operates hydraulic motors mounted in the wheels… a nice solution of the constant-speed turbine problem… Expansion Notes: The Nuffield Group (MG, etc.) has opened a plant in Holland which will turn out 6,000 Morris cars yearly. Standard Motors (Standard, Triumph, etc.) has opened a factory in Canada… should mean savings for U. S. Triumph car and bike fans… Pictured…