Innehållsförteckning för February 1953 från MotorTrend

THE JAGS HAD a field day at the December 14th meeting on the famous Torrey Pines course near San Diego, Calif. First man home was Phil Hill, driving an XK-120C. Next in line, making it sort of a family affair, was Phil’s brother-inlaw, Don Parkinson, in his special-bodied XK-120. Third was Sterling Edwards in another 120C. Hill grabbed the lead at the start and when the checkered flag fell he had lapped all cars up to third place. He toured the 104 miles in 1 hr. 36 min. 22.33 sec. In Saturday’s practice, Chuck Manning, who has long been the hero of the backyard bomb contingent, blew up his big Merc engine. He had resigned himself to being a spectator when he was approached by Mickey Morrow, on hand with…

A TOOL is like a man’s pipe. Properly broken in, it can become a good friend. But like all things mechanical, tools have limits. They have one function, and one function only: they help you do things you can’t do with your hands alone. Tools cannot think for themselves but with a modicum of mental effort on the part of their owner they become important accessories. A good set of tools is a necessity in any customizing project, for customizing depends on three factors: imagination, ability, and tools. Imagination is difficult to describe, and ability comes with experience, but here you will find every tool you’ll need. The photo at right shows a complete “tool shop” for customizing, with prices for the professional and amateur tools. For the uninitiated, two…

This is a story that is so fantastic that the average car owner has a hard time believing it’s true. Read this article carefully because it proves conclusively that there’s really no need for you to throw money away every time you drive your car. Over five years ago and every year since, some of the nation’s top automotive engineers have proved beyond question THAT ANY CAR CAN GET UP TO 43 MILES PER GALLON. Here’s your chance to benefit from the facts these experts uncovered. If your car is less than 15 years old, you can easily get 2 to 9 more miles per gallon of regular gas. Learn how you can … boost your car’s horsepower up to 30% … increase top speed up to 32 more miles…

OIL ADDITIVES REPORT APPRECIATED Gentlemen: I wish to take this opportunity of congratulating you for the evidently frank article on “moly” (molybdenum disulphide) appearing in the December issue of MOTOR TREND. I and most of your readers will appreciate your candor… Henry F. Robbins New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Your subject material on crankcase additives in the December issue of MOTOR TREND is quite interesting. I seem to think that the purchase of gadgets used on motor cars have a psychological effect on the owner rather than any great merit otherwise. I use an additive in my motor oil… Bardahl. Why? I don’t know except that I happened to see one of their friction tests and I have been using the stuff for a couple of years and I just…

Cadillac—car of the year!” That’s what it says, and MOTOR TREND Research is ready to back up that statement—ready to back it up with facts and figures. For although many cars come close to the ‘52 Cadillac, no other American production stock car can lay claim to the honor of being the car of 1952. Why is Cadillac the car of 1952? Sure, it has style, prestige, and creates a pride of ownership surpassed by only the princeliest of products, but this isn’t what we are talking about. We claim that Cadillac is the car of the year on the basis of performance. handling, safety, economy. How do we determine that? Draw up a chair and we’ll go into a detailed explanation. First of all, most of the figures used…

WHEN BUICK turns out an XP-300 or Lincoln a 195X, no holds are barred and the finished job may have a heavy dose of fantasy in its makeup. The practical side of such conjecture in metal, however, is often evident in Detroit’s next year’s crop. A taillight here, a suggestion of a fin there, and it becomes clear that the boys from Michigan have had their ears open for sounds of approval wherever their experimental cars have appeared. But when it’s a matter of a car for a customer, like the Chrysler phaeton on. this page (built for the 1953 Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, Calif.) Detroit is a wary player. The car is enormous (147%-inch wheelbase. 5800 pounds), handsome in an overpowering kind of way, and has no features…

The new engine is more than one foot shorter and 180 pounds lighter than the old in-line eight. As a result the 1953 cars have a five-inch shorter wheelbase. A four-barrel carburetor is used in the Roadmaster Series and a two-barrel carburetor in the Super. Among many important features in the new engine is an improved cone-shaped combustion chamber with the spark plug in the center at the top; vertical valve arrangement with both exhaust and intake located on the same side; a triple oil gallery which meters oil to the hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, connecting rods and camshaft bearings; cam-turned counter-weights on the crankshaft; a 12-volt electrical system. Along with the new engine, Buick offers an improved twin-turbine dynaflow which is standard on the Roadmaster and optional…

That’s a fact … I’d been tossing dollar bills out of the window of my car because a gauge was missing from my dashboard. I didn’t realize how much I’d been wasting until I installed the Mile-O-Meter my wife gave me for my last birthday. That’s the day I began to save … I’ve got four new tires now to prove it. MOUNTED MILE-O-METER ON MY DASH The instructions that came with the Mile-O-Meter seemed complete enough, but I didn’t realize how complete until 1 lifted the hood of the car and began to follow directions. I actually finished the entire installation without doing anything really complicated! I mounted the Mile-O-Meter itself at the corner of the dashboard on the driver’s side, using one of the screws on the windshield…

NOTE: Among the material we have received from our readers (which we appreciate very much) is a story demonstrating the perseverance and ultimate success of a Detroit classic car enthusiast. It is crammed with human interest and yet contains much material vital to enthusiasts. Most important of all, it is factual proof that the classic car field is open to individuals inexperienced in mechanical knowledge and ability. The letter is reprinted here in the hope that it may encourage undecided fans to take decisive action in the purchase of the classic of their choice.—R.J.G. Dear Mr. Gottlieb: Enclosed you will find two snapshots of my pride and joy. It is a 1934 Packard Super Eight Victoria, with body by Dietrich, presently painted with eight coats of metallic blue lacquer. At…

HARRY CUSHING - DETROIT EDITOR - REPORTS DETROIT, MICHIGAN—The oft-rumored and long-awaited sports convertibles are now in production. Packard, Cadillac, and Buick are first to reach the market with their versions, but announcement of similar custom creations is imminent from Oldsmobile, Dodge, and others. Called “The Caribbean,” Packard’s car leads the list of several special models which the company plans to bring out in the luxury field this year. It carries a list price of $5,200. This new convertible was developed from Packard’s exhibit car, the “Pan American,” which was acclaimed at the recent Trend-sponsored Motorama in Los Angeles and the International Motor Sports show in New York. The Caribbean retains contour styling, although it incorporates numerous refinements. Features include wire wheels, a continental rear tire mount, an air scoop…

Note: Readers will recall our brief report on the third Carrera Panamericana in the January issue of MOTOR TREND. This month we present a more detailed inquiry into what happened in the race, and why. Tabular data on the winners is on page 38. THE MEXICAN PEOPLE and the officials of the Asociacion Nacional Automovilistica (Mexico’s AAA) can truly be proud of their fantastic Mexican Road Race. In just three years, it has become the world’s outstanding road contest. And this year it is to gain additional status, for the Federation Internationale de l’Auto-mobile has named it the deciding race for the 1953 international road racing championship. Five courses will determine that title. The others are Italy’s Mille Miglia, France’s 24-hour Le Mans race. Germany’s Nurburgring and England’s Tourist Trophy.…

AMONG AFICIONADOS, controversy about the merits of exhaust headers has continued for years. Their adherents claim startling improvements in speed and gas mileage; other drivers are decidedly lukewarm about the whole proposition, at least for ordinary driving. In an attempt to settle the matter, the Southern California Muffler Company, makers of Belond Equa-Flow exhaust systems for many V-8 engines, asked me to make an impartial test of their product. The company supplied a 1952 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe, with a registered mileage of 3000 miles. We inspected it completely and tuned it according to stock specifications. Though we were tempted to make minor changes in the distributor, plugs, and carburetor adjustment, the test was to be for comparison only, and no improvements were made; we followed the book to the…

DARRIN OF PARIS. That was the sign on a new showroom right in the heart of Hollywood’s exotic Sunset Strip. Now Hollywood could never ignore a sign like that. Rumors whispered through the town by way of the usual well-oiled channels. It became known that he did not make dresses, he had never “coiffed” a hair-do, but that he had designed fabulously luxurious limousines for King Alfonso of Spain and Leopold of Belgium. “The crowned heads of Europe!” the whispers said. Fascinating stories continued to drift through the studio lots. They told about the Paris auto show where Darrin was engaged as a design consultant by Minerva, Panhard, Daimler-Benz, Armstrong-Siddeley, Renault, Citroen: all the great auto manufacturers of the continent. After the show, at a dinner given for the most…

NOTE: So many questions asked by our readers are so universal in nature that this feature was created, hoping that perhaps some of the problems you might have in connection with your automobile might be answered here. Since hundreds of letters are received each month, our only request is that you keep your questions as brief as possible. Address all inquiries to the MT Research Technical Staff and, if a personal reply is desired, enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Though immediate replies are not always feasible answers will be made as rapidly as possible.—The Editors QUESTION—I am seriously considering the installation of a Gyro Skid-Control on my ’47 De Soto sedan. Please advise the latest opinion of your experts on this device. C. A. Canavan, West Saint John, N.B., Canada.…

THE SMALL CARS shown on these pages represent a very small crosssection of activity by hobbyists all over the country who enjoy spending many hours of their time making power-driven tiny automobiles for their youngsters. To eight-year-old Joe Greenhalgh (left photo) of Los Angeles, a method of transportation is the difference between a normal or an abnormal childhood. Joe is the victim of a Spinabifida, a spinal condition which has rendered his legs useless. Despite this handicap Joe is one of the most normal and swellest little guys you’d ever hope to meet. And right now he’s thoroughly convinced that he’s the luckiest kid in the whole wide world, because he is the proud owner of a brand new. electrically driven, shiny red car that was custom built just for…