Evening Star Newspaper, September 19, 1926, Page 66

MAKERS SEEK ‘oraen Usuzlly Tak chanical Feature Most Service, BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. What class produces the most neglectful and destructivi Is it the farmer, the laborer, the banker, |, 1<t careful, car owners ? the ness man or the housew on America’s highwa Progressive manufacturers, ns, are trving to ferret out the - apvealed to them as an intelligent step in promoting sales. It - cvident that if an antomobile manufacturer wanted to demon- through their service organiza- THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTOYN, D. C. SEPTEMBER 19.. 1926—PART TO FIND WHO USES CARS HARDEST e Best Care of Me- s, Salesmen Get Survey Shows. , or e who drives the worst or best s? answer to this question, one that . DOES DRIVER OR CAR WIN? LAURELRACES MAY DECIDE Fred Winnai to Handle D(; Paolo’s Fa- mous Machine in Saturday Grind There—Testing - Question Anew. BY F. J. CARMODY. When a racing automobile roars its wa the car or the driver deserve the credit? ! The question is an old one in the history of this hair-raising | sport, and conditions never have seemed just right to obtain an |answer that met general,acceptance as accurate. Track condi- tions varied. Weather conditions were different. The car was i not in the same good shape in the hands of a second driver. These | and many other objections were raised by one side or the other— ¥ to a new record, does <trate the superiority of his product, and knew which type of buyer treats his car with the greatest respect, he could regulate sales to ure that a majority of his custo mers were of this variety. Recent observation of cars has shown that a certain medium- priced machine seemed to outlast all others, irrespective of price class Something about the individuals who buy this particular make is thought to be an important reason for its long lift, although the manufacturer would Several fast, high-grade care have | euffered tly because they are w0 with bootleggers. These e &har 10 pieces in no time, and makers entertain any hepes of ing the longevity of their prod- ey face a difficult task. One Machine Outlasts All | ifomoblle that seems to have | such lasting qualities simply enjoys zood ownership. Its buyers are fru- | £71. solid Americans. They would not end a czr to.the junk heap simply hecause the trend of the day Is to ward striped upholstery. They stay th their cars as long as they wiil run \Who wear out cars quickest—farm. doctors, lawyers, salesmen, business men, sports- nen or workmen? he modern physician frequently puis his car to the hardest of tests, Tt transportation is so vital to him that he seldom is gullty of actually punishing his car. In a great many instances he owns two cars simulta- lv. having one of them serviced perating the other. He is not a bad customer for the automotive business, because he pa- ronizes all_branches of it, and while he does not buy new cars as frequently ax the business man he keeps them long enough to offer the manufacturer @ little helpful advertising. Physicians often find it difficult to keep wnder 25 miles an hour for the first 1,000 miles. Many of them would rather drive a car with which they are theroughly familiar than one that has just come | from a tuning up at the service sta tion, housewives, s while Many Buy Used Cars. | not unusual for a physician to | Rood used car in prefer: ence 1o a new and stiff one that may have a lot of Kinks to be ironed out. | He seldom purchases a brand-new | creation or a new and radical model | of a etandard make. He lets the other | fellow experiment. | Farmers keep their cars a long | while, but get little use from them in | point ‘of actusl mileage. The average | ralesman can make a car last twice as a1 as work is concerned. The | may wear out his car in a year, hut he usually gets more service from it than the farmer does from two cars Rust, dirt and weather overtake the average farm car so its value falls to the vanishing point long before it has given anvthing like reasonable sarvice. The car in the hands of a speed.lover fares better than the ma- chine of the farmer. One cap re- place burned bearings, but one can't replace rusted headlights, threadbare npholstery, strained mechanical units, varped wheels, and =o on, unless one rebuilds the car. Rusiness men are not sn destructive it they entertain the constant ht that they will buy a hetter car just as soon As they have had » hit of luck financially. This attitude Acesn’t make for the care and atten- | 1ion necessary to automobile longevity. | “The business man, however, does not hecome generally neglectful: only in | certain particulars. He may have his car washed and polished regularly simply hecause he doesn't want to he een in anvthing that might be a re- flection upon his prosperity. But he is apt to forget there is such a thing 15 A universal joint in the car, and he'll burn out the elutch with ne com punction whatsoever. The chief fault of the business man A= a car owner seems to he that he {s husy 10 giye the machine preven- service. “Then when he finally to put it away for a week's re. e walks down automobile row » les that it would be easier in the end to huy a new car and let some ce worry over the old one. Profeseional men do not seem to be alike in their treatment of cars. Some may be absent-minded. but others are apt to take a sreat interest in their machines, spending spare moments examining the insides and studying wavs and means of getting more miles to the gallon. This group, however, has a habit of ruining its cars by too much tinkering _ This is_likely to be WILL EASE THE SHOCK. Peed Gas With Hand Control When in Rough Spots. When going over rough spote in the voad it will ease the shock to feed gas with the hand control while gently ap- plving the brakes. The idea is that| under this arrangement the ear pulls; when going into the holes and when drawing out of them, vet without coasting into them with a’jolt. Ry heeping the speed of the car| constant the folts are reduced to a| AUTO REPAIRING ALL MAKES Gardner, Flint and Hudson SERVICE A SPECIALTY T. J. CAMFIELD Rear 1118 13th St. N.W. Main 5917 Tires and Accessories Entranes Maas. Ave.. L St. or 14th St. the tive A de { AUTO WHEELS AND DEM_RIMS Rundlett Rim Co. 1336 14th St. N.W. | sonvi rather not concede it. the case with inventors, “book” me- chanics and persons with a mechani- cal, electrical or scientific bent. They often lack the practical experience necessary to service their cars prop- erly. Women Are Careful. Women. contrary to general belief, take good care of their cars. They do not do the actual work. but are more adroit at obtaining reiiable repair work than most men. Tke average woman judges repair work and serv- ice by resuits, and if it develops that she is not getting good service she tells everybody about it, including the mechanies. Either they make good or she takes her car elsewhere.q Curiously enough, it seems that women pay less attention to the ap- pearance of their cars than do men. ‘Women select cars for their looks; men for their mechanical features. Yet in service the man is more apt to polish the hood and neglect the brakes, while the woman driver, experience demonstrates, will worry over the brakes until they are adjusted and have no regrets if the bumpers need polishing. Workmen usually are too tired to keep their cars in good repair, and gince they buy cars mainly for trans- portation to and from their work there is little opportunity for an: service other than what they them- selves give. The rate of depreciation on these cars is exceptionally high, but the laborer has a good alibi. Salesmen when caf@® are furnished such suce#®sful, rather than the driver. The De Paolo. The old query “Is it the car or the driver?” that wins an automohile race 22.year-old daredevil of the National Motor ars as Jimmy Gleason, Ray Keech, Russell § answered at the Maryland speedway next Saturday, when Fred W ociation, drives the ca: Peter De Paolo t med all comers last year. If Winnai wins a nowberger and others, he w' ! give weight to the argument of those who maintain it is the car that is Duesenberg that Winnai will drive is pictove:t in the inset in the “center. Upper left inset: Winnai. Upper right, Racing / by the company are apt to be care. less. Many companies that could af- ford to furnish their men with better cars do not do so because they like to get out with as little loss as possible. Somehow large companies using fleets of cars seem to think that the sales- man will wreck a good car as quickly as a cheap one. Many traveling men, FINE AUTOMOBILE DRIVEWAY NOW UNDER WAY IN FLORIDA Completion of Project, Covering Distance of 522 Miles Along Coast, prospective_ Boon to Motorists. - With the completion of a marfne automobile drive along the east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to Key West, a distance of 522 miles, motor conditions in that State will be mate- rially improved. The route will form the southern extremity of the pro- jected Atlantic Coast Highway from Maine to Key West. It will include existing roads as well as new ones, and wiil make available in the near future several hundred miles of at- tractive driveways along the ocean and Atlantic shore of Florida. The Overseas Highway, now under con setion from the mainland across he kevs and gulf to Key Weet, e the most southerly link of the marine route. In the northern part of the State the Atlantic Coast and long narrow islands paralleling the coast will he connected hy bridges which will open up a 125-mile marine drive from Jack- le Beach, 17 miles from Jackson ville,, to Columbus_Inlet, 17 miles routh of Daytona Beach., The route provider a driveway along the heach for about two-thirds of the way, with the alternative at high tide of the nearby Ocean boulevard. Most Northerly Bridge. The most northerly bridge connect ing the beaches i{s Vilano Bridge. be. tween St. Augustine and Vilano Beach, 35 miles south of Jacksonville Beach. The ocean sands can be nego- tiated over this distance, except with- in the hour before or after high tide. There will be one detour 16 miles south of Jacksonville Beach. As the Ocean boulevard is not yvet in use from Jacksonville Reach to St. Augustine, mcst motorists this Fall will prefer to begin the marine route at St. Augustine, which is reached from Jacksonville, 41 miles, by the old Dixie Highway. The marine route will save 20 miles between St. Augus- tine and Ormond Beach. From St. Augustine the route leads across the bridge over Matanzas Bay to Anastasia Island, thence south for 15 miles either on the océan beach or on the Ocean boulevard to Matan- zas Inlet Bridge, which will be opened this Fall; thence across the bridge to Summer Haven, to Flaglen Beach and DAMAGED CARS REPAIRED jalong the Ocean boulevard to Ormond- | Daytona Beach [ The Ocean houlevard is part of a road project for which St. Johns County, of which St. Augustine is the chief “city, has voted $2,200,000 of bonds. Construction is being rapidly pushed forward. It includes a scenic drive from Jacksonville along the St. Johns River to a point west of St. Augustine, where # will turn east to that city.” A new ateel and concrete bridee is being erected between West Augustine and Anastasia Island. Where Tourists Detour. Tourists hound farther south must retrace to Daytona Beach and cross to the Dixie Highway on the mainland. After reaching Titusville, 43 miles south of Daytona Beach, the tourist skirts the fnland waterway, parallel- |ing the coast for almost 150 miles. | The road is in good shape, with new concrete bridges. At Florida City, 366 miles south of Jacksonville, a aII"\' road has been | graded, leading through the Ever- | glades and across the Florida keys. 1t is the first stretch of the Overseas highway. Tt s expected by next Spring that motorists will be able to foilow the Overseas Highway from Miami to Matecumbs Key, 76 miles from Miami and 80 miles from Key West. The right of way has been cleared through jungles on all the big islands in the chain and the roadbed is being | built. Surfacing remains to be done, although in some places cars are using the road. From the Key West end | the road is now available for 20 miles | from Key West, seven long bridges and trestles having been completed to ! connect the intervening keys. It is| expected the road will reach No Name ev, 32 miles from Key West, by “hristmas. When the road is open fromj Migmi to Matecumbe Key and from Key West to No Name Key, there will intervene three deep-water gaps. It is estimated that it will cost $12,000,- 000 and require two years to bridge these gaps. The Monroe County bond igsue calls for steamer ferry service between the gaps to provide passage until the projected work is completed. .Expert Fender and Body Work Done in a Most Modern Plant Seat Covers—Tops Recovered— Upholstery—Wood Work 100% WE USE THE Satisfaction Absolutely Guaranteed The Acme Auto Top and Body Co. Frank W, igourney. General Manager 1415 10 1421 Irving Street NV Columbia 5276 Tt is true that he burns |car owner class has not heen singled would take greater interest in the |the road and sometimes does not seem | out as vet, but observation is going to company's property if they were given | to care if he rips a hole in the crank- | show that popular ideas on this sub- cars with a little style to them. Some’ case or scores a cylinder. But, on the | ject may have to be changed. officials think this is psychologically | other hand, he is very proud of his Tt is barely possible that the most sound. Pride of possession appears |property and spends much of his time | destructive owners will he found to be to be an important factor in car life. |and money keeping it looking and |those who get the least service from That is why the man-about-town is [ running like new. thelr cars, not such a waster as he sometimes is The most neglectful and destructive | however, hold to the opinion that they | said to he. (Copvrieht. 1926.) - | the side that favored the car or the side that maintained a car On that day. in the three-event pro- gram that is heing given by the Na- tional Motor Racing Association, Fred Winnai, 22.vear-old_daredevil. will sit hehind the wheel of the machine that Peter De Paolo drove last vear in | establishing the records that still stand on the Laurel saucer. The Muesenberg that he pushed to | the greatest fame and fortune ever | achieved by an autompbile race driver | was Peter De Paolo's great love. He | coddled the machine as a young | mother nurtures her firsthorn child. | His attachrient for the car amounted | to_worship. | This year :he American Automobile Association, the organization under whose colors De Paolo races, decreed | a change in the size of the powe plants that drtve its cars. The 1 inch piston displacement Duesenherg | had to go in favor of a machine that ! was powered by a 91-inch engine. Racing cars, costing from $10,000 to $12,000 are rather expensive picces of | machinery to have Iying around when | there is no possible use for the De Paolo was forced to give up his be loved steel steed. The National Motor Racing Association places a limit on | the size of fts cars which permits any of 400 inches or less to compete in its events. Thus, Do Paolo’s car was eligible to raca under the N. M. R. A. banner and he disposed of it to the | sportsman for whom young Winnai drives. Virtually all records for the Laurel track have been held by this machine. It has made 10 miles on the mile-and an-eighth oval at an average speed of 135 miles an hour and for the races it holds the record of 125 an_hour. In the inauguarl race at the Laurel | Speedway last year, only Bob Mc- performed because its driver made it do so. There's a good chance—perhaps ‘one of the best—that the question can be answered at the giant Laurel Speedway Saturday. Donough was able to give De Paoclo's Duesenherg a real battle for honors. In the second race the situation was exactly reversed, with MecDonough nosing out his dusky little rival in'a hairbreadth finish. Was it De Paolo or the car? The ariswer secems to hinge largely on what young Fred Winnai does with the machine in next Saturday’s racee ‘Will he be able to push it up to the tremendous speed of which the ecar is known to he capable? If it is & matter of plain skill ard daring, then Winnal seems to have every qualification. His sensational driving on dirt and board tracks has won him the unquestionably vivid | sobriquet of “gorilia. tamer” and Win nal's ambition seems to be to live up to this vigorous appraisal. He will he forced to drive against I machines that have the capacity to force him to thé limit, among then two Millers which hold marks of 151 miles an hour and 147 miles an hour, respectively, for a measured mile on the traightaway. These will be piloted by Russell Snowberger and Jimmy Gleason. The latter car won both the 50 and 100 mile races on the Laurel bowl in June. Snowberger's car was forced out of the day's pro gram when the motor went the 50-mila event when he wa ing the fleld In a desperate dasl Since that time Snowberger's c: has been equipped with a larger ar even more powerful motor, having piston displacement of 235 inches. If Winnai can dust off thesé a: other fearless rivals, he probably w! answer the old question in favor those who believe any driver is go: only when he is behind the wheel of superfine racing car. THE CAR YOU CAN RECOMMEND TOYOUR EST FRIEND Every day Oldsmobile owners recommend Olds- mobile Six to their friends—and thisis why . . . . . they selected Oldsmobile doand how if did for what it . it could Then, in the crucial test of trial-by-miles, they found it asked no favors, feared no road. Their The cer illastrated is the Deluze Coach, priced $1050 at Laneing and because ments and that policy has added features of known judgment stands confirmed. Andnow-—beécauseofa u policypledged to progress improve- worth— Oldsmobile stands out more than ever as, “The car you can recomimend to your best friend!” ... OLDS MOTOR WORKS 1625 L St. N.W. Wisconsin Motor Co. Percy C. Klein 2107 Pa. Ave. N.W. Mack’s Service Hyattsville, Md. WASHINGTON BRANCH David S. Hendrick 1012 14th St. N.W. Phone Main 4287 De Neane Motor Co., Inc. 1742 Conn. Ave. Pohanka Service 1120 20th St. N.W.