New-York tribune. [volume], January 04, 1920, Page 4, Image 82

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
New La Fayette
Is a High Speed
K Eight Cylinder
McCall White's New Crea?
tion Shown at Hotel Com?
modore asTouringS?edan;
A Long Awaited Model
? American motordom saw the new
La Fayette for the first time yesterday
afternoon. Coincident with the raising
of the curtain for th?? twentieth annual
Automobile show at the Grand Central
Palace, D. McCall White, internation?
ally famous as the designer of English
Napier and Daimler snd of the eight
eyHnder Cadillac, presented his post?
war cnr in the main lobby of the Hotel
Commodore.
' The company building this car is
headed by Charles W. Nash and is
located in Indianapolis. Every detail
tff the La Fayette is of Mr White's
own design and it is the intention of
the company to build all units in its
own plant.
The private showing of the La Fay?
ette is made imperative by the prac?
tice of the National Automobile Cham?
ber of Commerce to bar any car that
has not been in production for at least
a year from participation in the na?
tional show.
The La Fayette is an eight of ad?
vanced high speed design, the engine
embodying many novei adaptations of
aircraft principles. The V-shape motor
is of the high-speed type, with bore
and stroke measurements of 3 VI by
iiU inches, giving: a piston displace?
ment of 348 cubic inches. The actual
horsepower rating is in excess of
ninety and the maximum engine at
which power is developed is 4,000 revo?
lutions per minute.
Five body styles are to be offered on
the La Fayette chassis, which measures
132 inches from hub to hub, but only
one car?a touring sedan?is being
-vhown at the Hotel Commodore. This
model is finished in black with a fine
ivory body line and white wood wheels
of small diameter. The interior is up?
holstered and trimmed in black and
brown velvet mohair. The silver ton
Mr. D.McCal! White
nean appointments are of the Louis
XVI period design, while the hand
carved walnut woodwork expresses the
Italian motif of the eighteenth cen?
tury.
The La Fayette was designed pri?
marily as a closed car, in order that
the coach builder would meet with no
limitations, automatically imposed by
chassis design, in the creation of
closed bodies. The wisdom of such a
policy, which is totally at variance
with common practice, ha* excellent ex?
emplification in the La Fayette touring
sedan.
The iow chassis, for example, per?
mits of a body that has an over-all
height of only 77 inches. The long
cowl, due to the compact design of the
engine, allows for added body room.
The La Fayette touring sedan, in fact,
gives an instant impression of co?
ordinating dimensions and artistic bal?
ance.
Salient style features are the high
rounding radiator, fitted with vertical
shutters that are regulated by thermo?
stat and mechanically located ; the larj^e
headlamps of distinctive cylindrical d -
sign rigidly mounted on a rod onnect
ing the front fenders; the long high
bonnet with louvres running it3 en?
tire length, and the double-crowned
fenders.
The dash Instruments are a unit,
time, speed, mileage, ammeter reading
and oil and paB pressure all being in?
dicated on a single glass-covered oval
dial. The clutch and brake pedals are
rubber covered underneath, as well as
on top, to prevent the scratching of
shoes. The tonneau carpet is luxurious
? ly padded. Five-cord tires, 33 by 5
inches in size, are standard.
Light Weight Is
Fundamental in
Briscoe Cars
"All the clamor about light weight,"
says Frederick Cowin, president of the
Briscoe Motor Corporation, "as though
it were a new discovery during the
present season, causes a great deal of
amusement to those of us who have
watched the development of tho
Briscoe.
"If there is one basic idea that may
be said to have been responsible for
the inception of the Briscoe more than
any other it was that every pound of
surplus weight meant a definite short?
ening of tire life and an added load
on the motor, which inevitably de?
creased the gasoline mileage.
"In those days the tendency was to
a large extent the other way. Many
manufacturers, in fact, boasted of the
weight and soiidity of their cars as
though the two things necessarily
went together and as though weight
were a factor of value and worthy of
praise. And every one remembers the
'gas-eaters' that were produced as a
result.
"Briscoe engineers saw in this con?
dition an opportunity to produce a
new type of car which would retain
the maximum of sturdiness and yet
would not be glued to the ground by
an excess of useless weight. They may
be said to have introduced the thor?
oughbred type of car as distinguished
from the draft horse.
"At first, of coarse, we were criti?
cized by those whose ides apparently
was that motor cars should be bought
by the pound. It is very /?ratifying
to see that the years bars developed
the soundness of our original idea
snd that in practically every ?ease
where upkeep eost is a factor tight
weight is to-day a most sough? efter
feature by the designer and onelaser."
. ?
For the Night Rider*
Designers of the new National gextet
hers made careful provision tm those
who drive at night. The hesdj lamps
are fitted with non-glare lenses, ?Under?
neath are auxiliairy lamps of lot*er >/i
tensity for dty use. U m ?p?ty pw
must be changed er a eavf?retog
*4}u?im*?nt mad?, there is also a motor
light under the bonnet that iilutt?usts?
the left, si?e of th? engine whet? ?11
working accessories are grouped.
- '*" ?- ' ^- ' -? ? - < - - * ' * ' - " ~*
."copie have conte now .o _.-.... ? ?.. _?_ ....
Of body design and appointments. The newest models keep Up this reputation.
Mitchell Offers
New Conception
Of Body Lines
Radiator Tilted and All Ver?
ticals Are Sloped on New
Touring Models; Speed
Is Indicated by the Slope
A new feature ia body lines noted
on the cars at the show this year is
the Mitchell Motors Company's concep?
tion of what body lines should be. In?
stead of simply a development of old
carriage ideas the Mitchell body is
designed to express the very spirit of
the automobile.
The essence of motor car travel is
speed and smoothness. A flat, snubby
nosed radiator poking its way into the
wind at the head of a rapidly moving
motor car representa the very antithe?
sis of speed.
Mother Matare, who has been prac?
ticing for some 500,000 years on this
planet, is a wonderful designer, and
whenever she designs anything to move
fast through the air she gives it a
sloping front. Note, for instance, the
tapering bill and head of the blue
winged teal, which flies at a speed of
ISO mi.es an hour. Old designers
copied nature in their fast moving ve- |
hieles, and as a result shaped their
.oats v-ith tapering bows and sloping
masts. The sloping mast? and funnels
of a smart yacht give us the inter?
pretation of smooth, rapid going in th
lines of tho vehicle.
The Mitchell Motors Company has
sloped back the radiator of the new
model. These lines are further empha?
sized by two series of narrow, sloping
louvres in the hood. The back of the
hood, the line of the cowl, the wind
shield and all the door lines are also
raked back to heighten the effect of
grace and smooth speed.
Leg room is unusually generous and
Beats fully as wide as normal, but
the body has a slim, keen appearance.
It should not be understood from this
that the cars are extreme in appear?
ance or follow the lines of the current
"Sport Model."
The upholstery is of real leather,
applied on soft springs and filled with
interlaced hair. At no point are ther?
any tacks visible. All panels,
cushions, door coverings, etc., are
finished with blind braid, also of rer.l
leather. The front compartment ia
finished in leather and the cowl i_
turned off with braid.
There are nickel plated door
handles inside and out, which add a
touch of refinement and style. A
pocket in the left front door has com?
partments for the complete small tool
equipment that goes with tho car.
The top has an absolutely straight
bottom line, which adds to the low
appearance of the car. A large
plate glass window in,the rear curtain
gives the driver ample vision to the
i-ear. The nickel trim and the littli
details of finish on the top make it
look like a custom-built product. The
bodies are finished in iris blue, with
black fenders and cream wheels. The
paint is applied coat after coat,
hand applied and hand rubbed.
A three passengor roadster, with the
same sloping lines characterizing th.?
touring car, is another model on tho
, Mitchell chassis. A five passenger
Sedan and a four passenger coupe al.io
of custom-built standard, complete the
Mitchell line.
The chassis is little changed fron
last year's model, which created such
a sensation and is performing so suc?
cessfully in the hands of thousands of
owners. A number of refinements aro
made, such as the installation of taper
roller bearings in the rear wheels, tak?
ing the speedometer drive from the
transmission, etc.
The special body department of the Packard company turned out this four
passenger coupe shown at the Palace.
Stevens-Duryea,
In New Plant, Are
Building New Car
Skilled Workers, Who Were
in Ordnance in Wartime,
Returning to Factory for
Automobile Production
The rapidly increasing ranks of
j skilled workers at the Stevens-Duryea
| factory now Includes most of the old
: department superintendents and fore
? men who went into the gun shops and
j ordnance factories during the war. Th?
new Stevens-Duryea factories will call
back practically all the old men and,
! in addition, will require many other
j equally skilled New England artisans.
The production of rifles and machino
gun.* requires the very highest type of
workmanship. Many of the Stevens
Duryea machinists wore trained as
gunsmiths and most of them are fa?
miliar with gunshop practice, and all
had worked to standards no less ex?
acting than those of the ordnance fac?
tory.
The large output of Stevens-Duryea
cars planned for the coming year will
call for a very large force of skilled
workers and will be made possible by
the increased facilities provided by
the new factories now in course of con?
struction on a thirty-eight-acre plot in
Willimansett, what was formerly the
I Hampden County Driving Park.
! The new factories will occupy a beau
| tiful Connecticut valley site, a few
rods east of historic old Chicopee
Street and easily accessible for several
home communities.
The new plant will be formed of a
group of modern factory buildings of
steel and brick construction?the saw?
tooth type. Each unit of the group
will be 300x320, affording nearly a hun?
dred thousand square feet of well
lighted working space. One unit is
now practically completed and two
others are under construction. The
plant as planned will consist of eight
such units.
The new Stevens-Duryea, Model E, is
displayed to tho public for the first
time at tho Palace Automobile Show.
The exhibit consists of a standard
touring car. finished in "Lakelet green"
and of a striped chassis. Both are in
the 138-inch wheelbase length.
An examination of the ciiassis will
show few departures from the former
model. The fundamental characteris?
tics of construction that have brought
fame to the Stevens-Duryea have been
most religiously retained.
Essex Tops Hand Tailored
The tops on Essex touring cars are
hand tailored to each car in the big
body trimming department at the Hud?
son factory. The tops are cut by ex
Eert designers, the material is sawn
y a small army of women and then
both curtains and top are carefully
fitted to each car.
Truly a Superb Sedan
Every Refinement; Every Convenience;
Every Comfort; Coupled With Briscoe
Economy of Operation and Maintenance
This 1920 Briscoe Sedan is the latest and greatest example
of the Briscoe principle that beauty is not a matter of
dollars and cents, and that the car at a moderate price may
even surpass in appearance its more costly companions.
It is a car whose massiveness, dignity and beauty of line will
stir the pride of any owner. It is luxuriously upholstered;
no effort has been spared and nothing left undone to make
ft in every way the perfect car for all seasons and all weathers.
Touring roadster
end coup* model* on The Leader of Light'Weight Cars
?amechastis,allwith , ..?_,..
farnou?Briseoeecon- Everybody, this season, is talking light weight. Public ap~
omy power-plant. preciation of the wonderful gasoline and tire mileage of
cars like the Briscoe-has forced practically every manu- /
facturer to strive for weight reduction.
Briscoe, of course, has always been light in weight. Briscoe engineers
have been pioneers in the science of reducing weight while
conserving strength.
The 1920 Briscoe merely carries their work a step further, and once
again emphasizes Briscoe supremacy.
See the 1920 Briscoe at the Show
You will find this leader of light-weight cars on exhibition, at Booth
A-8 Main Floor.
No car will more completely satisfy your every desire, alike for beauty,
economy, comfort and staunchness. ?
BRISCOE MOTOR CORPORATION, JACKSON, MICHIGAN
Garland Automobile Company, Distributors
1588 Broadway at 62nd 5596 Columba?
r~ffi ' $0^3$*)^ -?$
j mW?mmmmmmm&t??to?aii^^ti^.WMMmwmUmmm
General Saies Manager, Stevens
Duryea, Inc.
New Exterior for
Grant's 1920 Models
Longer Car, Redesigned Radi?
ator and Roomier Bodies
Mark the Line
With the 1920 season the Grant
Light Six, exhibited at the New York
show by the L. W. Mulford Company,
Inc., appears as an entirely new car,
with a far wider range of possibilties in
the light car field. The Grant cars
Been at the show bear little if any
resemblance to former models pro?
duced by the Grant Motor Car Corpo?
ration, of Cleveland. There is an en?
tirely new radiator design, the wheel
base has been lengthened to 116 inches
and the body lines are long, low and
rakish.
The new Grant engine has greater
power and flexibility and all models
are more roomy ahd comfortable.
In th? Mulford exhibit at the New
York show are to be found th? n
Light Six five-passenger teBXG?2
roadster, throe-passenger coup? wS
auxiliary seat for a fourth perss? . ,
the flve-passehger sedan. * rewi? ??*
The makers of this car enenn?*
the same difficulty that eiS"??
manufacturer had in providing ft
car that would ride easily and ?ir
the maximum comfort for Bau.? ^
However, after much experf?
work Grant engineers overcame 1*?
difficulty with an original an? J?U
Siye application of spring susn??.i
with the result that theT ffl ?^
most comfortable car and it? ?.L *
claim that it is the easiVst ?"
light six. nfl?>e
?
Essex Ease of Riding
The weight of a car ha? Um
! do with its riding qualities16-,,!0
Essex, although it weighs only "? tnt*
over 2,600 pokads, has aroused ?
comment because of its abilir? ?
smooth out rough roads. This ?l a ?
?to carefully designed springs and S
balance of the car itself. We
-?. _
THE CAR OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY
I
? !
I" i i
VV hen you stop to ask yourself if the Hupmobile;
literally is the best car of its class in the world, you must
not overlook the really wonderful character of the serv?
ice it gives. By service, w? mean more than long life;
and Hupmobile economy?which are proverbial. We
mean the faithfulness and the dependability of The
Comfort Car?a willingness of response and steadiness
of performance which warm ? driver's heart. It is thej
positively unusual things which the Hupmobi?e does?i
not now and then, but habitually?which make peoplel
believe it is the best car of its class in the world.;
MARMON AUTOMOBILE CO OF NEW YORK, Inc., 18?0 BROADWAY AT 62nd ST , TEL. COLUMBUS _02li
HT-PMOBILH COMPANY OF NEW YORK. !?_., 2*4 250 W. 49th BTREKT, TELBPHONB BRYANT 114*
MJUtUON LONG ISLAND COMPANY, Int., 1505 BEDFORD AVENUE, BROOKXYN,N Y., TELEPHONS PROSPBCT 99*1
CAHVAN MOTORS CORPORATION, IS 37 HAUET ST., NEWARK, N J , TELEPHONE MULBERRY 294?
HUT-MOBILE EXHIBIT?SPACE A-25, MAIN FLOOR, GRAND CENTRAL PALACE
>__?*> LA
erson Achievement
The eight
with eight)
less parts
WHEN Edgar and Elmer Apper
son built the first practical auto?
mobile twenty-five years ago, their
ambition was to build automobiles
for America that in power, beauty and
mechanical refinement, would set a
pace for American motor craftsman?
ship.
The aim is high. Year by year and
point by point, the Apperson Brothers
nave come nearer attainment. The
Apperson eights, on exhibition at the
automobile show, come nearer this
year?and closer to the great Apper?
son ideals:
Beauty of line and finish; speed even
beyond ordinary requirements; power,
more than road or hill will ever demand;
comfort, to the extent of absolute re?
laxation when you drive; economy, not
cheapness but the economy of opera?
tion and upkeep that belong to full
value workmanship and material?.
At the automobile show you can only
see the beautiful exterior and finish of
the Apperson. A ride behind the won?
derful Apperson motor, actual con?
tact with the Apperson in perform?
anee, will show what Apperson aims
and achievement mean to the mo?
torist.
Apperson Bros. Automobile Co?
Kokomo, Indiana
Export Department and Metro?
politan Distribution <mith
C. T. SILVER COMPANY
ioo West 57th St. Tel. 700 Circle
Dynamic America demands results?
Apperson produces them?
APPERSON