National Auto Show

Last week's preludes to the National Automobile Show in Manhattan this week & next:

Howard Earle Coffin (Hudson-Essex consulting engineer) entertained President & Mrs. Coolidge on Sapeloe Island.

John North Willys (Willys-Knight, Stearns-Knighf, Whippet) introduced his daughter Virginia to society with a very large Manhattan ball.

William Crapo Durant (Locomobile, Durant) paid out $30,000 for essays on a plan "for making the 18th (Prohibition) Amendment effective."

Henry Ford (Ford, Lincoln) was quoted as saying, astoundingly: "I am sure they [ancient peoples] had the automobile, the radio, the airplane--everything that we have, or its equivalent, and perhaps many things that we have yet to discover." Mr. Ford did not deny the general supposition that Ford Motor Co. (U. S.) stock in some form would soon be offered to investors, just as Ford Motor Co. Ltd. (British) has been.

Alfred P. Sloan (General Motors) made his first radio talk, to employes.

Charles W. Nash (Nash) with his vice president, Milton H. Pettit, personally handed out $807,000 in Christmas bonus checks to his 12,000 employes.

The New York Automobile Show this year has three innovations, worked out by Alfred Reeves, James S. Marvin and S. A. Miles of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, the show's managers :

1) Expensive cars are grouped together on a carpet floor of the exhibition building. Soft-voiced salesmen, in tuxedos, point out the glories of--

Auburn Jordan Peerless

Black Hawk La Salle Fierce-Arrow

(Stutz) Lincoln Reo

Cadillac Locomobile Stearns-Knight

Franklin Moon Stutz

Gardner Packard

2) Foreign cars were admitted--

Austin (British) Renault (French)

Daimler (British) Vauxhall (British)

Mercedes-Benz (German)

Five years ago an Irish car was shown unsuccessfully.

3) Chevrolet, Chrysler and Hudson-Essex, which have led the market in 1928 sales (Ford does not exhibit) and who therefore had first, second and third choice, respectively, to space at the Show, surrendered their prerogatives to a wise allotment of exhibition room. On the main floor they displayed jointly with--

Buick Kissel Pontia

Chandler Marmon Studebaker

Dodge Nash Whippet

Durant Oakland Willys-Knight

Graham-Paige Oldsmobile

Hupmobile Plymouth

And on another floor with--

Auburn duPont Plymouth

Black Hawk Elcar Reo

Cunningham Erskine Studebaker

De Soto Graham-Paige Stutz

Dodge Marmon

Of the dozen U. S. taxicab-makers, only three entered the Show--

Bradfield Checker Yellow

Bradfield is a new one, made by Bradfield Motors, Inc., Chicago.

Practically every 1929 model motor car has been completely redesigned or considerably improved in its body design. (Fisher made most of the bodies; Briggs,

Murray and Budd a goodly number.) In general, the new models taper from rear to front. That gives roomy back seats. By widening rear axles, manufacturers have obviated the unsightly overhung bodies of past years. Very few open cars are now made. The closed bodies are slung very low. Triplex and Duplex safety glass appear in almost every expensive car and in the windshields of cheaper makes. Chromium, non-tarnishing metal, is used almost universally in lamp rims, hub caps, door handles, bumpers and other trimmings. Body colors are subdued, more blacks appearing than for several years.

Mechanically, rubber for engine mountings is the widest innovation. The rubber insulates the engine from the rest of the chassis and reduces vibration and noise.

Appearance (to please ladies) remains the chief car-selling point. Next comes speed; then brakes, pickup, durability, price. The cheaper cars developed a new market during 1928 among people who own luxurious cars and can use an auxiliary gadabout.

Price is a difficult thing for a motor manufacturer to fix. Labor costs so-much, material so-much. Not in all cases is it possible to economize by making one's own parts. It often is cheaper to buy from a large-scale parts factory. In a list of 93 models, for example, 13 used Lycoming motors, 14 Continentals. Ford, famed for controlling all manufacturing steps from raw material to finished cars, last week had contracted to buy batteries, tires, bodies, shock absorbers from outside companies.* All manufacturers seem to give good value in 1929 cars. The table on p. 43 shows comparative prices. Often where prices are close together, they differ because one maker provides more or less fittings and accessories than another. Because every motor manufacturer produces the four-door sedan or a model very like it, the data pertains to that type of car. Prices shown below are as of Dec. 24, supplied mainly by Automotive Daily News. Many producers change their prices during the Show.

Show time is the time to survey the automobile industry.

On Dec. 31 there were in the U. S. 21,630,000 passenger cars, 3,120,000 trucks. They constituted 78% of the world's automobiles.

During 1928 motor makers obligated themselves to pay $785,000,000 taxes (estimated) on production of 4,044,000 cars (estimated), 586,000 trucks (estimated).

Wholesale value of the cars was $2,630,500,000 (estimated), of the trucks $415,320,000 (estimated).

Estimated average value of a 1928 car was wholesale $650, retail $876; of a 1928 truck wholesale $709, retail $955. The difference between wholesale and retail prices paid for freight, storage, interest, dealer's profit.

During 1928 there were but three motor mergers--Chrysler & Dodge, Studebaker & Fierce-Arrow, Hupmobile & Chandler-Cleveland (Cleveland cars have not been made for years).

Ford, as the year ends was again at high production--6,500 to 7,000 cars per day. Last week a despatch from Cork, Ireland, said that several steamships had arrived there with Ford machinery for a huge Ford manufacturing plant which would supply Ford's European markets. During 1929 Ford expects to make 2,000,000 Model As. A large portion will replace some of the 6,000,000 Model Ts still running; another large portion will supply the "second-car" market. In the four-cylinder class, only Plymouth, Durant and Whippet compete with Ford. Chevrolet now makes only six-cylinder cars.

Wild predictions have appeared concerning the 1929 production of cars. The industry, as 1929 begins, has a production capacity of 5 1/2 to 6 million vehicles annually. A careful compilation of production schedules shows that manufacturers intend to make some 5,000,000 cars in 1929 (Walter P. Chrysler puts this figure at 4,750,000 [see p. 37]). In 1928 there were 4,630,000.

FOUR-CYLINDER CARS

Durant $695 Plymouth $695

Ford 625 Whippet 595

SIX-CYLINDER CARS

(Wheel base of 115 inches or less)

Chandler $895 Hupmobile . . . .$1,395

Chevrolet 675 Jordan 1,395

De Soto 998.50 Moon 1,345

Dodge Standard. . 765 Nash 955

Durant 845 Oldsmobile 1,025

Erkstine 945 Pontiac 825

Essex 795 Reo 1,395

Falcon-Knight 1,095 Studebaker 1,265

Graham-Paige ... 875 Whippet 760

Willys-Knight. .$1,095

(Wheel base of 116 to 120 inches)

Buick$1,320 Hudson $1,325

Chandler 75 ... 1,395 Kissel 1,695

Dodge 1,675 Moon 1,495

Durant 1,385 Nash 1,345

Elcar 1,095 Oakland 1,245

Franklin 2,790 Peerless 1,595

Graham-Paige .. 1,595 Velie 1,265 Oakland 1,245

(Wheel base of 121 to 125 inches)

Auburn $1,095 Hudson 1,175

Buick 1,450 Nash 1,550

Chandler 1,525 Reo 1,845

Gardner 1,895 Studebaker 1,495

( Wheel base of 126 to 130 inches)

Black Hawk . . .$2,695 Graham-Paige $1,985

Buick 1,935 Hudson 1,450

Elcar 2,295 Nash 1,925

Franklin 2,980 Steams-Knight 2,195

Gardner 2,395 Willys-Knight 1,995

(Wheel base of 131 inches & over)

Chrysler $ 1,145 Pierce-Arrow .. .$5,875

Elcar 2,645 Steams-Knight.. 2,545

Locomobile ... 12,500 Willys-Knight .. 2,295

EIGHT-CYLINDER CARS

(Wheel base of 125 inches or less)

Auburn ..$1,495 Jordan $1,995 Chandler 1,395 Kissel 2,095 Davis 1,885 Locomobile 1,995 Elcar 1,395 Marmon 1,465 Gardner 1,595 Moon 2,195 Hupmobile 1,875 Studebaker 1,685

Velie $2,095

(Wheel base of 126 to 130 inches)

Elcar $2,295 Locomobile . . . .$2,650

Gardner 2,395 Packard 2,435

Hupmobile .... 2,385 Pierce-Arrow 2,750

Black Hawk.. .$2,645

(Wheel base of 131 inches & over)

Cadillac $3,695 LaSalle $2,450

Cunningham . . . 8,000 Lincoln 4,800

Elcar 2,465 Packard 2,735

Graham-Paisre.. . 2,285 Steams-Knight.. 5,500

Kissel 3,785 Studebaker .... 2,085

Stutz $3,570

*Willard and Exide batteries, Murray and Briggs bodies, Houdaille shock absorbers, Firestone, Goodyear, U. S., Mason, Goodrich and other tires.