THE STRAIGHT EIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1927, Page 18

THE STRAIGHT EIGHT

AN AMERICAN'S CLAIM

"The eight cylinder principle," declares Mr. E. "W. Milburn, an American distributor, "is becoming more and more widely recognised as the ultimate in inotordom." He cites what ho terms four fundamental reasons why eight cylinder cars are bound to dominate among all cars selling above 1500 dollars. These reasons, he points out, are the inexorable law of human choice, the continual desire of people for something better, the history of the automobile industry and the fact that the eight cylinder principle combines a smoothness unknown to any other type plus greater power and remarkable general efficiency.

"The law of human choice —the everlasting search . for the most efficient— sooner or later puts every product into its proper place, assigns it to the market to which'it belongs, fixes the price at which it can be sold, and establishes its social, status beyond hope of change," he says. "Manufacturers donot arbitrarily make markets. They cannot. People make them by their everlasting hunt for that which meets their needs and comes within the reach ofitheir .poekctbook,s; .:,.. . ... '~ ''"The motor'-cdr'K'aV^ee'n 'divided'into market classes and social distinctions by this inexorable law which is at one and the same time human and economic.

"The finest car, years ago, was of four cylinders. Then came the six, supplanting the four because of its more continuous torque arid greater smoothness. To-day we see the eight, combining, still greater smoothness with greater efficiency, solidly entrenched as" the topmost principle. We see three «great motor-car markets— those of the lowest price, those of the medium priced cars and everything above that line—now quite definitely established as from 1500 dollars up—• given over to the eights."