CARS

Korero (AEWS), Volume 2, Issue 2, 31 January 1944, Page 26

CARS

Design after the War

A leading American industrial engineer, quoted by EMMET CROZIER in this article from the New York Herald Tribune, says the post-war motor-car will not be radically different in appearance and performance from the 1942 models. But it will probably be lighter, stronger and roomier, and the engine may be in the rear. War brought a curious breathing spell to the automobile. In a period and an atmosphere which has produced amazing progress in aviation, development of the automobile has perforce stood still. Like that childhood game in which the players on signal suddenly assumed statue-like attitudes of arrested motion, the passenger automobile industry froze a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbour and has remained in the awkward and unaccustomed attitude of suspended animation.

When the war’s end breaks this spell of immobility we know that production will be resumed as quickly as possible on 1942 models and that all the new cars produced during the six months to a year after the war will be the familiar models of two years ago.

■J o Meanwhile, the whole motor industry will be in a ferment of activity, designing, testing, building mock-ups, and preparing sales campaigns for the post-war automobile which the American public expects and for which its cheque-book will be ready.

Raymond F. Loewy, noted industrial engineer who is credited with developing the streamline in modern industrial design and one of the first to apply its principles to the automobile, has made some preliminary studies for the post-war car. Discussing it, he begins with the observation that there probably will be no dramatic, glamorous departure from the automobile we have known. It Will Be Superior

The post-war car, Mr. Loewy says, will not have folding wings to take it soaring through the air over detours or

traffic jams ; it will not be able to swim! lakes or paddle across rivers. In appearance and in performance the post-war automobile will not be radically different from the 1942 model—a fairly good car—but in a number of respects it will be definitely superior.

The post-war car will be lighter without sacrificing strength. The average 1942 car of popular make weighs 2,950 lbs. ; the post-war automobile should weigh 2,000 to 2,400 lb. Considerable weight can be saved through the use of aluminium, magnesium, and light alloys. Hood panels and door panels will be made of lighter materials, and a further reduction is needed in the unsprung weight of the car.

Visibility will be greatly improved in post-war designs. Driver and passengers—but especially the driver—will be able to see more of the road ahead and

'the traffic problems developing on both sides of the road, as well as in the rear. Smaller hood, redesign of the windshield, adjustable seat for driver and larger areas of transparency in the sides and rear of the car will increase the visibility from a third up to a half, Mr. Loewy estimates.

Where the present driver’s seat is ■adjustable (on some models) forward and Backward to accommodate long and

shorter legs, the new car seats may be adjustable for height. This can be done ■with a device similar to the elevator in a barber’s chair.

Engines may be in Rear

Perhaps the most important changes now engaging the attention of automobile designers are those relating to the engine. Mr. Loewy foresees the possibility of transferring the power plant from its present place under the hood to the rear, where its propulsive force can be communicated directly to the rear axle.

This is not a new idea. The Czech Tatra and the German Mercedes Benz have developed fairly successful automobiles with rear-end power plants, and the French Citroen and American-built Cord hooked the engine to front-wheel drive. But these cars were more expensive and were not so rugged or dependable in operation.

Remote-control equipment developed for the operation of ball turrets of Flying Fortresses and other electrical devices perfected for aircraft operation can be applied to rear-end engine control in the post-war automobile.

Mr. Loewy also contemplates a more efficient engine installation, which would enable a garage mechanic to remove the power plant in ten minutes or less by unscrewing six or eight bolts, and substituting a service engine for temporary use while the old one is being overhauled, tested, and repaired. Present service techniques take the automobile out of use even for minor repairs, and the owner’s insistence upon speed in the work frequently makes thorough inspection and careful craftsmanship impossible. In body design, Mr. Loewy is ready with some arresting new ideas. Roomier Bodies His sketches show slightly larger and roomier bodies for the post-war automobile, with the greater width in the front seat. One Loewy suggestion is that the purchaser have the option of a number of seating arrangements : One grouping, designed for a large family, would seat four in front, two in the

rear ; for a man and his wife the same front space could be utilized for two commodious, heavily upholstered seats with comfortable arm rests. The wider, rounded prows, shorter hoods and bodies tapering toward a narrow rear would conform more closely to the streamlined ideal of the egg than the present models.

According to Mr. Loewy, transparent plastics may be used for side and rear windows where there is relatively little abrasion, but shatter-proof glass, less easily scratched and marred, will continue to be preferred material for windshields.

Mr. Loewy, whose studies for post-war development include helicopters, passenger planes, new railroad equipment, trans-Atlantic and bay steamers and buses, believes the automobile of the future probably will cost more than present models, but will be more economical in fuel consumption and more efficient generally.

Engineers’ Views

His views coincide generally with those of A. T. Colwell, vice-president of Thompson Products, Inc., of Cleveland, who recently completed a technical survey of post-war automotive engineer-

ing. Mr. Colwell found the consensus to be : —

1. That the future trend of automobile design will be toward economy rather than performance, because of greater emphasis on petroleum conservation, increased general taxation, inflation, higher fuel costs and probably higher automobile costs.

Q.. That the very large automobile is on the wane —the buyers of higherpriced cars have been heavily affected by taxation. 3. That present comfort, safety, performance, and size of the mediumsized car should not be sacrificed any more than necessary. 4. That the very small European car is not foreseen, unless absolutely forced by economic conditions, and would not be acceptable to the American public. 5. That automobiles must be produced with fewer man-hours. Mr. Colwell’s study indicated that only about 10 per cent, of this nation’s total high-octane fuel capacity—now wholly devoted to military needswill be used by aviation after the war. The excess capacity will be available for automobiles if it can be economically utilized.