MOTORING 



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mobile. They cite how all the American 

 public went hysterical over the wheel, and 

 how at last the bottom of the bicycle market 

 dropped so completely out that some builders 

 never have reached it yet. They fear a like 

 result in the automobile business, but after 

 all this may be much unwarranted, as the 

 automobile is rapidly developing into a mod- 

 ern necessity, while the bicycle at its best 

 could hardly be designated as other than a 

 personal comfort or athletic luxury. 



The only automobile manufacturers who 

 are likely to be caught napping in trade cir- 

 cles are those who are not so energetic as 

 their neighbors in keeping up fully with the 

 improvements which are bound to be made 

 as the science of motoring grows nearer the 

 ideal. 



Just as a straw, showing the direction of 

 the wind in regard to the present popularity 

 of the automobile, it may be cited that the 

 Packard Company very recently sent broad- 

 cast an offer of $3,600 for every one of its 

 $4,000 1906 cars which was returned to its 

 agents, as the demand for them is so great 

 that the factory cannot turn out the machines 

 fast enough. Of all the hundreds of ma- 

 chines which had been delivered but two 

 were sent back. Consider the Packard con- 

 cern as but one item in the making of auto- 

 mobiles, and then marvel at the immense 

 magnitude of the present trade which culti- 

 vates a demand like that. 



Following the New York shows usually 

 come those of other cities, and in spite of 

 the fact that the demand would seem to have 

 been exhausted when New York had finished, 

 the manufacturers say that results are so 

 good in giving shows in other cities that they 

 are fully justified in placing their wares pub- 

 licly on view in Philadelphia, Boston and 

 Chicago. Even smaller local shows are held, 

 and at those the public is found still faith- 

 fully pursuing its hunt for information con- 

 cerning working details and constructive ma- 

 terial. 



While the speed feature never is particu- 

 larly prominent at the automobile shows, it 

 is a corollary of the exhibits, since the Flor- 

 ida races always follow the New York gath- 

 ering of motor enthusiasts. 



It is true that prospective buyers frequently 

 linger longer with those manufacturers whose 

 machines are known to have made speed 

 records, for even if the buyer is not speed- 

 mad himself, nor ever likely to be, it gives 

 him gratification to be possessed of a car 

 similar in general construction to that which 

 happens to hold some great record. 



There is always a justifiable amount of 

 pride on the part of an owner whose ma- 

 chine is of the type which captured the Van- 

 derbilt cup, the Gordon-Bennett cup, or some 

 event of like importance, and when his 

 envious friends, who know little about 

 motoring except as they read in the daily 

 newspapers of the results of the interna- 



tional races, query him as to the make of 

 the car which he owns, he can be pardoned 

 for being a trifle elated if it happens to be a 

 I'anhard-Levassor, a Darracq, a Richard 

 B raster, or some car to which like fame at- 

 taches. 



Speed racing this year in Florida assumed 

 more than usual importance because both 

 Lancia, the famous Italian driver, and Hem- 

 ery, winner of the Vanderbilt cup last year, 

 came to America to take part in the contests 

 on the Ormond beach. 



There is a great deal of good natured 

 rivalry between these men. Lancia unques- 

 tionably would have won the Vanderbilt cup 

 in 1905 had it not been for the collision with 

 the unlucky Christie on the narrow back 

 stretch. As it was Hemery, who had been 

 pushing along at a uniform pace throughout 

 the race, finished in front, in spite of the des- 

 perate effort which Lancia made to recover 

 the ground which he had lost. 



In conversation after he had landed in New 

 York this winter Lancia was asked if he 

 thought that a car ever would be built which 

 would be able to run at an average rate of less 

 than a mile a minute over a route, say, of 300 

 miles. He shrugged his shoulders expres- 

 sively and said, ''Who knows? How long 

 since it was deemed impossible for the auto- 

 mobile to make a mile in less than a minute. 

 Now behold what it does. But I don't think 

 that I should like to drive a car in a road 

 race at a speed much higher than a mile a 

 minute. The risk is great now. Think what 

 it would be with the speed accelerated one- 

 third. What time would there be for the 

 driver to think? What time to act? How 

 would it be possible to make the turns about 

 which now a rapidly moving car slides at al- 

 most incontrollable angles? For me, who 

 cares little for speed, I think it would be bet- 

 ter to attempt such a race on some road or 

 course where there would be better surround- 

 ings for the development of speed. Some ask 

 what racing is for. In the first place, to show 

 what men can do to increase ability to travel, 

 and in the second place to prove the substan- 

 tiability of the machines. If a car can run at 

 the rate of one mile a minute, and not break 

 down, it is evident that it is well constructed. 

 Therefore a speed trial has been of advantage 

 to the maker of such a machine. That is my 

 idea." 



New York has witnessed an attempt on the 

 part of the chaffeurs of the state and city to 

 do something toward putting their occupa- 

 tion on a better standing. A few reckless 

 and unscrupulous chauffeurs have done ten 

 times more to create a false opinion on the 

 part of the public in regard to automobiles 

 than all the owners combined. 



Proprietors of garages throughout the city 

 do their best to keep the chauffeurs under 

 restraint, but where an owner will not be 

 bothered with the checking system, which 

 keeps accurate account of every time that a 



