188 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
A Premier car being driven through Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Cal. 
The Motor Car for the Man of Moderate Means 
By Stanley Yale Beach 
SyOW that automobiles turned out in 
large numbers similarly to watches and 
sewing machines, and like these, with all 
parts interchangeable, it is possible for 
Ke iG the man of moderate means—the owner 
of a small country house, perhaps—to 
& IN 
SAN ; : ; 
own and maintain a runabout or light 
touring car for his own use and that of his wife, or for the 
use of his entire family. Whether he will purchase a two 
or five-passenger machine depends upon the size of his fam- 
ily and the use to which he intends putting his automobile. 
The man with a small family and with limited means 
can procure a single-cylinder runabout nowadays for less 
than $500—$450, to be exact. ‘These machines, two of 
which were thoroughly tested the past winter in mail col- 
lection work at Atlantic City, and five of which are now in 
daily use there, are the principal examples of the single- 
cylinder “‘voiturette” that has been so popular during the 
last two or three years in France. ‘They can be depended 
upon to carry two or three persons at a 30- to 35-mile clip 
on any good road, and to negotiate all ordinary hills and 
poor stretches of road met with in traveling about the coun- 
try in the vicinity of any of our large cities. In fact, last 
summer one of these small runabouts traveled from Atlanta, 
Ga., a distance of 1,100 miles, in six days, while at the 
present time a small tri-car of another make has almost 
completed a trip across the continent. 
are 
The Ford 
4-cylinder 
If higher speed is desired, together with the capability 
of dashing up hills without changing gear, and of negotiat- 
ing extremely bad roads without difficulty, a light four- 
cylinder runabout, such as the Ford or Hupmobile, should 
be the choice of the small householder. These cars have 
the advantage of light weight and abundant power (16 to 
24 H. P.), and they are well worth the difference in price, 
even though this makes their cost nearly double. ‘They 
can be purchased for from $725 to $900. 
Next in price, as well as in power, come the gentlemen’s 
roadsters. ‘These can be had with a rumble seat or with- 
out it, and with an open or closed body, as in the examples 
shown in the photographs. ‘The latter type has the seat 
placed farther back, as a rule, than the former, and often 
the polished copper fuel tank is placed crosswise behind it. 
These roadsters are fitted with powerful four-cylinder mo- 
tors of from 24 to 30 H. P., or over, and they are of sufh- 
ciently light weight to be capable of speeds up to 60 miles 
an hour or more. They range in price from $850 to 
$1,250; and for the man who can afford it, the extra amount 
invested in one of these more powerful cars will be money 
well spent. Besides their greater capabilities, the difference 
in price appears in their finish and in the accessories that 
go with these cars. 
In the touring car class, which is the one in which the 
man with a moderate-sized family is likely to be inter- 
ested, good four-cylinder machines can be bought for from 
Regal gentleman’s roadster, fitted with side doors 
