TOMORROW'S car surely will differ from today's if for no other reason than the requirements of human nature, Mr. Crane points out. Accordingly, he expresses his belief in change for the sake of change alone.
The course of future motor-car design will be determined very largely by the available fuel or other source of power, and by the materials available for construction, Mr. Crane predicts. Discussing the problems that impede the adoption of the rear-engine arrangement in passenger-car production, he takes up space arrangement, weight distribution, directional stability, cooling, cost, and performance.
Many features of today's cars, adopted to produce a streamlined appearance, seriously interfere with safety and vision, Mr. Crane contends, mentioning low seats, the increasing slope of windshields and rear windows, rounded roofs, and high belt moldings. Because of its size and cost, he feels that the 3000-lb car will continue to be the backbone of production.
In short, Mr. Crane outlines why the motor car is what it is today and uses the history of its present development to foretell its future.