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YOUR COMPLETE
AUTO GUIDE

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quto service professionals

NEWS photo Stuart Davis

This 1953 Buick Roadmaster two door hardtop boasts a 322 cubic inch V8 engine, with two speed dynaflow automatic transmission. Owner John Dolling (pictured above) plans
to upgrade the car which is copper color with a white roof,

TODAY'S HOTROD, TOMORROW'S DINOSAUR

Changing future of the

THE MORE things change the more they stay the
same. This certainly seems to be the case for the

automobile.

Although we fave seen
fantastic changes in our daily
vehicle since it was introduc-
ed about 100 years ago, it still
has four wheels, carries from
two to six people, and has an
internal combustion engine.
And it is geing to skty that
wily.

AMthough there hie been
both successful and vasiue-
cessful diesel cars, due to the
“dirty” nature of diesel fuel,
its increasing cost, and the
great advanees in’ gasoline
engines, it looks like the gas
engine is here for a Jong time

to come,

But the gas engine of the
year 2000 will be @ far ery
fram, say the 350 cu. in,
Chevrolet V8. Besides being
vastly more fuel efficient, the
engine of the future will be
mostly made of plastie-like
materials, whieh are lighter
and cheaper to make. Car-
burators will be replaced by
electronic fuel injection, and
this has already started.

One of the biggest changes

in auto design will be the use
of on-board computers. Us-
ing a continuously variable
transmission, the car's brain
will select the perfect gear
ratio in terms of performance
and economy and mateh it to
the optimum fuel mixutre
and spark comrol.

Manual transmissions will
remain on the sporty cars,

Back in the 1950's. vou
could not even sell safvery, but
safety ts becoming increus-
ingly important, We will see
anti-locking braking systems,
better dise brakes, self:
levelling air suspensions to
compensate for toad
distribution,

When the fibregiiss 1954
Corvette came out. if wits a

primitive effort: that) can't
even be compared to the
sporty fibreglass Fiero. Class
fibres and composites will be
used for all sorts of parts.

In the interests of gas
economy, cars are becoming
increasingly slippery and
Ford has some very
aerodynamic cars available
right now such as the
‘Thunderbird and Topi.

One of the more inlereste-
ing future gadgets will be a
satellite navigational system
that ca pinpoint your loca.
tion anywhere in the world,
Peopte stall say. They don't
build them like they used
te" sound its a good thing
too. The days of the Detroit
dinosturs are gone forgver.

aie Sa
NEWS photo Ellsworth Dickson

CAR cngines will go through a lot of changes in the coming
decades.