Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 06.djvu/389

LEFT MOTOK VEHICLE 327 MOTOR VEHICLE Jess success, and lighter types of steam carriages made their appearance in Eng- land, France, and the United States. Soon after Gottlieb Daimler's improve- ments to the light-weight internal-com- bustion engine, it was suggested that this power be applied to a road carriage. In 1895 U. S. Patent No. 549160 was granted to George B. Selden, of Roch- ester, N. Y., for the application of the internal-combustion engine to a self-pro- pelled vehicle. The original application for this patent had been made years HAND TM»?OTTl.E CONTROL. LEVeR sides and doors than in the earlier models. The first tonneau doors were placed at the rear, but because of incon- venience of entering, and possible im- provement in seating arrangement, doors were soon placed on the sides, which practice is still followed to-day. Doors have been added to the front compart- ment, and the modem touring car — the most popular model of the day — has gradually developed. An early tendency was to produce models with bulging curved lines, which BATTERY JTMDICATOR DASH OIL SIGHT FEED SERVICE BRAKE PEDAL AUTOMOBILE OPERATING DIAGRAM before it was granted. The patent was very broad in its scope, and included the use of a clutch and gears for the application of the power. For many years all gasoline cars were manufac- tured on a royalty basis, but in 1904 a group of manufacturers, headed by Henry Ford of Detroit, Mich., contested the validity of the patent. Testimony was taken for over four years, and the first decision favored Mr. Selden, but in 1911 Justice Noyes denied the right of the patent. The passenger or motor vehicle which preceded the freight-carrying truck, made its first modem appearance in the form of a runabout, which was an adaptation of the style of the horse-di-awn runabout then popular, although the carryall type was soon utilized for four passengers. Advancement in design soon developed the tonneau, in which more protection was given the passengers by means of gave the impression of great bulk. The modern tendency, where metal is used for body construction in place of _ the early wood, is to use either straight lines, or lines resembling those used in yacht design, called stream lines, producing models of much more grace and trimness. Two- or three-passenger open cars are called runabouts or speedsters, and there are various types of inclosed _^ models — the type in which the tonneau is inclosed and separated from the driver's com- partment, which is also inclosed, is called a limousine. The sedan, a model whose popularity is rapidly increasing, is a car tn which the front seat and the tonneau ai*e inclosed in one section. The inclosed runabout, which will seat from two to four persons, is called a coupe. It is generally conceded that the first motor truck was a converted touring car used for parcel delivery. Now there is a special model for the transportation