The first of many impending innovations in automotive design appeared last week. For its new "free wheeling" principle Studebaker claimed much: 12% saving on gas, 20% saving on oil, clutch not needed except in starting and backing, smoother riding, no "piling up" of the motor.
Basic principle of "free-wheeling": When the car rolls faster than the engine is turning over, the rear wheels are automatically disengaged from the engine. Bicycle makers long ago incorporated this principle in the "coaster" brake. In the automobile it amounts to an automatic...
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