MR. MAXIM," asked New Haven Carriage-Maker William Hooker Atwood in 1896, "do you want this carriage to look like a Western buggy-maker's job or do you want it to be a gentleman's carriage?" Answered Hiram Percy Maxim, builder of the Mark I Electric Phaeton: "Like a gentleman's carriage, Mr. Atwood." For almost half a century, the U.S. automobile was indeed a "gentleman's carriage," built for men and bought on the basis of its mechanical excellence, not its sculptured lines or pleasing colors. Today, the woman buys the car —and she wants something called...
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