Dream Car

At General Motors' proving ground in Milford, Mich, last week, newsmen climbed into a grey, rocket-like auto only 3 ft. high, sent it hurtling around the test track at speeds up to 110 m.p.h. It was the first public showing of G.M.'s Le Sabre, the experimental convertible which G.M. Designer and Style Boss Harley J. Earl called "the car of the future." Even if motorists never get to buy a car exactly like Designer Earl's dream car, future G.M. models will have some of Le Sabre's 80 new gadgets and engineering changes.

Powered by a 300-h.p. V-8 engine, Le Sabre at present has a top speed of 130 m.p.h., with minor adjustments is expected to do 150 m.p.h. The 10-to-1-compression engine runs on a mixture of alcohol and premium gasoline. Built of light aluminum and magnesium alloys, Le Sabre weighs 4,000 Ibs., less than many standard U.S. convertibles. Even though its 115-inch wheelbase is the same length as a Chevrolet's, Le Sabre rides like a Cadillac.

To run its spectacular array of gadgets, the car has 60 controls and gauges, 14 separate electric motors. At the touch of a button the doors open. To make getting in & out easy, the convertible top snaps back partway when the door opens, then locks in place again after the door is shut. When the top is down, rain will raise it automatically as it hits a sensitized plate on the seat.

The experimental car's headlights are concealed behind the air-scoop grill which revolves at the flick of a switch. Other features: thermostatically controlled electric seat warmers, fenders that swing up on hinges to make tire-changing easier. Motorists are not exactly clamoring for some of those innovations, but Le Sabre has one feature that is in widespread public demand: built-in hydraulic jacks under each wheel.

The new jacks may be on G.M. models within two years. More radical changes, such as Le Sabre's engine, are five or ten years away.

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