In 1926: living at the edge of time - Monoskop

AUTOMOBILES 27
because it looks like a slightly modified version of a private horse-drawn
carriage-that is, like a relic from less egalitarian days. It seems to be just
such an aristocratic connotation that persuades Thomas Mann to purchase
an automobile: "so I acquired an auto, a beautiful, six-seater Fiat
sedan. Our dear Ludwig has already decked himself out as a chauffeur,
so I sally forth at 33 horsepower, driving through the city, affably greeting
people on all sides" (Kolbe, 377-378). For those members of international
high society who cultivate avant-garde ambitions (among them
the Spanish king, Alfonso XII), "motoring" and even racing have the
status of a particularly modern hobby. A small but exclusive car-manufacturing
plant figures among the multiple possessions of the narrator's
family in Rene Schickele's novel Maria Capponi (427), and the father of
his Italian lover Maria is constantly on the road inaugurating international
Salons de l'Automobile (242; Annees-memoire, 175). Some of the
brand names for luxury automobiles are redolent of such social distinction:
AHa Romeo, Austro-Daimler, Bentley, Bugatti, Chenard-Walker,
Hispano Cease, Lorraine-Dietrich. Similar in this regard to flying, motoring
as a sport takes organizational form mainly either as races consisting
of several legs or as endurance tests for the automobiles' standard
models. [see Airplanes] Since manufacturers are only beginning to discover
the value of such competitions for their sales promotion (a forerunner
in this regard is Mercedes-Benz A.G., which, in the Berliner
Tageblatt of August 5, proudly advertises its "record-breaking victories
in national and international competitions"), it is difficult to distinguish
the exteriors of mass-produced automobiles [see Assembly Lines] from
those of race cars.
Although traction remains a major practical problem (due to manufacturing
methods, tire quality, and poor road surfaces), automobiles
reach respectable levels of speed. The new six-cylinder 180-horsepower
Mercedes has a maximum speed of about 100 mph (Chronik, 197), and
the winner of the classic twenty-four-hour race at Le Mans sets a world
record by covering 2,533.51 kilometers during the contest (Anneesmemoire,
85, 172ff.). This disproportion between traction and engine
performance makes automobiles dangerous for drivers and passengers.
Magazines and newspapers are full of detailed accident reports, which
are often accompanied by dramatic photographs of car wrecks and
victims. In its November 6 issue, Caras y Caretas describes such an event
that occurred in Buenos Aires: "An omnibus headed west on San