Indy Auto Gossip - 1910

This article was originally published on January 23, 1910 in the Indianapolis Star. This is a digest column with various short news items concerning the auto industry. In some cases it is better described as the "engine" or "motor" industry as the same powerplants were used both in both cars and airplanes. In fact, the first item poses the question, will aero and auto clubs merge?
The items follow:

• Ernie Moross was apparently on the verge of purchasing a Marmon as his personal vehicle.
• The Hearsey-Willis Company reported that sales of the Hupmobile were brisk.
• James Barclay had apparently returned to his desk at the Willis-Holcomb Company as a representative of Warner Instruments. Why he had been absent is not mentioned.
• Williman Wheller of Reliable Automobile Company was planning a downtown office in anticipation of brisk sales of the Flanders automobiles.
• There was much focus on where the "Big Benz" would find an American home. William Wellman was planning to promote an American tour of the machine. I believe this is the Blitzen Benz that Barney Oldfield eventually purchased and drove to new speed records at Daytona-Ormond.
• R.H. Losey of the local branch of Buick was also selling Oldsmobile. He apparently sold three Olds in the past week.
• H.O. Smith of the Premier Company was involved in "national" affairs. Most recently he was working on the Glidden Tour.
• George Robertson, the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup winner, was in town to "inspect" the Parry automobile factory.
• Frank Staley of Studebaker Company was planning a "house warming."
• Chattanooga, Tennesee's Houstoun Harper was in town to attend a planning meeting for important Indianapolis-based people expected to attend the Atlanta Speedway races later in the year.
• There was enthusiasm for the anticipated arrival in Indianapolis of five new car models: Flanders Twenty; Powercar; Courier; Velie Forty and the Stearns.
• Frank Moore of the Fisher Automobile Company was talking up the superiority of the "dispersed" nature of the Indianapolis Automobile Show compared to those staged at a central location such as at Madison Square Gardens in New York. He insisted that visits to individual showrooms relieved attendees of distractions. Nice try.
• S.W. Elston of the Indiana Automobile Company reportedly had a exceptional number of cars on display in his capacious showroom.
• The Y.M.C.A. was presenting a "motor course," a class or seminar to train consumers in the basics of operating and servicing an automobile.
• Motor car stunts were again planned for the March Indianapolis Auto Show. These included: a hill climb; an egg race and hide-and-seek around barrels. Also, a banquet was planned to close the show.
• Cecil Gibson offered the opinion that manufacturers beyond Indianapolis would not be interested in a national auto show anywhere but in New York. Because of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway local civic and business leaders had been calling for a national auto show.
• The article offers the opinion that Indianapolis motorists would join their Chicago-based counterparts on a trip to the Atlanta Speedway for the first national circuit races beginning there on May 5.