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The Pierce-Arrow Company was now owned and bankrolled by —_a shortwave radio cabinet. Within was his electronic circuit the Studebaker Corporation and used this firmer financial footing | comprising the 12 vacuum tubes, wire and assorted resistors. for a burst of innovation. Between 1928 and 1933, the company — Two rods of a quarter-inch diameter and three inches in length released new models with straight-eight-cylinder and V-12 (0.6 x 7.6 cm) apparently served as connectors to the motor leads. engines, the futuristic Silver Arrow show cars, new styling and When they returned to the test car, they placed the box in a pre- improvements in engineering. Customers responded and Pierce- _ fitted position on the passenger side under the dashboard. Dr Arrow sales even improved the company's share of the Tesla pushed in the two contact rods and consulted a voltmeter. diminishing luxury car market in 1930. In such a surge of "We now have power," he declared, handing the ignition keys confidence, "blue sky" projects such as Tesla's electric car were to his nephew. There were additional gauges on the dashboard within the conceptual sphere. With the company's traditional that read values which Tesla would not explain. mixture of arrogance and naivety, anything seemed possible. At his uncle's request, Savo started the engine. "The engine is Thus, a 1931 Pierce-Arrow Eight had been selected for testing | now in motion," affirmed Tesla. Savo heard no sound. from the factory's proving grounds in Buffalo, New York. Its Nevertheless, with the electrical savant in the passenger seat, internal combustion engine had Savo selected a gear, pressed the been removed, leaving the clutch, accelerator pedal and drove the car gearbox and transmission to the out. rear wheels intact. The ordinary Petar Savo drove this fuelless 12-volt storage battery remained, car for a long time that day, for 50 but an 80-hp electric motor had miles through Buffalo and out into been coupled to the transmission. the countryside. With a Traditionally, electric cars had speedometer calibrated to 120 battery-powered DC motors, as DC mph (192 km/h), the Pierce-Arrow is the only type of current that was taken up to 90 mph (145 batteries can provide. A DC to AC km/h), still with the same degree converter could have been used, of silence from the motor. but the equipment was too large in Dr Tesla became more relaxed those days to fit into an automobile. and confident about his invention The twilight of electric cars had as they drove through the country- long since passed, but this Pierce- side. He began to open up to his Arrow was fitted with no simple nephew regarding its secrets. The DC motor. It was an AC electric device was capable of supplying motor designed for 1800 rpm. The the vehicle's power needs forever, motor itself was 40 inches long and but, more than this, it was also 30 inches in diameter (102 x 76 capable of meeting the power cm), was brushless and air-cooled requirements of a house—and with a front cooling fan, and with power to spare. displayed twin power cable leads Initially reluctant to explain the which were directed to underneath | principles, Dr Tesla did admit that the dashboard but left unconnected. his device was merely a receiver Tesla would not say who had for a "mysterious radiation, which manufactured the electric motor, p comes out of the aether" and but it is thought that it was possibly eaeeee which "is available in limitless one of the divisions of quantities". Westinghouse. An antenna rod of "Mankind should be very grate- 6 feet (1.83 m) in length had been Advertisements for Baker and Rauch & Lang electric cars, ful for its presence," he mused. circa 1915, advocated their comfort and reliability as ideal for awoman's car. Note the merger of two electric carmakers by this time: Baker, and Rauch & Lang. Each retained its fitted to the rear of the car. Over the course of the next eight days, Tesla and Savo tested the The "Aether-Arrow" Affair own slogan: Baker ("Quality, Service" and Rauch & Lang Pierce-Arrow in city and country Petar Savo joined his famous ("The Social Necessity"). conditions, from crawling speed to elder relative as requested, and they 90 mph. Performance was equal boarded a train in New York City for upstate New York. During to any powerful, multi-cylinder car of the day, including Pierce's the journey, the inventor would not elaborate on the nature of the — own 366-cubic-inch (6- litre), 125-bhp Eight. experiment. Tesla told Savo that the energy receiver would soon be used to Upon arrival in Buffalo, they went to a small garage where they —_ power trains, boats, planes and automobiles. found the new Pierce-Arrow. Dr Tesla opened the hood and made The inventor and his accomplice finally delivered the car to a a few adjustments to the AC electric motor within. They then secret, pre-arranged location—an old barn near a farmhouse 20 departed to prepare Tesla's equipment. In a nearby hotel room, miles from Buffalo. They left the car there, Dr Tesla taking the the electrical genius assembled his apparatus. He had brought 12 _ ignition key and his receiver device with him. special vacuum tubes in a boxlike case. The tubes were described This cloak-and-dagger aspect of the affair continued. Petar by Savo as "of curious construction", though at least three have Savo heard a rumour that a secretary had spoken openly about the since been identified as 70L7-GT rectifier beam tubes. They were secret tests and had been fired for the indiscretion. This may plugged into a device that was housed in a box, 2 feet long, 1 foot —_ explain how a garbled account of the tests came to appear in wide and 6 inches high (61 x 30.5 x 15 cm). It was no larger than _ several newspapers. " n . by tnis time: Baker, and Hat The "Aether-Arrow" Affair own slogan: Baker ("Quality Petar Savo joined his famous ("The Social elder relative as requested, and they boarded a train in New York City for upstate New York. During the journey, the inventor would not elaborate on the nature of the experiment. Upon arrival in Buffalo, they went to a small garage where they found the new Pierce-Arrow. Dr Tesla opened the hood and made a few adjustments to the AC electric motor within. They then departed to prepare Tesla's equipment. In a nearby hotel room, the electrical genius assembled his apparatus. He had brought 12 special vacuum tubes in a boxlike case. The tubes were described by Savo as "of curious construction", though at least three have since been identified as 70L7-GT rectifier beam tubes. They were plugged into a device that was housed in a box, 2 feet long, 1 foot wide and 6 inches high (61 x 30.5 x 15 cm). It was no larger than NEXUS = 39 DECEMBER 2004 — JANUARY 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com