A brilliant array of more than 350 automobiles, including many new and very artistic body designs, the annoucement of lower prices of a few popular makes, the initial appearance of the long-heralded General Motor small air-cooled card and an attendance that was fully teh equal of the first night record of former years were the outstanding features of the twenty-third annual national automobile show which opened yesterday in Grand Central Palace, Lexington Avenue and Forty-sixth Street. In marked contrast to the national exhibition of a year ago the atmosphere was permeated with the rosiest optimism for the new year. With more than 250,000 motor vehicles produced in 1922 the automobile industry has closed a record year, and practically all of the big factory representatives at the show announced that the 1923 program called for a considerable increas in the coming year's production.

All four exhibition floors in the Palace have been decorated in an exceptionally attractive manner. The first two floors are entirely devoted to automobiles. The top floor is restricted to the 336 accessory exhibits, which is larger and of a more varied character than in any previous year, and a few cars with accessories occupy the space on the third floor. The automobiles represent the output from seventy-nine different manudacturers.

Undoubtedly the really new thing at the show is the first complete chassis of the small air-cooled car which represents the result of two years' work in the General Motors Research Laboratories at Dayton, Ohio, under the supervision of Charles F. Kettering. The car is being manufactured by the Chevrolet Company and it was stated that deliveries of completely equipped cars would be ready within 60 days. In outward appearance the new creation resembles the present Chevrolet four-cylinder models. The wheelbase is the same—103 inches. The car is termed a copper-cooled car from the fact that due to the ability to weld copper to iron by means of electricity, the copper cooling fins are made an integral part of the cast iron cylinders, thereby obtaining full advantage of the superior heat-conducting qualities of copper.

The motor is of the four-cylinder type and the weight of the fully equipped touring model will be about 1,670 pounds. Five body types will be made—roadster, touring, coupe sedanette and sedan. The new air-cooled Chevrolet will sell for $200 advance over the standard gasoline models, the factory price for the touring type being $725, the coupe $880 and the sedan $1,600. The New York delivery price for the touring model will be about $807.

The prices for the new Stutz six-cylinder cars, brought out for the first time this year, were announced as $1,995 for the roadster and touring models and $2,550 for the sedan. This is also the first year that the Stutz cars appear with closed bodies.

Reductions of from $50 to $100 have been made on all models of the Chandler cars which appear with a new motor and new body designs. The new motor is known as the Pikes Peak motor from the fact that it was thoroughly tested out on the famous Western mountain. There has been a $100 reduction on the roadster, touring car and metropolitan sedan, the new prices being respectively $1,595, $1,495 and $2,195. The new two-door sedan is priced at $1,695.

The eight-cylinder Cole cars make their appearance at the show at new year prices from $600 to $1,000 under former rates. The bodies have been considerably improved toward more artistic finsh. The roadster sports and touring cars now sell for $1,885, a reduction of $600, the coupe is $2,885, a reduction of $800, and $1,000 has been cut from the sedan and closed suburban, both types now being priced at $3,685.

Old-timers at automobile shows found a surprise awaiting them at the National booth, where a roomy five-passenger open car was displayed for $795. It is a six-cylinder car, and represents a distinct departure on the part of the National factory to enter the medium-priced six-cylinder class. The National in former years was known as a high-powered car in the $4,000 class. Its highest price for the seven-passenger touring car on the large chassis is $2,495.

The Cadillac display contains one new model, the landau sedan. Ornamental buggy bows fixed to the sides give it a smart appearance, and in the rear is a rack with a strong leather trunk.

In the Buick display are open and closed models of the new fours and sixes brought out last Fall in addition to one new feature, a sport roadster mounted on the four-cylinder chassis. Among the mechanical exhibitions one of the highly interesting is the Buick revolving chassis, which was just completed for the New York show. It is solidly affixed to upright frames, and it is easily turned by hand, so that close inspection of every part of the mechanism may be had.

The Marmon exhibit resembles a miniature closed car salon, with sedans of the four and seven passenger capacity and the latest Marmon model, the seven passenger convertible phaeton, designed to fulfill the needs of both a closed and open car.

The steel disc wheel equipment is very general. A large proportion of these are of the Tuarc disc wheel make, and among the cars so equipped are the Columbia, Cole, Buick, Essex, Gardner, Hudson, Packard, Reo, Rickenbacker, Paige, Oldsmobile, Jewett, Liberty, Oakland, and Westcott.

Of particular interest in the Nash exhibit of fours and sixes is the new four-cylinder sport model for five passengers.

For the first time in a national show a car made by Henry Ford is exhibited. This is the Lincoln, which was acquired by Mr. Ford early last year from the Leland interest. To refute rumors that price reductions on the Lincoln are contemplated it was stated that Mr. Ford has no intention of making price changes.

The Chalmers and Maxwell cars appear in very artistic body designs with improvements for greater room and comfort in the interior.

The 1923 Columbia touring model has a slightly larger body than the old type and the sedan body has been entirely redesigned.

In the Paige cars a new feature is an automatic take-up in a front and chain drive, eliminating all need for manual adjustment.

The newly designed Overland bodies attracted deserved attention and the larger Willys-Knight cars revealed many improvements.

The Westcott shows a new model known as the Westcott Closure, being a neat sedan with a low hung chassis effect, removing any suggestion of being topheavy. The attractive Kissel display shows a new custom-built phaeton.

The show will be closed today and will reopen tomorrow morning for the rest of the week, closing Saturday night.