[Frederick]

I'm sorry to differ Elhigh, France was the most advanced nation in the production of cars. Those were not of the Model A category.
Gabriel Voisin's, Bugatti's Delahayes, all aerodynamic to some degree, had exceptionnal road handling capabilities.
In 1927, my Reo Wolverine had a top speed of 35 miles an hour, any of the cars I just mentionned had the possibility of doing 120 miles an hour. With the suspension and road hugging to match.
European cars evolved by engineering. With all due respect, early American cars evolved from the buggies. Small modifications were made to become motorised vehicles. Later, with the realisation that Europe was so far ahead, manufacturers developped each componant to work with each other. Not singularly.
But....there were exceptions: In the beginning brakes could not handle the speed that the motor offered. Bugatti said, when criticised: I make my cars to run, not to stop! The suspension of Bentley was so bad that in an early race they were said to be the fastest truck there! Still, those early cars were thought out as an ensemble not as an assemblage of different componants.
As for the cushion effect, it was just a sales pitch to offer greater comfort on bad roads or simply the cobblestone streets that were everywhere.