MODERN MOTORING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 98, 28 April 1925, Page 13

MODERN MOTORING.

r A ROUND THE WORLD TRIP. The s-5- Maunganui. which arrived I from Sydney this morning, brought a | Buick car. which is being driven round j ♦he world. Each lap of the journey is' undertaken by the local agents. The route covered was eastward from Xew York, and included England, France, jvvpt, Palestine. Bombay. Calcutta and . across' Australia from Perth to Sydney. This afternoon the car \rill leave for >'apier in charge of one of Messrs. Gillet's staff. I THE 1925 GRAND PRIX. ! dominations for the classic road event of Franc* , , the Grand Prix, closed with eeventeen entries, comprising three Alfa-j Remeos (winner of last year's race), three Sunbeams. four Delages, five one Mathis. and one Thomas Special- N" American cars were nominated, but late entries could be made by payment of double fees up to March 20, go that American makers may yet be represented. Their appearance in the French classic would certainly add to the interest of the event. England won the race in 1923 and America in 1922. The 192.1 event is to be decided on July 26 on a circuit near Paris. There "will be little change in the cars compared with those of a year ago. Sunbeam is making use of the 1024 six-cylinder models with detail modifications, and the Alfa-Romeos will be the straight-eights which won at Lyons last year. Delage doubtU , ?* will run with his twelve-cylin-der model, greatly improved, and with a supercharger added. The Thomas Special is an eight-cylinder supercharged model of only 1000 c.c. While handicapped by reason of its reduced piston displacement, a car of this type, with such a driver at the wheel, ought to be able to make a very creditable display on such a difficult circuit as that being prepared at Montlhery. SOME NEW FEATURES OF AMERICAN CARS. A variety of new features introduced by American car manufacturers for the coming summer season in the Uuited States are discussed in the March number of the "American Motorist." One of the most -striking innovations is a mottled finish for the paint work. It is difficult to describe, except to say it has a very high lustre and a mottled or wave-like effect, in which a vast number of colours can be used. The cars at the New York Show were done in. scrambled shades, in which golds and browns and different grays predominated. The advantages are stated to be that the finish is exceedingly hard and Icannot be scratched in ordinary usage, j while at the same time it conceals dust | and dirt, an excellent feature in the j hands of the average careless owner. The general opinion, however, seems to be that this particular effort is a little ahead of the times. Those makers who are producing bodies of real grace and beauty are doing splendid business, and those who are sticking to more or less old-fashioned ideas in car design or newer ideas which are not in eccord with the power and speed of a motor vehicle are not co happy. The excellent body lines and features are stated to be a greater selling factor with many makes than mechanical, excellence. I The two-door five-passenger sedan is ■ increasing , in public favour in spite of the slight disadvantage of tipping the front seat in order to reach the rear, j Practically all the manufacturers are building this type of car, usually at a ] lower price than their other sedans, and i in some cases it is the most commercially j successful car in the entire line. * | In spite of the prognostications that' open cars are rapidly disappearing, there : has been a great rush thi-s year toward the production of sport roadsters, even conservative companies having introduced very attractive and brilliantly finished j models of this type. The greatest variety! of design and fitment was revealed in ] the rumble, or dicky, seats, with which j practically all of the roadsters are' supplied, but there seems great unanimity' among the makers in the selection of j two-toned colour schemes for roadsters, j in grays, tans, and greens. j Ventilating eaves are an interesting' new feature. These are devices which! may be applied to any oar, and provide ' ventilation in enclosed models without j interfering with vision or comfort. The j cave opens at the top of the glass I panels on the lines of those in railway carriage windows. Great progress has been made in the new models in the elimination of die- j' agreeable vibration from the engine, i This has been accomplished in different! ways. In one instance a small fly-wheel j ha-s been added on to the front "end of the engine as a vibration dampener. Practically all of our enclosed cars are now equipped with sun visors, which | were used in only occasional machines a i couple of years ago. There is great ; variety in these sun-shades, the most! practical and useful being those which are adjustable. They are made of glass, metal, or leather fabric. One of the best! was brought over from England, and is ] made of very tough dark purple glass, j which effectually shield-s the eyes Horn j glare, but is translucent enough to allow! uninterrupted vision through it. One interesting feature is the threeway rear lamp, which provides a tail-; light, a stop-light, and a brilliant search-1 light for use in backing at night. I One touring car has a most interest- j ing type of windshield wing. They! *re built in and swing with the doors.' The side curtains may be attached to' them so that, when "all the curtains are ' up, there are small windows at either j side and the driver's vision is not shut' off as it is with rhe ordinary form of curtains. There is a very interesting feature on another make. It is a wooden rim, which runs around the entire steering 1 wheel just inside its inner circumference '• and serves a double purpose. When it I is pressed it operates the warningsignal. When it is raised it dims the! headlights. You can operate the head-j lights on this car instantly without' removing either hand from the wheel which is a long step in the direction. On a number of more modern cars the headlight controls are placed on or near the steering wheel, and it is expected that within a short time all cars will be so arranged. Cooking the dinner en route on a tour is an idea to which a Pennsylvanian lady, Miss Mabel Snyder, has given effect on her car. A* cleverly demised cooker is located under the hood on the exhaust manifold. In this cooker there j are four metal containers, in which a | roast and several kinds of vegetables' can be cooked while the car is under! way. On the opposite side of the hood i is a refrigerator in which milk, eggs, and j other perishable foods are carried. This ear, too. has at radio set, not to mention containers for fresh drinking water, an auxilary gasoline tank, and a large trunk in the rear in which are stored ■ clothing and a complete camping outfit,! including tent, table, folding chairs, table linen, silverware, and so on. j