MODERN MOTORING

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 44, 22 February 1927, Page 12

MODERN MOTORING

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LIGHTING-UP TIMES. To-day 7-i2 P-m. Wednesday 7.10 p.m. Thursday 7.09. p.m. Friday 7.08 p.m. Saturday 7.06 p.m. Sunday 7.05 p.m. Monday 7.04 p.m. DRIVERS SHOULD CONSIDER OTHERS. Trying to steal a few feet of spai instead of remaining in the propi position not only annoys and incoi veniences other folks, but is dangerou Don't try to hog the road. Otlft motorists have just as much right I Ij our streets and highways as you. Place your car so that it will n< I obstruct pedestrian traffic at street ii tersections. Don't make people wal around your machine. MOTOR TO HEALTH. Sunshine and fresh air are the ant dote for the great majority of hunia ills, say modern medical experts. Ne , Zealand beneficiently provides thos two important essentials to health, an for the city man, there only remain the question of how best to take at: vantage of them. Glance through the motor advertise ments in this paper, and the questio is answered. Even the low-salaried ma will find it cheaper to buy a car tha pay doctor's bills. And it's much mor pleasant motoring to health and happi ness than \>y taking a spell in hospita SOMETHING LIKE A COMPLIMENI A good motoring story is told in ; contemporary which is worthy of repeti tion here. A motorist travelling i: Jreland encountered a man who wa Staggering about in the middle of tin road. . "Will you give me a lift, your honour to Ballymartin" he asked. The man was obviously drunk, and thi motorist did not like to leave him when he was in such a condition. He was helped into the car with difficulty, anc the driver proceeded to point out tin great danger of being in the middle oi the road in such a state. The passen ger was quite unimpressed, merely re marking that there were few motorists in those parts, and that it must hav< been the good God himself who sent tin motorist to his assistance. The driver was very glad when at lasi Ballymartin was reached. In spite ol his assistance the Irishman fell out on tc the road. Recumbent, he voiced his thanks with garrulous and drunken verbosity, ending up with: "Your honour is a real gentleman by Gad! and I'd say the same if I was sober!" NATIONAL PREFERENCES IN CAK DESIGN. Valuable data setting out the preferences of car-buying nations for various items of car design has been newlv _ issued officially by the Automotive Division of the Commerce Department of the United States. Extracts show that in 45 countries the rule of the road is to the left and not to the right, as is the American practice. Among the 45 countries are Australia, Britain, Ireland. Austria Argentine and Uruguay. These countries demand cars fitted with right-hand drive. The magneto system of ignition is favoured m 19 out of 23 European countries, in 10 out of 14 Asiatic countries, and in one half of the countries of bouth America. The United States and Canada prefer the battery system lhe metric system of measurement is almost universal in Europe, and cars intended for sale there must be equipped with kilometre calibrated speedometers This applies also throughout bouth America. In the British Empire however, speedometers are required ' calibrated in miles. In all metric-using countries petrol gauges must similarly be marked in level, of litres, but in Imperial gallons for British Empire markets. A phenomena is that similar conditions—narrow streets and congested traffic— make bumper bars essential in Luba and almost prohibited in London Indi*. is a particularly big market for bumper bars They are used there to protect cars from stray or hostile cattle. IN FAVOUR OF PILLION RIDING. A meeting of motor cyclists and their supporters, held in Wellington last week, put forward several arguments in favour of pillion riding. The first ! motion was as follows: "That this public meeting of motor cyclists, and those interested in motor cycling, records its protest against any action being taken which will ma k e illegal the practice of pillion riding • that is, carrying one passenger on the rear of a motor cycle in addition to the driver." This was the text of a motion unanimously carried at a meeting of some five hundred motor cyclists" last night, when, in addition, five correlative motions were also carried without a dissentient. The meeting was opened by Mr. L. A. Edwards. "About four years ago," he said, "we had opposition to pillion riding, and there did not seem to be one tittle of evidence as to why any authorities should state that pillionriding in itself was dangerous. In fact, all the evidence was to the contary. Wβ had a large meeting four years ago, and in no uncertain voice we stated that pillion-riding was not only safe, but really safer than solo riding. We produced evidence, and eventually waited upon the Wellington City Council; we prevailed inasmuch as the threatened legislation was not brought down." Mr. Edwards referred to remarks occasionally passed by magistrates in regard to the practice of pillion-riding. "Unfortunately," he said, "Magistates have stated from time to time that pillion-riding should be suppressed. Now, magistrates are not, as a rule, pillion riders." (Laughter and applause.) "They have proceeded not only with want of knowledge of the subject that they discuss, and of the practice that they condemn, but thev have also proceeded in what is contrary to the rules of British justice—pre-judg-ing the case, and having no evidence that pillion-riding is dangerous." Mr. J. F. Cousins, representing the Motor Trade Association of New Zealand, gave evidence going to prove that pillion-riding was a safe form of transport. In addition, seven motor cyclists, I each of whom claimed to have had long experience of motor cycling and of pillion ridrng, expressed the view that the latter practice was not only safe, but safer than solo riding. At the conclusion of the%vidence, the motion quoted above was unanimously carried amidst great applause. J

LURE OF HIGH SPEED. Major H. O. D. Segrave recently attempted to reach a speed of 200 miles an hour in his new 1000-h.p. Sunbeam car. Captain Malcolm Campbell also attempted to reach a speed of ISO miles an ur, or three miles a minute, in his new 450-h.p. Napier Campbell car. The most insistent question both drivers were asked after the announcement of their attacks on the records was: "Why do you do it?" It is a reasonable question. Such delirious speeds can only be achieved at great risks. And if the driver is successful, does the achievement add anything to the sum total of human knowledge or benefit the world? With Cap't. Campbell high-speed motoring has always been n hobby. As a youngster he was left a legacy*which, if he so desired, made it unnecessary for him to earn a living. He entered the motoring business because he loved motor cars. There is no pecuniary gain for him in the present venture. In fact, he is already about £5000 out of pocket, and even if he is successful he cannot expect to recoup himself. Having done its job, the car will be a white elephant—unless for other purposes. His minute or so of thrills while he makes the attempt will have cost him the greater part of the £.".000. He is making the attempt, so he says, just because he has always had an ambition to travel at three miles a minute. Major Segrave, an old Etonian and still in the twenties, is influenced much in the same way. The racing side of motoring is his hobby and not a means of livelihood. His actual occupation is technical adviser to a great firm of car makers. His reasons for risking such an adventure are quite logical. "Why does one try to run the 100 yards faster than another?" he asks. "And, having done so, does the world at larsre benefit? "Even if our endeavours do not help the development of motor cars, which I do not admit, they are surely reasonable." The car and accessory manufacturers admit quite frankly that they encourage such achievements for publicity. To the ordinary car owner, chugging along the road at a modest 30 miles an hour, the fact that his tyres and other components of his motor car have been bred from materials that have stood up to the terrific gruelling of such high 6peeds cannot fail to imbue him with a certain amount of confidence. In their attempts to build these giants, often at great cost, the makers learn many things about metal strains and stresses and other problems which do not occur when a car is built for normal uses. .Recently one firm expended £20,000 to build a car for record-breaking events. And the benefits they derive from these lessons are passed on to us in the shape of better and safer motor cars. GIANT RACING CAR NEARLY LOST IN QUICKSANDS. Only frantic efforts by fifty volunteers, combined with the help of a motor lorry, saved Captain Malcolm Campbell's new giant 450-h.p. racing motor car from being swallowed ,up by, the sands at Pendine, Carmarthenshire, last month. The monster wat sinking fast, and in another minute it would have been submerged beyond recovery. In answer to cries for help from its owner and mechanic, people rushed from all parts to its assistance. It was during preparations for the attempt to attain a speed of 180 miles an hour that the mishap occurred. The car vas towed on to the sands behind a lorry, and in preparation for a preliminary trial had run on to planks. The sand here varies from day to day. This day it Was in its most dangerous mood. The engine was started up, there was a loud roar, the driver let in the clutch, the monster staggered forward, lurched off the planks and came to a standstill. Immediately it began to sink. Captain Campbell jumped out of his seat nd six mechanics' rushed forward. A lorry in attendance dashed up and the tow lines Mere run out and attached,

but the lorry, before it could be started, also began to sink into the sand. It was then that Captain Campbell and the mechanics sent out their S.O.S. for help. The spectators rushed up and soon you could not see the car, which was completely enveloped by willing helpers. Subsequently it was found possible to place planks under the lorry. The £5000 motor car wae by then sinking fast. The sand was up to the car's side hassis members. The lorry was started. "Heave!" shouted Captain Campbell, and the lorry and 50 strong men and women did their best. With a sucking noise the three tons of machinery was raised a few inches, and then the monster ponderously settled down. "Heave again!" shouted Captain Campbell. This time, with great effort, the motor car wa* lifted out of the quicksand. The planks were placed underneath it, and later it was towed to the garage. In another minute said Captain Campbell, it would have been gone. The relief was immense, for the car incorporates all the latest ideas of mechanical ingenuity which are being tested. The trouble which caused the car to stop was traced to the gear-box mechanism, and the mechanics worked throughout the night to repair the trouble in time for the next day's attempt. During the past year several motor cars have been completely submerged in the sand at Pendine and at Southport. Lancashire.