MOTOR-CYCLING.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18526, 30 October 1925, Page 5

MOTOR-CYCLING.

NOTES. Sydney Bicycle and Motor-cycle Club Hill Climb—at Prospect, Saturday. October 10th. 1920. S'decar Class — Ist. H. Pilley on his Ilarley Davidson aiwl sidecar; "2nd and fastest time. J l .. Dark, cn his Harlev Davidson and sidecar. The I'ior.eer Sports Club will hold a combined reliability and social run 10-morrow through S'.imncr. Lytteltou. and Governor's Bay. to Dyer's Pass, finishing at the clubhouse. A stop will lxi r.mde at. the .Sign of the Kiwi lor afiernoun tea. Tin l event will be similar in nature to those previously hold over the same course, its easy conditions, making it popular with those •vho do nor desire to take part in the "tore difficult trials. . So far. about '2C entries have been received for the event.

Under the auspices cf the Ash burton Motor-cycle Club and Ashburton Amnteiir Swimming Club, a motor-cycle rodeo is to be held on the Ashburton Domain early nest month. The big event of the day will l>e a motor-cycle football match between Christchurch and Ashburton.

On half a pint of petrol, an Indian Prince travelled 171 mile-. and put u.o a new efficial economy record for West Australia in a. petrol consumption te.'.t held this month ,"t Perth, under the auspices of the Coastal Motor-cycle

'■lub. 'l'llis distance i> equivalent to --0 miles a. gallon. t.Yiuditinns lnicl down by the chili and supervision bv three leading officials ensured the accuracy nf the tost-. In the previous compel it ivo test, held by the Coastal C.'iub on Assist Ist, throe Prince innclimes filled first, second, and third places, with 23-">, and ISo miles to the gallon respectively.

CAR OF THE FUTURE

AN INTERESTING FORECAST,

Ono of America's leading auto- 1 mobile manufacturers has given his opinion of what tho motor-car of the future will be like. ''.First, you must boar in mind how rapidly we are building more and better roads, and how 'congestion and traffic problems are multiplying;. Thcra is no longer any reason why an automobile should take up the space used by 20 people to carry an average of three. Therefore, it is obvious that ears must grow smaller, shorter, lighter, and more economical of fuel and oil. Engines must become steadily smaller and more efficient. "What I am now going to say is in no sense a foreshadowing of our factory plans, lb is merely an attempt t> visualise the car that is to come in the nest five or ten years. Springs to be Eliminated. '•'l believe that springs will he eliminated, as also will bo the overhang of a. car front and rear.- , ' . ''There are two sources of riding comfort—natural and mechanical. Tho natural source is air, the mechanical is springs. Air is the proper cushion for an automobile, not springs. We have good roads that are growing better,! and balloon tyres. Why not centre our efforts for comfort in the balloon tyre? Why not make it bigger in cross-section and smaller in diameter? This would' mean away wit'i wheels, which would hecothe drums for the brakes. With the roads 'we will hare in five or ten years, road clearance of four inches or so will be sufficient, rnaking the small thick balloons practicable. Then the frame can be hung directly from the axles.

Body to Overhang Tyres. "The body pan be built out so as to overhang these small tyres; and the width of tra/ck can be narrowed to, sav, 40 to 46 inches, and still the car can carry as many passengers as the laryp cars of to-da.y. "The trend toward such ears, itseems to me, is natural, being forcei bv the logir; of events. Tho numtyr of cars operating over our roads is rapidly increasing. It is entirely possible that some day we may have ii> America as manv as 30,000,000 <ythem. This will mean more roads, increased property values, greater congestion in population centres, laryc; - consumption of petrol and. oil. Spa « and expense must be economised."