CAR OF TO-MORROW

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 23, 28 January 1928, Page 18

CAR OF TO-MORROW

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE Front wheel drive is attracting attention both in America and Europe, having received a good deal of advertisement from the exploits of some speedy cars of this description in America, where they have won several of the most important events during the past three years. These cars have demonstrated that they are as fast as the best of the more conventional type of cars over the prolonged distances of the great American races. Mr. Henry Sturmey, one of England's best-known engineers . and writers on technical motoring subjects, considers that, it having been proved possible to drive, steer, and brake on the front wheels, developments in this direction will come Tapidly, and that front wheel drive will become widely popular. Points in its favour, to which he dir-

ects attention, arc comfort and the degree to which it will prevent skidding on the modern type of smooth roads, which English motorists find very treacherous when wet, making the car a great deal safer to drive. Ho emphasises that with the present type of drive, the tendency of tho back wheels is to push past tho front ones as soon as they deviate from the direct line of running, and this would be entirely obviated when the back wheels were pulled along by, instead of pushing, xhe front. The performance of a front wheel drive in a novel race at Brooklands last year, in which acute turns were deliberately introduced into each lap, suggested that the car of this type wa- superior to others in this respect. Other points on which Mr. Sturmey expects interesting developments are in the direction of independent springing or suspension of each wheel, removing the present necessity of each pair of wheels working in unison,'thus making the effects of inequalities i the road surface felt simultaneously. He is favourably impressed by a pneumatic suspension, which has been taken up by the Westinghouse Brake Co. Mr. Sturmey anticipates that the. car of the future will have front wheel drive, independently air-sprung wheels, and will not only be comfortable beyond present greatest knowledge, but also much safer ti> drive than cars of the presentday type.