ROOMY SMALL CAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 111, 13 May 1939, Page 28

ROOMY SMALL CAR

A NEW AUSTIN PRODUCT

A new Austin Eight marks great advances in the small car field. It appears in several forms, two-door and four-door saloons, and two-seater and four-seater open models. The saloons provide remarkably roomy accommodation for four adult passengers, with separate front seats and a wide and deep rear seat. Head and leg room are ample, and the driving position, with the wellraked column, is notable for its degree of control and visibility. Large-dial instruments are grouped in front of the driver, toughened glass is ' used throughout, and luggage accommodation, with a capacity of 6 cubic feet in j the boot and 2cwt on the platform, is most generous. The bodywork of all models is of pressed steel welded construction, giving flowing lines and generous strength with the minimum of weight. The panels are sound insulated and the sliding roof is flush fitting. The chassis incorporates box section cross-members and a central transmission tunnel, and has diagonal front bracings to resist any wringing stresses. The power unit is a 900 c.c. fourcylinder side-valve engine of 56.77 mm. bore and 89 mm. stroke, rated at 7-99 h.p., and developing 27 b.h.p. at 4400 r.p.m. The crankshaft, which, is of large diameter and exceptionally rigid, is carried in three bi-metal bearings as is the roller-chain driven camshaft. The side-valves are inclined, to give a compact and highly efficient combustion chamber. A down-draught carburettor is fed by a pump from a 6-gallon rear tank. Ignition is by "coil with automatic advance, and cooling by thermo-syphon. The engine is three-point mounted on rubber. A one-piece bonnet allows a complete overhead access to the power unit. The transmission is through a singleplate clutch with spring drive to a fourspeed synchromesh gearbox. The rear j axle is three-quarter floating, with spiral bevel drive. ' Semi-elliptic springing of low period-. I icity at front and rear, designed to bi? j ; flat and laterally rigid under normal loads, gives easy riding and stability. The springs are anchored on silentbloc bushes, and are controlled by pistontype hydraulic shock absorbers. Girling brakes are employed with automatic compensation as between front and rear. The electrical system is 6-volt, with the battery accessibly mounted under the scuttle. With a wheelbase and track of 7ft 4Jin and 3ft 9in respectively, and an overall length of 12ft sin. the car is one of the largest of its type. Equipment is generous, including foot-operated dip-and-switch headlamps, electric horn, electric windscreen wiper, automatic return direction indicators, combined stop-and-tail light, illuminated large-dial instruments, and generous body appointments.