CAR OF THE FUTURE

Evening Star, Issue 22573, 15 February 1937, Page 15

CAR OF THE FUTURE

NOTED DESIGNER'S IDEAS Captain J. S. Irving, designer of the late Sir Henry Seagrave’s one-time world record-holder. Golden Arrow, and president of the British Institution of Automobile Engineers, in his presidential address, outlined his ideas of the car of the future, and as they have been endorsed by well-known manufacturers in the shape of patents lodged, and articles in the technical

Press, they are worth discussing as an indication of the lines on which motor car engineers are working. It has been obvious for a long while that within a few years motor car design will bo revolutionised, and it seems certain that many cars will possess the characteristics of Captain Irving’s hypothetical vehicle. In las address, he began by expressing the opinion that speeds of 75 to 100 miles per hour would be normal rates of travel. It would bo comparatively simple even to-day to build touring cars capable of these speeds, ho said It was only tho absence of scientifically designed highways on which such speeds would bo safe that was preventing manufacturers Irom building them. NON-DAZZLE LIGHTING.'' Referring to the necessity of specially designed l motor roads, Captau. Irving suggested that they should be specially lit by non-dazzling lights, which would not cast alternate patches of light and shade. On highways illuminated in this manner, he said, headlights on cars would not be necessary; and the dazzle problem would ■disappear. At the high speeds at which cars would travel a power output ot 90-100 b.h.p. at normal cruising speed would! bo necessary. Naturally, said Captain Irving, a car designed for travelling so fast would have to be different from the types in use to-day. To. make it safe for the average good driver it would be necessary to give it superlative road-hold-ing" qualities and absolute certainty of control. These requirements meant that the design of the car would have to bo attacked from new angles. Good streamlining would be an essential, and obtaining this it would be necessary to place the engine at the Pear, so that' the widest portion of the car would) be at the front, and the tail would taper off to the rear around the engine. Blitting the engine in this new position, he said, would require close study of weight distribution to

WILLYS FOR 1937. The 1937 Willys is certainly ah outstanding car and is aptly termed the surprise car of tho year. The roominess is amazing, not only for passengers, being a six-seater, but in the luggage compartment and the two dash compartments. Not only is safety glass standard throughout, but so sensible is the design that tho windows aro all standard and interchangeable. There is no trace of angularity, and every portion of tho exterior is a part of a series of perfectlyblended curves which lend distinction and give better streamlining. It combines, with very low cost and upkeep, a bcaiitifully ultra-modern appearance, full-sized bodies, speedy touring comfort, and unsurpassed reliability. Its all-steel body with steel roof, standard tread, very low centre of gravity, largo braking area per pound of car weight, fender lights which -reduce side-swiping, and four doors for emergency exit, make a wonderfully safe car. The riding comfort is considerably increased by the introduction of 16 x 5.50 ribbed air wheel tyres and the lengthening of the front springs by three inches, largo double hydraulic shock absorbers being standard equipment. Gear changing is' simplicity itself on account of the Warner Gear Company transmission synchromesh type. Tho four-cylinder engine as perfected in the 1937 Willys is a totally different powered unit to the one used when four-cylinder engines powered many other makes of cars. While other companies diverted their research to sixes and eights, W'illys continued improving with four, and particularly since tho advent of rubber mountings has the Willys Four been improved to tho point that even competition praises its performance. It is interesting to note that for four years in sue-, cession—l 933, 1934, 1935, and 193G —tho premier racing event of America at Indianapolis has been won by cars powered with four-cylinder engines. Tho 1937 WILLYS provides every improvement that motorists in New Zealand have been hoping f0r.—[15237].

obtain stability on the road, but such problems should not be impossible to solve, and the rear cngine_ position, besides making good streamlining possible, should greatly improve the comfort of the passengers. LONGER WHEELBASE. To obtain good streamlining, Captain Irving added, a longer wheelbase than was usual to-day would be necessary, and to balance this, the wheel track would have to be widened. A reasonably streamlined body would require a length-width ratio of about four to o.ne, and as the minimum width required to scat three people abreast was about lift, the body length would probably be in the neighbourhood' of 20ft. In such a car as he visualised, Captain Irving Stated, independent wheel suspension with the minimum unsprung weight would l be essential as the only means of obtaining the necessary wheel adhesion on the road. Apart from unsprung weight, the weight of the complete vehicle would have to be kept as low a possible, but the whole _ structure, except the wheels and their springs, would have to be rigid. To acliieve rigidity with lightness Captain Irving advocates a steel girder body framing, which also would' serve as the chassis frame in the manner of several of the more advanced 1936-37 models, and to this the body panels would l be welded and points of attachment provided for engine, transmission, wheels, and springs. Concluding his address. Captain Irving forestalled criticism of the startling high speeds he predicted by pointing out that on properly designed highways with “ clovcrleaf ” inter-

sections and overhead bridges, emergency conditions would seldom arise, and once motorists accustomed themselves to the higher speeds, the strain of driving would probably be far less than it is to-day at 40-50 miles per hour.