THE BLUE BIRD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 24 March 1928, Page 15

THE BLUE BIRD.

MALCOLM CAMPBELL’S CAE

MECHANICAL DETAILS

A full description of Malcolm Camp bell’s world’s record-breaking -Napier Campbell car, the Blue Bird, is contained in the latest “Autocar” to hand Summed up, it estates, the ear is a blend to a degree hitherto unknown to automobile and aeroplane practice, notably in the provision of a tail fin to give directional stability. The car has an immensely stiff frame, a special rear axle, a front axle with adjustment for castor and solid row of big shock-absorbers, and the gearbox is of a special epieyclie type designed by Joseph Mama, so arranged that the'trains of gears are positively locked when in operation. This feature is considered the most interesting mechanically of the who>e chassis. The Napier Lion engine is of the-.broad arrow type, with three banks of four cylinders, and has been converted to the same type as that successfully used in the winning aeroplane in the Schneider Cup. „ The compression has been raised materially, and the engine is more compact. Its more rigid crankcase makes it smoother at full throttle than previously. The three carburettors are placed in a more accessible position. To ensure a faster start the first gear ratio lias been altered.

The body, however, attracts the most interest. A side view shows this to resemble a fish in some respects, but with an immense tail. The body was specially designed after wind-tunnel experiments had been carried out to make the car run straight at over 200 miles an hour, and at the same time keep a firm grip on the sand. In place of the radiator there is a blunt nose, the bonnet, nose, and under-screen blending into an oval-section streamline, tapering away to a pointed tail,, and the driver’s head, which, of course, pi'ojects above the bod 3’, is separately streamlined by a tapered swelling rising above the body at the rear of his seat. As a protection against the wind blast, there is a dash bulkhead and a windscreen. On the tail of the car, rising high in the air, is a triangular fin, like the upper part of a shark’s tail, which prevents the ear from deviating from its course or developing tail wag, while the body form tends to press the car down to the ground when it is at full speed. Streamline sections are carried fore and aft of the wheels, which are in the open, and the most curious sight of all is that of the two blocks of radiator on either side of the fin astern of the driver, which position proved the most efficient in the experiments carried out in a wind tunnel at Vickers’s experimental shop. There are two separate steering gears with a drop arm on either side 01 the frame.

SPARK GAP SPACES. A service engineer with 26 years’ experience, and in constant contact with many makes of car, says that one becomes daily more surprised at the constant magneto troubles and defective running of engines, as well as bad starting, which is due to the gap adjustment of sparking plugs. Tlie correct setting is' 10-IOOOin (ten one-thousands of an inch) thickness, and should not, in any instance, exceed 12-1000 in. Where coil ignition is used 25-1000 in maximum should be given. Any increase on these distances puts an overload on the secondary windings and results in breakdowns of insulation. It cannot be emphasised- too strongly that the larger gaps used in the past will' not suit the present-day high-speed engines in small cars. Another fallacy is that when an ■owner purchases a set of plugs he assumes that the gaps are correct. This is- entirely erroneous. In all cases, new or otherwise, plugs should be cor rectiv and carefully set.