SUPERCHARGER USES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 February 1929, Page 12

SUPERCHARGER USES.

| NOT FOR RACING- CARS ALONE. When some two years ago a wellknown oontinental manufacturer of large cars placed] on the market a j standard supercharged model a- mild sensation was caused, and the 'bulk of motorists regarded the move as a daring one. The supercharger had, of course, proved its merit as a means of boosting a racing car to obtain those few extra miles per hour which make all the difference between victory and ■ defeat, but the common feeling was that a supercharged car was of very doubtful reliability and liable to fail after prolonged use. The possibilities, therefore, of supercharged models for road work, in the hands of ordinary motorists, seemed very problematical. Designers have forged ahead since that time, however, and now quite a number of cars of all sizes can be obtained in supercharged form. Light car manufacturers have not lagged be- j hind in these developments, and the i •enthusiast lias 'more than ai dozen makes with forced induction from which to choose. In some cases a supercharged engine takes a definite place in the maker’s programme, in others it can either be fitted to the standard sports model at an extra cost, or is actually listed in the form of a ■ special model which can be obtained by those who desire it. I So far the supercharger has been ap- , plied to light oars only in their -sporting guise, and this, of course, is to be expected. After all, the principle is still comparatively in its infancy, and, having been developed from racing, it is only natural that supercharging, should find its way first to sports cars. It -seems possible that the next few j years will see forced induction applied i to models which have no pretension to j the term "sporting.” and it is inter-' esting to note in this connection that i the possibilities of superchargers for ' motor coaches arc now receiving the attention of prominent men associated with this branch of motor transport.