DIESEL CAR TESTED

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 147, 7 June 1932, Page 5

DIESEL CAR TESTED

The compression ignition engine is attracting more and more notice in motoring circles, and public attention was lately focussed on the successful development of that type of engine for motor vehicles by the meritorious performances of compression ignitionengined vehicles in the great British motor rally. An excellent idea of the progress which has been made is afforded in the account of a test of a Gard-ner-Bentley Diesel car, as reported in one of the leading British motor journals. It is stated that the engine used was a standard Gardner-Diesel as manufactured for use in motor bus chassis, and that such a unit was fitted to the passenger car in question rather to indicate its flexibility and good running qualities than with the idea of fostering an immediate conversion of passenger chassis to compression ignition engines.

In respect of flexibility, some astonishing figures are quoted. Acceleration from 10 to 30 m.p.h., using a top gear having a ratio of 3 to 1, took only 7 1-5 seconds. With a 4.36 to 1 third gear, the time was 6 3-5 seconds, and with a 6.25 to 1 second gear, 5 seconds. These results are of great significance in that one of the long standing obstacles to the adoption of the “C.I” engine in motor transport has been an inherent lack of flexibility, yet the performances referred to certainly rival those of a powerful, multi-cylinder petrql car.

The car, which weighs about two tons, was accelerated from 30 to 60 m.p.h. in 20 seconds, top gear only being used, and it is stated that the variation in engine revolutions within those limits was only from 950 to 1900 r.p.m.

It is not claimed that in all respects this “C. 1. engine is. in its present form, the equal of its petrol-driven rival, for, at low engine speeds, it was admitted that there was not the same smoothness of operation. The engine's quality of easy starting from cold is praised, and the only unfavourable criticisms, besides those

mentioned above, were that the engine made rather more noise than a petroldriven type, and that a “distinctive odour” was emitted from the exhaust. During the test under notice, a speed of 80 m.p.h. as reached at an engine speed of 2500 r.p.m. On a journey of 172 miles fuel consumption was only 30 m.p.g., and the total cost of the fuel used, based on its price in England, was less than 2/6.