CARS’ SEVERE TRIALS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 124, 11 May 1935, Page 11

CARS’ SEVERE TRIALS

Tests at Chicago World Fair

PLYMOUTH'S GREAT SHOWING

The following letter was received by Todd Motors, Ltd., from Mr J. R. McKenzie on his return to New Zealand from a visit to America, during which time he purchased two Airflow cars, a de Soto and a. Chrysler:— “When writing to let you know how pleased I was with the Airflow car, 1 omitted to mention to you that when I was at the World's Fair in Chicago I «aw the most wonderful and severe test that I should say a motor-car has put to. In fact, I never one moment that a car could possibly stand up to such a gruelling test. “The Chrysler Corporation had a half-mde track built behind their wonderful exhibit at the fair. They had one of America’s famous track drivers driving a Plymouth car around this track at a very fast speed and on one side of the straight ho ran up an almost perpendicular wooden wall. On the other side they had a sharp hill built in the shape of a camel’s hump and it would make one’s hair stand on end to see him drive over this at a fast speed. But the real thrill was io come. Two dare-devil drivers, each with separate ears, came out to drive over the centre of this track, which looked like a battlefield with holes, ditches, trenches, etc. and other portions somewhat like a ploughed field. These two drivers started around (the track, and

when they got up a high speed they turned acrovc the centre. _ These cars,' at times leapt four feet into tho air, all wheels off tho ground. Then the front wheels would dip and when they struck tho ground one expected a terrible smash, but to my surprise not a string was broken. 'They brought these cars back and dashed at other ditchce and time after time they would repeat this. At times these cars plunged forward 20 feet or more, all wheels off the ground and at a terrific pace. After this test I should think it would be almost impossible to break a shackle or spring in a Plymouth car.

“Then one of these dare-devils started around the track at about 50 miles an hour. When he got into the straight he swerved off the track into the centre, the car rolled over and landed on its hood, then over on to its wheels; the driver drove off amid the cheers of 5000 people. Then lie drove tho car close up io the grandstand and had a baseball player stand a few feet away who tried to throw a baseball through the side glass-window—the glass cracked into hundreds of pieces, but. being unsbatterable glass remained intact. I thought so much of this wonderful test, which was repeated each half-hour with the same cars, that I thought. I would like to try and describe it to you.”

In another letter to hand from Air McKenzie, describing his trip through America, he stated that, with the de Soto, driving from Chicago to San Francisco, he averaged 24) miles to the Imperial gallon, notwithstanding tho fact that In l drove the car most of the way 50 Io 60 miles an hour, ami on many occasions, faster. This is authoritative evidence of the economy of the de Soto over a long trip, including climbing the Rocky Mountains, the road over which ascends to the height of 8000 feet.