"SHERBOURNE" TEN'S FEATURES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 July 1936, Page 3

"SHERBOURNE" TEN'S FEATURES.

OVER FORTY MILES PER GALLON. Further proof that British cars continue to challenge the motoring world is provided by Austin’s new “Sherbourne” ten. A close examination of this car made during a test run of nearly 90 miles, showed conclusively that the “Sherbourne” represents a big forward step in the conception of medium-sized-car comfort, plus an economy of petrol consumption that one would only expect in the true “baby” car class.

In the new “Sherbourne” saloon, the qualities of appearance and court on. are equally in evidence. Certainly its new design will arouse much interest, as it marks a departure from the lines hitherto associated with Austin products. This departure is mainly noticeable in the modelling of the rear of the car. The front reveals/ but little change from the well-known Austin style, but rearward from the windscreen the established Hue has been, merged into a new and sustained sweep, running without interruption from the toof to the extreme tail of the body, in accord with modern conceptions of streamlining. The use of this sweeping line to the rear has enabled an extra window to be incorporated on each side, so that the body becomes a sixwindow saloon —the first to be officially listed by the Austin Company on the Ten-Four chassis.

The interior appointments are well thought out, the rear scat being flanked by convenient arm rests, which add considerably to its comfort. Roominess has not been sacrificed in any vital aspect. The head room .over the rear seat is exactly the same as in the earlier Lichfield saloon, while the ample headroom over the front seats is only half-an-inch less than hitherto. Today vith so manv traffic signals to watch when motoring, vision is of first importance. The forward view in the Sherbourne saloon is exceptionally good, and the full width of the car can bo really kept within the driver’s field of vision. Side vision is also good. A burst of speed in the very practical third gear clocked 41 miles per hour, but the new engine had a tendency to stiffen from the piston expansion when driven hard up the hij 1 in this gear. The test truly vindicated the maker’s claims for petrol performance. The test recorded the splendid mileage of 42 3/10 miles, per gallon. A test of the braking performance on the bitumen surfaced road, showed that the ear could he brought to a standstill from 30 miles per hour with moderate pressure on the brake pedal within a distance of 34 feet. Using only the hand brake at 25 miles per hour, the car stopped after travelling 28ft. fiins. Incidentally, the ear is named the “Sherbourne” saloon, after the town of that name near Birmingham, in England.

Because of stiffness, due to newness, it was not considered practical to pus.i the maximum speed over 55 miles per hour, though this speed w r as quickly and easily reached on a short stretch of normal road through rolling country. From a standing start, using second third and top gears a speed of 30 miles per hour was reached in 13 2/5 seconds, while the time was slightly lower when all four gears were used. A test of the top gear performance showed good, quick “pick-up” for a very new car, from 10 to 20 miles per hour being reached in 12 2/5 seconds.