MOTOR RELIABILITY TRIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15257, 18 March 1910, Page 3

MOTOR RELIABILITY TRIAL.

AKAROA AND GOVERNOR’S BAY,

STIFF GRADES AND ROUGH ROADS.

The sou’-westerly drizzle of rain which, ushered in the day yesterday, while it promised to make the Canterbury Automobile Society’s reliability trial for touring cars a satisfactorily stiff test of the cars entered, also threatened to make tho day’s outing anything but a pleasant one for those engaged in it. The prospect of having to face heavy muddy roads and greasy, slippery hills was not an alluring one for tho drivers, and it was not altogether surprising that six out of tho sixteen cars entered for the trial did not leave Christchurch. Of the ten cars which did start, the first to get away was Miss Colthart’s 11 h.p. Cadillac, the “baby” of the trial, which left the starting-point, opposite tho Occidental Hotel punctually at 8.30 a.m. It was followed at nine o’clock by Messrs Adams Limited’s 24 h.p. Talbot, and at short intervals the remaining cars were dispatched in the following order: —Messrs W. B. Scott and Co.’s 24 h.p. Vauxhall, Captain M’Lean's 20 h.p. Cadillac, Mr J. A. Brown’s 24 h.p. Talbot, Dr Louisson’s 23 h.p. Siddeley, Mr F. W. Johnston’s 22 h.p. Talbot, Messrs Adams Limited’s 24 h.p. and 20 h.p. Talbots, and Dr Simpson’s Clement-Bayard. By tho courtesy of Messrs W. B. Scott and Co. a “Lyttelton Times” reporter was given a soat in the Vauxhall car, and was thus able to observe something of the progress of the trial. On the journey out a speed of about nineteen miles ail hour was maintained, a brief stop being made at the Riccarton weighbridge, where each car with its occupants was weighed, so that tho petrol consumption could later bo set out in terms of “ton-miles.” The conditions of the trial made it practically a non-stop run, pure and simple, as tho factor of petrol consumption was only to bo taken into account in the case of two cars being equal on other marks. The minimum time for the journey was about six hours and a half, exclusive of a luncheon stop at Akaroa of nearly two hours.

Tho rain, fortunately for tho comfort of the occupants of the cars, ceased at about ten o’clock, and when the cars got into the vicinity of Motiikarara it was found that there had scarcely been any rain thero at all. Ascending the long hill at Little River, however, it was found that sufficient rain had fallen on the higher levels to make the roadway somewhat heavy, and in places greasy. Some of the hills, ’ notably that at* Barry's Bay, have very steep pinches in them, and it was necessary to “ speed up ” considerably at the approach to these bills to gain the necessary impetus to tackle the gradient. Tho cars all arrived at Akaroa within approximately tho correct schedule time, the Vauxhall being the first arrival, followed a second or two later by the leading- Talbot, which had taken a semowhat longer route to the terminus of the run. Tlio cars were ranged up outside the Bruce Hotel, and all tho occupans of the cars, save the observers, were free to devote themselves to luncheon at any hotel they chose. The observers, by tho conditions of the trial were not allowed to leave the cars to which they were appointed, and had to eat their lunches in the cars. Tho route ol the return journey lay through Governor's Bay and * over Dyer's Pass, and was almost wholly over hill country. The roads were heavy with tho reoent rain, and sideslips at the sharp turns of the road were experienced by many of the competitors. Before Gebbie’s Valley was readied tho \ auxhall car, which had started first of tho largo cars after lunch, was overtaken by a Talbot driven by Mr Collins and by Dr Simpson’s Clement-Bayard. The Talbot kept up a fair speed over both hill and flat country, but both it and the Clement Bayard were overhauled by the Vauxhall during the latter part of tho ascent to tho summit of Dyer’s Pass. The Vauxhall had half an hour of its time unexpended when the summit of the pass was reached, and the journey down to the plains again was taken at a very modorate pace by all the Competitors. The Vauxhall was the first car to roach King Edward Barracks where the petrol consumption had to he gauged, and was followed at short intervals by Mr H. Adams’s Talbot/Dr Louisson’s Siddeley, Captain M’Loan’s Cadillac and Mr Brown’s Talbot, in that order. The other ears arrived within a very short poriod afterwards, with the exception of the small Cadillac, which had a longer time-allowance for the journey.

On comparing notes as to the fortunes of the day it was found that Air H. Adams’s Talbot, tho Talbot driven by Mr Collins, Dr Louisson’s Siddeley and the Vauxhall had had nonstop runs. Mr Johnston’s Talbot lost ten seconds, ns the result of missing gears on a hill, Mr Brown’s Talbot lost twenty seconds through “ losing the engine,” and Captain Al’Lean’s Cadillac lost a couple of seconds through carburettor troubles. The most unlucky car of the dav was that numbered “ 13,” Messrs Adams and Co.’s Talbot driven by Mr Kerr. At tho top of tho Dyer’s Pass Road, during the descent into town, tho petrol pipe of this car broke short off, and as a temporary mako-shift rubber tube bad to be held in placo by one of tho occupants of the car, this caused a considerable loss of time, and incidentally of marks, and as tho rubbor tube was not exactly an ideal nonduii for petrol it meant also the loss of petrol. Tho roads throughout tho day wero fairly free from traffic, but flocks of sheep were occasionally mot with, and caused considerable trouble to the car-

drivers. No occupant of the car was allowed to leave it while tho car was under power, and it was hard to induce the sheep to leave a path clear for the motor.

The official results of the trial will bo made public at an early date, the work of tabulating the performance of each car being somewhat complicated.