GREAT MOTOR EXHIBITION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12818, 18 March 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

GREAT MOTOR EXHIBITION.

OPENED .BY-. THE PRINCE OF WALES t"'''' NOVELTIES'' bN.VtPBEELsfv* • " . ' NOVELTIES OX WHEELS! London', February" 11.—The Prince and ' Princess of; Wales visited the; third Inter- J national. Motor Exhibition formally open. ■•'- ed at Olympia, yesterday.

The significance of. the great exhibition. representing as it does but a suggestion of I the part which the motor cai is destined to play in the national life; was admirably voiced by Lord Stanley in proposing the toast of,"Success to the Motor Manufacturers and Traders," at. the .inaugural luncheon. , ,; ~ . ° \ The motor car, he saift, had ceased to he only the plaything of the rich,.and in his' opinion it would become one of the creates*contributors to the welfare and convenience of tbo poor-

Only within tho last four or five days he went on, ho bad signed a contract as Postmaster-General which was typical of what would come. A postal sen-ice was nowrun by mail coach between London and Brighton. That was to be superceded by motor ears. Tho nctor carriage would car. ry 50 per cent, more matter, and would be more convenient and cheaper than the other sendee. •

PRIVATE CARS FOR TOSISIEN. His ideal, he declared, as a motorist and as Postmaster-General, was to see everv postman going about in his own private motor car. The Prince and Princess spent over three hours in investigating the countless novelties in motor cars, which the magnificently arrayed stalls had to show. <

The first stand they visited was that of tho Daimler Company. Tho Prince, who has owned two cans made by this firm for over two years, remarked that the greatest trouble he ever had with them was— puncture.

The Princess expressed her admiration for the magnificent 30—40-h.p. sice-entrance Balmoral phaeton which is one of the new 1905 Daimler models. i

Of the many striking exhibits in the ; building none perhaps is so remarkable as an all-British silver 50-h.p. Chassis exhibited by the Simms Manufacturing Company. Every pin, nut, bolt, and metal part in this r dazzling machine is plated with 'silver. The workmen employed in assembling the parts : wore kid gloves, and the spanners were thickly covered with chamois leather to £'' avoid * scratching the highly polished surface. ■ . ■ ,:

The Napier exhibit is chiefly noticeable owing to the absence of their sign. 'The contractors' did not carry ' out the ideas of Mr. Edge in its construction, and he discarded it altogether at the last moment.

On this stand are shown four of the latest Napier models, including a 30-h.p. six. cylinder touring car with; side entrance; a new 40-h.p. line axle car, a four cylinder Limousine with canopy, and a smart car for, town work. ~-.-. . .

The chief feature of those cars is the new metal-to-metal clutch, designed by Mr.'Napier. Its chief advantages • are simplicity and compactness of design. All end-thrusts are- obviated owing to the clutch being autocratically lubricated, « and -before ■ the surfaces come into actual''contact-the oil is slowly squeezed out. _* Thus,' when. : -the clutch is let in, it grips gradually, and obviates any sudden strain. " •••'•

The Darracq Company are exhibiting their new 8-h.p. single cylinder two-seater, •a four-seater of the ''same horse-power, a 12-h.p. five-seated tonneau, a 15-h.p.' Chassis, and a 15-h.p. side-entrance car with canopy. ; ' • '' -j '■■

The well-known motor cycle firm of Singer :: and Company are making their first appear- '.". ance as motor car makers. The cars shown are of two —8-h.p. and 12-h.p.—the , engines being of the horizontal type.

~ - THE CITEAKEST CAR. > -'3''' : In addition to several new 7-h.p. and 9-I.p; 1905 standard patterns, the Oldsmobilo exhibit comprises the 7-h:p.* car which successfully completed a 3000-mile tour through England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, travelling 100 miles a day for thirty days. On the body is painted a map showing the route covered.

The Woiseley Company are showing their ■ new two cylinder 8-h.p. two-seater, with improved throttle control and new pattern carburetter. ; •'.',' ''' , ,'. . ~ .-. '-'/i The cheapest car is the little two-seated | American buckboard Orient. It weighs. 5001b, has a 4-h.p. single three cylinder air- 'i cooled engine, carries enough^ petrol for 1001 miles, and has a speed of from, three to thirty-five miles an hour. Its price is £90. 1

The most.important exhibit of the stand of the Cannstatt Mercedes Company is the new 70-h.p. Chassis shown here for the first time. Among its chief features is the moderator medal so. arranged that as soon, as the clutch is withdrawn the engine is throttled. ... .....

An interesting stand is i that of Messrs. Brotherhood,- who are showing their 'new Brotherhood Carker< car. The m steeringwheel is absolutely devoid of levers, the .speed of the engine regulating the ignition coil and accumulators. < i -■.■■<• 4