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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19502, 4 December 1926, Page 10 (Supplement)

NOTES.

One may be patriotic and yet have an American cur according to the declaration of the representatives of American cars on the English market. They boldly point out that the cars are paying 33 per cent, duty on admission to Great Britain and that this sum goes directly into the national exchequer. This is certainly c very substantial contribution to the revenue. Many cyclists are talcing risks on the roads at night by neglect to comply with the regulations respecting rear reflectors Among the inadequately-lighted bicycles one notices a number ridden by telegraph messengers. It should be the duty of the postal authorities to see that no youth is allowed to use a cycle which has not an adequate front lamp and a ruby reflector. ' 1 An Oldsmobile touring car was scheduled to complete a circuit of the North Island at 9 a.m. yesterday morning. The run mapped out totalled 1859 miles, and drivers were changed frequently to avoid the necessity of stopping overnight. The car left Auckland on Monday at noon and reached Wellington at 7.50 a.m. on Tuesday. It reached Auckland on Wednesday evening and left for Kaitaia without stopP in g' Motorists are beginning to respect the white lines at intersections. When drivers have had a reasonable oppor tunity to become used to the marks the' Traffic Department will be less tolerant of motorists who do not observe them The adhesive lining material in use is similar to the marking used extenuively in America. The material is lasting from three to five months on busy American streets. • Servo brakes are l the feature of many 1927 models of English and Continental cars. American manufacturers have not been so interested in their development. It is certain that this type of brake has come to stay, and even cars priced below £4OO are among those equipped with servo operation. The lightest touch on the pedal brings the powerful mechanism into operation and the br&keS' are applied smoothly. The Automobile Association of Great Britain frequently receives guerieii for •route suggestions for commercial vehicles making long journeys. The information is usually requested with a view to avoiding weak bridges, but a very novel reason was given for a recent inquiry. The association was asked to devise a route from London to a northern town for a stuffed giraffe, forming a load 20 feet high. The circuitous journey was successfully mapped out to avoid all low railway or cross-road. bridges. The 12-cylinder Daimler has been voted the most interesting car for 1927. Its price in England ranges from £2450 to £2BOO according to bodywork Tile V engine is of the sleeve-valve type with a bore of 81.5 m.m., and a capacity of 7136 c.c. The engine turns at 2750 r.p.m., to: provide a speed of 60 ni.p.h. There are two carburetters and 10 miles per gallon are claimed. The 12-cylinder principle was' tried for some years on Packard and Regal cars, but the Packard later reverted to a straight eight, while the Regal company went out of business In response to a complaint from the Auckland Automobile Association, the City Council is taking steps to placo the name boards of streets on the far side of intersections in order that they cai) be read from approaching vehicles. At present a number of street names are placed so that it is necessary to proceed past the intersection and look back in order to read the sign. The City Engin eer has reported that the use of " catchlite" or patent reflecting signs would render it possible to distinguish streets at badly lighted intersections, but such equipment is thought to be unduly costly. The Daily Mail says that "the most gratifying feature o? the Motor Show at Olympia is the contracts for vast num bers of cars, which have already been signed for delivery m 1027. The Mot ris Company has contracted for 72,999 cars, valued at £15.000.000. of which 12.919, valued at £2,500.000, are going abroad Australia is the biggest over sea purchaser A firm distributing a foreign car has contracted for the sate of 222,500. valued at £55.000,000 Thp Arvnstrong-Siddeley Company's overseas contracts have increased from 30 to 50 per cent Crosslev/s have contracted with the Dominions for 2000 six-cylinder cars, costing £1,400.000 The chief fea tore of the show was the number of inexpensive closed cars. ,