HOME-MADE CAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22754, 14 June 1937, Page 11

HOME-MADE CAR

BROTHERS' INGENUITY NOVEL FEATURES OF DESIGN STABILITY AND COMFORT Ingenuity of design and workmanship of a high order have been combined by two young Auckland men in the construction of one of the most efficient home-made motor-cars seen on New Zealand roads. The joint builders are i Messrs. A. and E. Everson, who were responsible for the construction of a number of aeroplanes some years ago. The motor-car, known as the Everson Cherub, is their latest achievement, and is the result of two years' work and planning. Trim and workmanlike, the little car bristles with novel features. Externally, it is more or less conventional, although the streamlined body and sweeping mudguards follow the Continental vogue rather than the current styles of England or America. The driver's compartment of the neat little coupe is also perfectly straightforward, with a big spring-spoked steering wheel and controls that fall readily to hand. Any resemblance to conventional design ends with the exterior of the car. Structurally, it is entirely novel, though tests over rough roads on Saturday were convincing proof of the sound reasoning behind the design, and the inbuilt strength that has been achieved. Aeroplane Methods Used

Aeroplane methods have been followed in the construction of the Cherub. There is no chassis, in the ordinary sense of the word, the stout steel tubes, welded at all joints, that form the body frame being used in a most ingenious manner to carry the engine and transmission units and also the anchorages of the independ-ently-sprung wheels. Each .of the four wheels is free to move independently of any of the others, a feature that makes for exceptional stability 7 and smooth riding. Mounted at the back of the frame, in a neat compartment that might reasonably be mistaken for a luggage : box, the motor is a single-cylinder unit of 2i horse-power. It is a two-stroke unit from a noted British factory, driving the back wheels through a three-speed and reverse gearbox. Twin exhaustpipes lead to two large chromiumplated fish-tails, one on either side of the back. Welded steel tubes give great strength to the whole of the car, which is extremely low-set, the overall height being only an inch or so more than 4ft. Aluminium panels have been used for the whole of the body except the coupe top, where fabric covers the frame. The whole machine, ready for the road, weighs only 7cwt. Standard type wheels and tyres from a popular make of small car are used, these units, together with the engine and gearbox, being the only parts not designed and made by the two brothers. Speed and Economy

Electric-starters will be fitted to the succeeding models the Everson brothers plan to build. On the present car, however, it is also • possible to start the motor from the driver's seat, thanks to an ingenious device fitted by the builders. Visibility from behind the wheel is excellent, in all directions, and there is ample room for two big men in the car, in spite of its modest dimensions. Brief tests made on Saturday showed the little car capable of about 50 miles an hour on a smooth road, a comfortable cruising speed being 30-35 miles an hour. Petrol consumption is said to be in the vicinity of 70 miles to the gallon, thanks to the small engine, which is, nevertheless, a willing unit capable of carrying car and passengers over any main or secondary highway likely to be encountered in New Zealand.