MOTORING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8757, 12 June 1914, Page 11

MOTORING

A CYCLE CAE BEGGED. Mr J. B. Clarkson has just returned to Wellington after having made a cycle car tour from Sydney to Adelaide, which mad© Australian . motorists sit up and wander if there might not lie something in the light car after allAustralian journalists have been derot. ing columns to the performance of tho little oar. though at first they were more than sceptical, and Mr Clarkson himself confesses that tho car’s performance exceeded even his sanguine expectations, The machine, a Swift cycle oar, is mors a miniature automobile than a cycle car. It is a genuine car on a small scale, and its record proves its efficiency. The first object of .. journey was' to Oiscover tlie conditions of Australian roads for the information of tho English manufacturers, and the testing of the car a secondary object. The car was taken out of its case ii. Sydney, amt during the whole journey, over bad roads for the greater part, no trouble was experienced. The roads, states Mr Clarkson, are not a patch on Now Zealand roads, being in many oases nothing but clay formation 01 sand, or mere bush tracks. On the run from Sydney, to Melbourne Mr Clarkson was accompanied by Mr W, A, Williams. of Sydney. They had no map of the roads, which increased the difficul. ties of tho trip, yet the first day’s run, from Sydney to Goulburn. was made in seven hours. Goulburn was left at 10.30 a.m. tho following dav and Tarcutta was reached at 8.10 p.m., after a run of 163 i miles. The next day 158 miles were covered, and on this run tho car struck a culvert and was upset. On the following day’s run a spring was broken, and after temporary repairs had been made the spring was mended by a blacksmith in the first town arrived at. Despite this delay and others caused by the had roads, the . 121 miles to Melbourne were done in 81 hours. The petrol consumption on the whole jour, ney was 13 gallons, which worked put at 131 miles to the gallon. The actual driving time between Sydney and Me*' bourne was 21 hours 40 minutes, giving an average speed of 23 miles per hour, the net distance being from 565 to 580 miles. At Melbourne Mr Williams left the car, and Mr G. B. Broadbent. a wellknown authority on motoring, of Melbourne, was taken on as a. passenger and recorder. Melbourne was, left at 4.20 p.m. on Saturday, May 9tb, and Shipton was;reached at 9.37 p.m. The next maminV at 6.15 the car was set out on a long journey over rolling plain* and sandy; stretches, until the last part of the day’s journey, when 60 miles of good roads provided a welcome change. Two hundred and seventy-nine miles were accomplished this day. Good roads continued the following day, and the first part of the run{27 miles were covered in 55 minutes. ■ But after that tho can had to cross Coorong desert, and what with heavy sand drifts arid rough roads it had a strenuous time, and here the first and only puncture occurred. But the last 61 miles of tho journey, over the hills through Echunga and Aleabe, ; was mane, oyer decent toads, and Adelaide was reached at _1.40 a.m, on» May 12th, after a day's drive of 213 miles. ’ The petrol consumption .for the trip from Melbourne to Adelaide was 15 gallons, an average of 10 miles to the gallon. Oh May 16th the return, journey was. commenced, and heavy rains made the roads almost impassable in some places. The Coorong desert was crossed in the rain, but owing' to the winter, track being missed the car had to negotiate a heavy clay track, two and a half miles in length, just awash with water, which made it doubly dangerous. After this a huge' sand drift, had to becrossed. and further difficulties .were.met in crossing the-black soil plain, which, owing to its greasy nature, caused a pood deal of skidding. The road conditions were bad throughout the return journey, and it rained practically the whole of the time. Melbourne was reached at 1.15 p.m.’on Tuesday. May 19th. Tho return’ journey from Adelaide was over a slightly different route, being 613 miles as against 575 on the outward journey. The 613 miles. 250 of which were over exceptionally bad roads, were covered at an average; speed of 22i n nmes an hour, the petrol consumption 38 1-3 miles to the gallon. The actual time spent on the road was nine days..and the distance covered was .1850 miles. The car was in good condition at the end ot tne tour, and its record is certain proof that the cycle car is not a toy. but an efficient machine. / :