THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21197, 1 December 1930, Page 4

THE MOTOR WORLD.

OTAGO MOTOR CLUB. (Motor Cycle Section.) December 13. —Paper chase. December 17. —Monthly meeting. POWER PREFERENCE. . By: an overwhelming majority 12 horsepower cars get the preference of motorists in Great Britain. At the end of 1929 there were 250,554 of this power registered, followed by 120.504 of 14 horsepower, and 116,171 of 8 horse-power. The eight horse-power, 15 horse-power, and 16 horse-power machines made big gains in 1929, and there is only one car of 47 horse-power in the whole United Kingdom. CONSIDERATE! A kindly motorist who had given _ an old country lady a drive for at least eight niiles at last turned and said to her; “ Madam, where would you like me to set you down? ” " Bless you, sir,” said the old lady, “ I was going the other- way. but you're so kind' I don’t like to Hurt your feelings.” NEW RECORD SPEEDS. Driving Mr K. J. Thomson’s 12-cylinder T 0,680 c.c. Delage at Brooklands recently, J.' R. Cobbe broke the following records in. International Class A:—s kilometres at -129.96 m.p.h,, 10 kilometres at 129.35 m.p.h., and 10 miles at 129.29 m.p.h., all from a flying start. Driven in turn by C. Marchand, L. Marchand, Van Doornick, and L. dePresale, a 12-cylinder Yoisin coupe, equipped with special large fuel tanks, carried on a platform over the rear axle, had secured no fewer than 13 long-dis-tance world’s records. The record attempt took place on the Montlhery track and the car ran for 17 days and 18 nights, the approximate average speed being 75 m.p.h. The records taken were: 35,000 kilometres, 40.0000 kilometres, 45,000 kilometres. 50.000 kilometres, 50,000 kilometres, 25.000 kilometres, 30,000 miles, and from 11 to 17 days, WOMAN'S 5400-MILE TRIP. A Melbourne woman, Miss Mavis Vonarx, recently undertook a tour of Australia, and has just returned after 12 weeks of delightful motor cycling on her 2.49 h.p, B.S.A. machine. The route taken was, from Melbourne to Sydney, via the Prince's Highway, and from thence to Brisbane and Rockhampton along the coast. In Queensland Miss Vonarx journeyed inland, and covered a considerable mileage in the back blocks of the northern States. She found the Queensland roads to be very bad; in fact, with the exception of main intercapital roads, they are but bush tracks and deeply marked with cart ruts. Fortunately she only had two or three falls en route, and was not hurt. , Miss, Vonarx was forced to ford all the creeks encountered since there were no bridges to cross. During her 5400 miles tour the only trouble experienced was one puncture. Miss Vonarx carried a revolver with her, and had cause to use it on a snake which coiled up on her path. Large mobs of kapgaroos were passed on the Queensland roads. . Miss Vonarx is most enthusiastic about motor cycling, as a means of transportation, both for health and pleasure, and stated her intention of undertaking an even, bigger trip next year.

A NEW BODY. The problem of building cloaed-in automobile bodies that will remain silent and free of rattles and squeaks after many thousands of miles of driving, over all descriptions of roads, is one that has been receiving the attention of the world’s leading body builders. One ' English manufacturer has evolved a light, enduring, silent body that'has attracted considerable attention in the Old Country. The, builder is Mr Gordon England, who realised that regardless of how rigid a chassis is it still possesses a high degree of flexibility that eventually loosens the joint in the conventional'rigid type of closed-in body.

The “ England ” body is of rigid construction, but is mounted on chassis at three points’ on rubber blocks—two points in front and one at rear. It is claimed that this three-point suspension prevents distortion of bodw whilst the rubber insulates the body from chassis vibrations. The dashboard is entirely separate from the body, enabling it to weave without transmitting vibration. Concealed rubber moulding covers the joint, rendering it waterproof. The body is merely a shell, even thc.flopr boards being attached to the chassis, thus relieving the body of stresses imposed by weight of passengers, etc. All the body shell has to do is to carry ite own weight with the exception of the rear seat cushion and back passengers. Bodies of this description being free from chassis distortion can be made considerably lighter, and are said to be entirely free of squeaks and rattles, even after giving service on a car for over 50,000 miles. It is-also claimed that this type of body insulates the passengers from engine vibrations, whilst the reduced ■weight increases the,acceleration and hillclimbing abilities of the car to which it is fitted. Already" one or two cars in use in this country are fitted with this type of body, and have given every satisfaction.

BRAKES AND TOURING. The eilmmer touring season is almost with us again (whites an expert), and before it starts it is the duty of every car owner to see that his brakes are 100 per cent, efficient. That a car is as fast as its brakes may sound a little paradoxical to the new motorist, yet it will receive ready confirmation from the seasoned driver^. Most modern cars, irrespective of price or model, carry first-class braking systems, which should seldom call for attention, and if this attention is given regularly the driver need have no fear for his ability to pull up rapidly in an' unexpected emergency. Naturally when a new car leaves the factory the brakes are correctly adjusted. During the first 500 miles running, the new brake linings tend to bed down. This bedding down process may not take place equally " in all four brake drums, resulting in inefficient braking. It is advisable, therefore, after about 500 miles have been covered, to adjust each wheel separately to ensure that the braking pressure transmitting from the pedal is exerted equally in all brake drums. For this operation the car must be lifted until all wheels are clear from the ground. This can be done by raising one wheel with the jack, and inserting wooden blocks or bricks under the front axle, thus releasing the jack for use at the rear, where a similar method can be adopted. The adjustment of cable or rod operated brakes is made usually by nuts or t-nrnbuckles in the rods or cables. When the wheels are clear of the ground the adjusting devices should be turned until the brake shoes scrape lightly in each drum. Then give each adjustment a full turn backwards to ensure freedom from binding. Some cars are fitted with a master adjustment which operates simultaneously on all four wheels, and after the synchronising adjustment has been made this master adjustment should be used. Tins master device usually takes the form of a turnbuckle on the rod between the brake pedal and cross shaft. On cars which have covered large mileage, it sometimes happens that the edges of the shoes become badly worn where they are in contact with the operating cams. Although the linings may be renewed, in a short time it is impossible to obtain sufficient pressure to secure good braking. The remedy is to fit a email steel pfote on the cata. so that the shoes are held farther apart when the brake is in the “ release ” position. Incidentally this packing also will compensate for wear on the cam. THE PARIS MOTOR SHOW. It has been said that usually the Paris Motor Show leads the world in fashion, being remarkable for body styles and designs. The chief points of difference between this year’s salon and last are: Metal-panelled bodies instead of fabric: quiet instead of brilliant colour schemes; stainless steel for bright parte instead of ulating; large low-speed engines instead«of

By ACCELERATOR. [ltems of news—short descriptions, of tours, the state of the roads, etc,, comment, or inquiries will be welcomed by " Accelerator.’l

small high-speed ones; simpler gear change and silent gears. The most important move is the increased use of steel for all parts of the car. The Americans, who led the way in this, have been, if anything, surpassed by the French manufacturers. By far ' the greater number of cars in the show have steel-panelled bodies. In addition, nearly all the bright parts are made of stainless and rustless steel, instead of being plated. This is an important move and will do much for the steel industry of Europe. The French had a monopoly at one time of diminutive cars, of which there were always a number in the show. This year their place seems largely to have been taken by the “French Austin Seben,” known as -the Rosengart. ' This car has been developed on independent lines, especially as regards the coach-work, and has swept the French market. France has maintained her reputation for producing ingenious ideas and new accessories to help the motorist, particularly the woman motorist.

OVERSEAS RACING. The British Racing Drivers’ 500mile race at Brooklands resulted in a brilliant win for, a supercharged Baby Austin driven _by the Earl of March and S. C. ■H. Davis, at an average speed of 83.41 m.p.h. The. miserable drizzle which blighted the first half of the race made the Austin victory almost a certainty from the beginning. The winning car gave no trouble, and for six hours, in sunshine and rain, it raced round the track with the counter showing a steady 5000 revolutions a minute, The drivers showed rare skill and hardihood, and their little car was so fast that Birkin, on his big Bentley, would have had to lap at 127 m.p.h, to catch it. The first four cars to finish were British, the Bentley, in the hands of. Dr J, A. Benjafield, being second, a Sunbeam third and a single-seater Talbot fourth. The performance of J. S. Hindmarsh, another Talbot driver, was also remarkable. He drove a standard fourseater over the whole distance without a single stop, and actually averaged 103.52 m.p.h. ■ -The race was, of course, a handicap event, the small cars starting off at various times during the morning, and the big Bentleys and others of their size being sent off at noon. At the end of 100 miles the official Austin team was running in numerical order far ahead of the field.. Davis was leading, Poppe being second, and Crabtree third. After 200 miles Davis and Crabtree were ahead, F. Brewster, on an unsupercharged model Austin being third. A narrow escape from serious injury was experienced by .Dudley* Froy, whose great green Delage suddenly caught fire. One of the petrol pipes broke, and before ths-dnver could stop the car was a mass of flames. Froy slowed down and brought his big car to rest on the grass inside the track, leaping clear as the flames enveloped the driving seat. He received burns on both arms, and could not continue, although his presence of mind in turning off the petrol saved the car, which was driven later in the same race by Bamber.

Another spectacular incident occurred later in the afternoon. Jack Dunfee, on a 2J-htre supercharged Sunbeam, had* led his class'for over 300 miles at terrific speed, and then turned the: car over to his brother Clive. The car came to the pits' for an adjustment, and was accelerating away again when the offside rear wheel and axle shaft came off, Dunfee stopped his car safely, but the wheel narrowly missed striking other competitors who were passing. A determined.attempt to catch Davis’ imie orange Austin was made by Benjafield, who was driving superbly. All round the Byfleet banking he was high above the black safety fine in an attempt to overtake the Austin, and covered one lap at the amazing figure of ■ 122.97 miles per hour. He could not catch the little car,-however,-although he made it a , race > an d for' come time lapped steadily at 120 miles per hour. The race proved once again the fastest ever run over such a distance, as Benjahcld, who finished second, averaged no less than_ 112.12 miles an hour. He provided a dramatic finish. As he was completing the final lap to slow down, one of the rear tyres shed its tread with a loud report. Fortunately the cord held, and the driver brought his big car home safely.

| ol,o ' v ; hie U are the class winners:— H (750 c.c.)—Earl of March and.S. 0. _ ,M-.P ay is {747 c.c. Austin, S). G (1100 c.c.)—B. P. Twist and E. C. _ /^. r^er (1097 c.c. Amilcar, S). E (2000 c.c.) —J. Dunfee and- C. Dunfee 1988 c.c. Sunbeam, S). D (3000 c.c.) —Earl Howe and B. E Lewie (2276 c.c. Talbot) . . C (5000 c.c ).—J. D. Benjafield and E. R. Hall (4398 c.c. Bentley, S).

NEW SEASON’S MODELS. Exhibits estimated- in value at more than,£2,ooo,ooo were seen at the-British Motor Olympia, which was held recently in London. Five hundred-and nine iriodels of the cars of all, nations were displayed. Britain had - 292, of-31 different makes, France 91, of 18 varieties, and the United States 69 .from 17 firms. Italy contributed 36 from .five firms, Belgium 10 from two firms, Austria six from one, Germany four from one, and Spain a single model. The cheapest car in the show was . priced at a little more than £100; the most expensive at £3200. Great interest was shown by the public in the 5 P h.p. 12-cyhnder Daimler, as this is the chassis of which the King and Queen ordered five_ recently, and also because of its “fluid flywheel" hydraulic clutch and pre-selective self-changing silent four-speed gear-box. There were no fewer than 300 six-cylinder* cars on view, compared with 104 of the fourcylinder type. Of eight-cylinder cars there were 88, and the United States led in the number of eight-cylinder exhibits but the least expensive of this type was a British vehicle. Owing to the decline in popularity of the fabric body, with its dull finish, polish and brilliant colours were more in evidence this year. Pressed steel for body work-has come largely into use, and this means the beginning in England of an important, new industry. The permanent glitter of untarniehable plating, now universaljy employed, has been an- ? factor in the retained popularity of highly polished bodies of metal paneling. Designers are also breaking away from the fashion of continuing the high bonnet and scuttle line into the waistline of the body, so that the windows stop at about the chin level of the driver. Several exceedingly attractive bodies have big windows which start at six or eight inches lower than the scuttle line of the ear. The fashion of “tumble-in” sides and back was stronger than ever. The slight inward slope not only improves appearance without appreciably decreasing the space within, but has the very real advantage, as far as the back is concerned, of preventing the driver being dazzled by lights shining through the rear window, in cases in which the windscreen is vertical. Great attention is being paid to the appearance of mudguards and running boards, and also to the fitting of valances over the front dumb-irons, which ' aids the impressive effect of the high, narrow radiators and big headlamps that are overwhelmingly popular. The best move toward greater driving comfort is the tendency to rake the steering wheel at a bigger angle, and to bring it closer up to the driver's chest. The big, thin-rimmed wheel was as popular as ever. The best move toward greater riding comfort, in addition to the increased ' head room was the general improvement' in ' shock-absorber systems fitted. Greater attention is being paid to the gear-box, and the general tendency now is to provide a four-speed box with what W known us a silent third speed, and easy changes of gear between third and ton. This, by encouraging drivers to use their gears more, ensures better results from the engines. There is a number cf names for this gear-box, such as “twintop,” “alternative-top,” and “traffic-top.” A report states that freewheel devices have not been followed up as might well have been expected, but there was a notable instance of the latest form which is' incorporated in • the- gear-box. The driver can coast at will on top and second, the gear-box is of the three-speed type, and just below the steering wheel there

is a control by which the free-wheel can I be locked. Another transmission invention which is being_ offered in a 1931 standard production is a multirange gear-box; which gives six forward speeds and two reverse • and ineludes two silent tops. . The alternative gear unit is immediately in front of the three speeds and there is, no auxiliary gearing outside the main box. Dog clutches are used' for the engagement of , the alternative gear. The main idea of | this multirange gear-hox is not so much to increase the maximum speed, but rather to enable the transmission ratio to be adapted to varying road conditions and to reduce the engine rate even .when driving at the greatest vehicle speed. One of the most interesting exhibits in the show was the collection of early models. There was alO h.p. Cadillac of 1903, a Riley of 1905, an Oldsmobile of 1903, a Minervette of 1902, a Star Dogcart of 1898 with a 3 J h.p. engine and single cylinder, and the first British car ever built. That was in the year 1890. The Daimler of 1899, built for King Edward, had solid tyres on the rear wheels, and a body built on the lines of a fourwheel wagonette.

MOTOR CYCLE NOTES. It is reported that British motor cycle manufacturers, propose supporting fewer trials next year. *. * * Four-speed gears are right to the fore for 1931, which'seems all to the good if the ratios are well chosen. * * * The Paris city police force is to be provided with a fleet of 300 motor cycles, solos and sidecars, for day and night service. * . . * .. * . The number of well-known British racing men who-have transferred their allegiance- to foreign - makes is likely to increase- in -the • coming year, for several riders are ill-eontent with the return they can obtain in- England. : .. BROOKLANDS “200." The solo races in the recent Brooklands 200, a contest of 200. miles, brought forward some remarkable riding and keen competition. The 550 ■ c.c.. event was won by A. Denley (A.J.S.), at an average speed of 97.2 miles an hour. J. Levene (Rudge), was second,; being one mile an hoiuj slower. The open-division, won by A. R. Quinn (Triumph), was a slower race (94.3 m.p h.), the second man. C. Atkins (Douglas), recording 89.9 m.p.h. SPARKS. . In the United States, a “dry” country, intoxicated drivers have killed 15.000 people. . * * * The policeman (taking notes): “The gentleman says, miss, that you put out your left hand, and then turned to the right ” The lady: “Ah, yes! But I’m lefthanded, * * * A London magistrate declares that a husband should be master in his own house, or know the reason why. Most husbands know the reason why. * * Constable (taking particulars after breach of regulations): ; I shouldn’t be surprised if they withdrew your license after this. Miss. Fair novice: About time, too; it’s about 18 months old as it is. # * * Speaking at a meeting of the Bradford, England, “ Safety First ” Council, Dr B. Wade said that from his • observations he would say that nine*tenths of accidents due to skidding ■ were the consequence of bad driving. . * ❖ * The village constable shook his head. I dont mind giving you a hand, but surely you are not going to push that big car all the way back to your garage? ” l{ the village motorist shuddered, if you’ll give me a hand to push it as far as the cliff edge, that’ll be all I want." * * * “If when ascending a hill the engine stops and the brakes fail, an endeavour should be made to put the gears in reverse. • ■ • It -may then_ be possible to steer the car off the road into a bank or other obstruction that will bring it to a halt’’— “Useful Hints to Motorists" in an English newspaper. ** , * An English firm recently announced a novel method of offering used cars for sale. Under an announcement headed “Used cars by the lb," they are advertising vehicles of 1927 to 1930 manufacture at prices ranging 'from three-half-pence to 2s 2d per lb. Thus a last year’s saloon is priced at £122 10s, which, spread over 22681 b avoirdupois equals l s Id, or, as the dealers themselves maintain, less than the English prices of beefsteak!