THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21645, 16 May 1932, Page 2

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

FIXTURES OTAGO MOTOR CLUB. (Motor Cycle Section.) May 17.—Monthly meeting. May 21. —Acceleration test. June 4.—Trial. June 18.—Sporting trial. June 21. —Annual meeting. SOUTHLAND MOTOR CYCLE CLUB. June 3. —Reliability trial. A VETERAN BODY. Among the cars at present owned by the Earl of Derby is a 30 h.p. limousine which must surely be unique, for its body is over 26 years old. As far bad; as 1905 a well-known firm of coachbuilders supplied this body to Lord Derby. Since then it has been transferred twice and is still giving great satisfaction, which speaks volumes for the quality of its construction. CARBON. The formation of carbon is generally due cither to the mixture being too rich or to oil getting past the piston rings and collecting nn top of the pistons, valve heads, etc. The latter may be due to the rings leaking or too much oil being in the crankcase. If the oil used is low grade, the formation of carbon will be very rapid, as it takes a high grade oil to stand the great heat encountered in a gasoline engine. For this, and many other reasons, the purchase of a cheap oil is decidedly poor economy. ENGLISH REGULATIONS. All English motorists and owners of public motor vehicles are affected by two important new Ministry of Transport regulations. All windscreens and lower front windows facing forward, of new vehicles, are required to be fitted with safety glass, which is liable to aiscolour, year need not comply with these regulations till 1937. In all cases, the windscreens must be maintained in a condition which does not obscure the driver's vision, so that the fitting of poor quality safety glass, which is liable to discolour, will in the long run prove to be a false economy. The second order applies to reflecting mirrors, which must now be fitted to all motor vehicles. A SOURCE OF FUMES. “ Fumes which enter saloon bodies from the back can be even more troublesome to eradicate than those which enter from under the bonnet,” said Mr George Lanchester, the designer, in England recently. Referring to the topical question of streamlining, Mr Lanchester pointed out that cars, unlike boats and aircraft, did not always travel hend-to-stream. There was often a cross-wind or a quarter-wind with a velocity of round about 30 m.p.h. The speaker also pointed out that a rearengined car, while 'quiet, so far as its occupants were concerned, was apt to seem very noisy to anyone overtaken. USE FOR “WASTE” OIL. The term “ waste-oil ” is loosely applied in the motor industry to any oil, either for lubrication or transmission, that is dirty or contains such impurities that it is unfit for use in its present condition. This expression, “ waste-oil,” is, in reality, most misleading, despite the fact that much of it is actually thrown away. To throw away dirty oil does not, however, convert it into " waste-oil,” but merely into wasted oil. There are various methods of cleaning dirty oil and still more methods of utilising the cleaned or reclaimed product. Large users of oil, such as owners of fleets of commercial vehicles are well aware of this and take, care to ensure that their dirty oil is never wasted. The introduction by an English firm of a “ waste-oil ” _ generating and charging equipment provides a good example of how this reclaimed oil can be used for light, power, or for battery charging. The engine employed in this equipment is of the single-cylipder. heavy oil pattern, and the equipment includes a filter tank. The dirty oil is poured into this tank, and, when filtered, is drawn off and emptied into the standard fuel tank from which the engine is supplied. The savings effected by utilising reclaimed oil in this manner are such that the plant pays for itself in a very short period. ENGINE POWER. Sir Malcolm Campbell’s achievements over the speed course on Daytona Beach, in which he raised all of the chief world’s land speed records to the astounding figure of four miles a minute or add another supreme achievement to the record of British aeronautical engineering. The 1400 h.p. motor of his Blue Bird car is an aero engine, developed for use in Schneider Trophy racing planes. Without the work done by British aero engineers, speeds of the order registered by Campbell and the late Sir Henry Segrave on the land, and by Segrave and Kaye Don on the water, would have remained quite out of reach. To-day. British racing craft, each driven by the giant power of an aero engine, hold all of the world’s chief speed records in the air, and on land and water. Campbell’s latest feat improved on his own record, made a year ago at Daytona, and never challenged till he himself took out Blue Bird for another run. There is little chance that any foreign driver will succeed in an attack on the present figures, as engines of the kind necessary are not built outside Great Britain. The new records cover all distances from one kilometre up to 10, the “master” figure representing the new world’s land record, being that recorded over the measured mile, 253.97 m.p.h., or eight miles an hour better than hia own earlier record. The achievement is all the more meritorious When the heavy cross wind, up to 40 miles an hour, and the bad condition of the beach are taken into account. Actually, on one run the engine'of Blue Bird accelerated up to 4000 revolutions a minute, 400 more than the maximum normal engine speed, and only wheel-spin, caused by the roughness of the surface prevented Campbell from setting the new record nearer the 265 m.p.h. that he expected. He had a terrific struggle with the wind, inevitably losing speed in his endeavours to keep the car straight against the oblique gusts that hampered him in one direction and did not help in the other Nevertheless, Campbell attained at one point a velocity of no less than 270 miles an hour, evidence of the car’s ability to set up even higher figures in more favourable conditions. Blue Bird is not only the most famous speed car in the world, but it is also one of the oldest of those “ still going strong.” To-day, in main details of chassis frame, it is essentially the same as when it first emerged from the factory in 1924. Campbell has made record after record in it, the chief change resulting in _ improved performance year after year being the installation of a more powerful type of Napier aero engine. Beginning with the 450 h.p. standard engine, Blue Bird has been fitted successively with motors veloping 000, 700, 950, and 1400 ’■ ••, the advance in power providing striking proof of the research and inventive genius that have persuaded an engine to produce more than three times its original power in a very few years without increasing the capacity of the cylinders. The 1400 h.p. engine in Blue Bird follows standard Napier practice in cylinder arrangement and main components. It has 12 cylinders, arranged like a broad arrow in three banks of four, is cooled by water, and its capacity is 24 litres. From this comparatively small volume, only three times as great as in (he engine of many touring cars, (he Napier engineers have contrived by super-charg-ing and other means to develop the present terrific horse-power. Without water (he engine weighs only 11001 b, every horse-power therefore being produced by little more than three-quarters of a pound of metal. In a cablegram received by the Napier works from Sir Malcolm, he stated (hat when ho went out the second time (o try and improve his 253 miles per hour, the beach was in an awful condition and he had the engine running at over 4000 r.p.m., 400 more than when he created his n"w record, but owing to wheel spin he could not improve upon Ids previous figures. The. company is naturally proud to think that once again

[ltem* of new*—short descriptions, of tours, the state of the road*, •to., comment, oj inquiries will be welcomed by " Accelerator.’ J

Sir Malcolm chose a Napier engine for his car. This engine develops 1320 h.p. at 3600 r.p.m., with a weight per horsepower of 0.8861 b, yet its over-all dimensions are only 64 13-I6in long, 37iin wide and 34Jiu high. THE MOTOR CYCLE Motor cyclists are reminded of the monthly ineeting in the club rooms tomorrow night. This is the last meeting before the annual meeting and a good attendance of members and those desiring to join is desired. The acceleration test which was postponed earlier in the season is to be run off next Saturday. Already machines are being cleaned and tuned up in anticipation of a keen competition. Details will be available at the monthly meeting. TREASURE HUNT, Nearly 20 motor cyclists turned out to spend an exciting afternoon following up the clues which led to the treasure. When the time came to start there was an imposing array of machines in front of the club rooms, conspicuous among them being a Rudge and a Red Hunter Ariel shining in their pristine newness and attracting much attention. The clues were in the form of jumbled names, the first one being Neregsnaidl, which was an easy start. Thence the hiint lay to Brighton and back to Mosgicl by various routes. After being led across the Taieri Plain a few times the riders were allowed to search in a field near Outram. where the treasures, first, second, and third respectively, were hidden in the grass in small tins. A. Bingham was first on the scene and the others came in one by one. W. M. Carson (Rudge) found the second prize and then A. Bingham (Rudge) the first prize. An assiduous search failed to unearth the third priz* and dusk eventually put an end to the proceedings. ’ BRITISH DEVELOPMENT. An entirely new 500 c.c. machine capable of approximately 100 m.p.h. and costing only £55 15s in England is one of the latest products from a leading English factory. This new machine is designed as a light, fast, competition machine suitable for track and grass racing or reliability trials. The specially-tuned vertical four-valve engine, with a large bore down-draught carburettor and racing magneto, has polished ports, fly-wheels, and connecting rods. Two pistons are supplied with the machine. The compression ratio is 6.0 to 1 as standard, or 7.5 to 1 if the high compression spare piston is fitted. A new type of threespeed, foot-controlled gearbox is used, and two sets of footrests are supplied. Racing tyres are part of the equipment, the front wheel carrying a 26in x Sin ribbed and the rear a 26in x 3.25 in studded cover. Narrow C-section guards andhighlevel exhaust pipes give the machine a very sporting appearance. With its very high speed, lightness, and controllability, and, above all, its very moderate price, the new machine is a real sportsman’s mount. It is nearly £3O cheaper than any other 100 m.p.h. machine on the English market. Neither the manufacturers nor the motor-cycling public in England seem to have made up their minds where the speedometer, ammeter, and switches should be located on the machine. Some say in a panel on the handle bars; others say in the tank top. The majority of makers adopt the latter arrangement, while one firm which was among the first to fit the panel to the handle bars has now gone back to the tank mounting for all the instruments except the speedometer. Judging by correspondence which has recently appeared in the English technical press, the bar panel, as pioneered arid still fitted by a prominent concern, is the more popular method. It certainly has the advantage that not only are all the instruments grouped together where they can be seen without the rider taking his eyes from the road, but that the tank is not weakened nor its capacity reduced. Furthermore, the speedometer can be driven through a straight cable from the front wheel, really an accurate method of transmission. SPARKS An English coroner states that many accidents are caused through people being startled by booting. The moral is, hoot wiscly ' * * *

The highest total of the ears registered in England for the first time in the year ended September, 1931, was 37,74/ in the 8 h.p. category.

The Pedestrians’ Association of Great Britain is campaigning to have legislation introduced to make skidding prima facie evidence of dangerous cur driving.

Ten new members were elected to the Canterbury Automobile Association last week. This makes 267 new members since the year started.

As a result of the increasing number of accidents the municipal authorities of Constantinople have issued a regulation that no one under the age of 25 years may drive a motor vehicle.

Mr W. Osman, representative of the Ashburton branch of the council of the Canterbury Automobile Association, has been appointed the association’s representative on the Peel Forest Reserve Board.

Loose battery terminals can burn out headlight bulbs almost as fast as you can replace them. If tightening the connections fails to stop the epidemic, drive to your electrical service station and have the trouble investigated before it develops into something more serious.

The transport strike in Palestine, which very nearly paralysed the community, was made as a protest against high taxation on motor vehicles. It is now announced that substantial reductions in registration fees have been made, and a small reduction in duties on car tyres.

It was suggested by Mr G. W. Tench at the meeting of the Canterbury Automobile Association last week that an effort should be made to provide competitions for light cars. Messrs I. W. Johnston and B. Falck supported Mr Tench s recommendation that the question be lelt to the incoming council.

After doing a dirty service task on the car, a little caster sugar sifted on to the hands and rubbed well in with oli\c oil will clean them very effectively. Ihe sugar acts as a mild abrasive and the oil as a solvent. The mixture is rinsed on with warm water, and leaves the hands clean and soft.