THE MOTOR SHOW

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22432, 29 November 1934, Page 14

THE MOTOR SHOW

FEATURES OF 1935 CARS streamline" fashion AUTOMATIC GEAR BOXES. (From Ocjr Own Correspondent.) LONDON, October 18. At the Motor Show at Olympia this year there is the dominating topic of conversation: Has the streamlined car come to stay? It reminds one of a discussion on .women's fashions. In the end there will probably be a compromise and the extreme of the new fashion will vanish while the general idea of making the car bodies slightly more aero-dynamu' in their lines will remain. Apart from this, however, there are a number of improvements in design which cannot be challenged. There are 525 exhibitors this year, as against 496 last year. In the car sectjon there are 54 exhibitors, of which 24 are importers. Last year there were 48 exhibitors, of which 20 were impoiters. There are about 470 cars exhibited this year, as against 440 last year. Cars priced under £l5O number live; cars between £l5O and £250 number 25: between £250 and £350, 20; between £350 and £450, 9; between £450 and £6OO. 8, and car s over £6OO number 10. The range of prices is from £llß to £3750. There has been a general move on the part of manufacturers to exhibit cars of higher horse-power, in view of the impending reduction in h.p. tax on January 1 1935 It is a test, for the makers are naturally at a loss to know what percentage of people will continue to drive their customary models, pocketing the 5« per horse-power reduction, what percentage of people will sp<wd the full 25 per cent, difference in buying more horse-power, and what percentage will split the difference. This will not be known until the new tax comes in. Manufacturers appear to be agreed that prices have been brought low enough, for cars are not cheaper this year than last. In the main, however, machines arc more efficient — reducing all-in costs or giving more power than formerly for the same expenditure; more attractive inside and out; more comfortable and more safe; quieter in operation; better and more fullv equipped, and simpler to control and maintain; in fact, they aiford greater value, and the range of choice is wider than ever. . The four-cylinder engine is well holding its own in (he small car class; the sixcylinder unit, which is the most widely used in the whole range, is increasing its popularity at the lower end —and this is exemplified in the 12 horse-power class — while the eight-cylinder, though not common on British cars as yet, well holds its place at Olympia. The suspension of engines and power units has made still further progress, and some form of flexible mounting which largely avoids vibration and noise from being transferred to the frame and the coach work is in common use. This feature

undoubtedly has prolonged the life of the four-cylinder engine. STREAMLINING.

As to streamlining, jthere appear to be two opinions. There are cars which are streamlined from the front and throughout. Indeed, some coach builders have gone the whole way and produced bodies that are aero-dynamically nearly as perfect as they can be. Others have contented themselves with streamlining the car rearwards from behind the windscreen, while still more have been content with reducing wind resistance by a modification of the backs of conventional tvpe bodies. In many cases some very striking results have been obtained by shaping the luggage container at the rear to form a kind of streamlined tail. Extreme streamlining is to be seen in one or two of the most expensive types ot cars. For instance, in one the grid of the radiator is carried back along the curved bonnet almost to the wind-screen, while the tail extends far behind the rear axle. Again, there is an American car so fullv streamlined that nt a distance it would be difficult to tell which wnv the car ought to go. ( SOME DRAWBACKS.

The British manufacturer, with his conservatism, has largely abstained from exaggerated designs. It is considered by perhaps the majority that streamlining' in reasonable form will become standardised, though it is useless to pretend that in extreme form it is of any practical benefit to the owners of the lesser-powered cars. Wind-resistance at the lusher speeds and where the opposing area is of considerable size is undoubtedly important, because it needlessly absorbs power which means expense without benefit. Moreover, resistance increases more than in direct proportion to speed. Streamlining, therefore, where it reduces head resistance and tail, depression or suction is likely to remain. Those who arc definitely against the new fashion maintain it is merely a clover move on the part of manufacturers to date cars of pre-1935 manufacture, and so speed up purchases. Again, there is a very definite drawback. It is very difficult indeed for an owner to get a jack under the back axle in order to change a tyre. It means getting very close to the ground, if not lying on the ground, to the detriment of a good suit of clothes. Head room under the sloping roofs 1* certainly not so good, and there is space lost behind Ihc back seat. As an example of carrying a hobby to excess there is one little car with a door so wide that it would be difficult in open it without obstructing the pavement, while if there wa.s the slightest degree of camber on the street-edge the button of the door would catch on*the footpath. FRONT WHEEL TRANSMISSION. There is comparatively little that is entirely revolutionary at the show, but the first prize for originality, if such an award existed, would probably be shared between the Citroen and Mercedes concerns. The former shows a unique cur in which (he body and chassis are one, and the whole of the engine and transmission are at the front. I routwheel drive is obtained, together with independent wheel springing.

There are no springs, in the accepted meaning of the word, the suspension being obtained by twisting a steel bar. As there is no propellor shaft taking the drive to the back axle, a perfectly, flat floor, free from foot-wells, is obtained. The gear-lever sticks out of a little slot in the dashboard, and the hand-brake, shaped like the handle of a walking-stick is conveniently situated just below the instrument panel. In a special section of the Motor Show devoted to working models the features of the new Citroen are shown individually. The Mercedes chassis is simplicity itself, consisting merely of a long, large-diameter tube with cross-bars at each end. To these ' cross-bars, using suitable radius rods, the wheels are. anchored by huge coil-springs, while the engine bolts on to the rear end of the tube and occupies that part of the car which is generally reserved for carrying luggage. As to the new type of springs on the Citroen, these are an unknown quantity. On a stand with four eccentric wooden drums, the four wheels of a Citroen attached to their frame are being oushed ceaselessly up and down, and the twisted hteel bars acting as springs are doing their work. But the time may come when the steel will get " tired," for steel does hecome " tired "in time. A sudden crack, and a collapse of the wheels may he the result. This new form of spring, therefore, may or may not be successful. It will need a year or two to find out. TOOTHLESS GE-VRS.

A special demonstration iii given of Hayes self-selector transmission, the rights of which have been obtained by the Austin Company. It is not an easy matter to explain the workings of this ingenious piece of mechanism. The actual transmission is through steel rollers which transfer the drive between curved steel races, the ratio being altered by rocking the rollers to different driving positions to engage with differing diameters of the driving and driven races. There are no gears (except to provide reverse), and the drive is practically silent. Further, the variation in ratio, from 3.0 to 1 to an overgear ot 1 to 1.5," is far greater than is provided in any normal transmission employing toothed gears. On down grades the full braking effect of the power unit is felt. The driving rollers are rocked or processed to give varying ratios by hydraulic means and finger-tip levers enable the driver to adjust if necessary the hydraulic control to modify tlie performance as road conditions require. Subject to the control setting, the automatic functioning ensures a constant engine speed whatever the tractive resistance met with on the road, the transmission varying ite ratio to balance the resistance as it increases or decreases. Thus with the finger-tip levers suitably set for automatic functioning the drivor, after engaging the drive, has only to operate the accelerator until he desires to stop. Another type of automatic gear is actuated by eight governor weights which move outward as the speed increases and changes the near. At 14 to 17 miles an hour tlie governor weights operate the centrifugal clutch and the car changes into top gear 6inoothly and noiselessly.

When slowing down, the car will remain in top gear, even at as low a epeed a* walking pace. Immediately the throttle is opened, however, to -get away again, the automatic mitt will change down into low gear and accelerate up to ton gear again. If the car is climbing a # hul the automatic unit will change down into the low gear immediately the speed of the car drops to about 17 m.p.h. Shia gear bos is made for and fitted to only one type of car. BRAKING SYSTEMS. Brake systems have undergone eome simplification in their mechanism, the hand-operating lever is now usually of the pull-up kind and placed between the front seats, and while the hydraulic brake is as popular as ever, the mechanical brake tends more to standardisation on % seltenergising lines with cable operation. As to suspension, independent wheel or at any rate front wheel springing is at last making its way to the front, and Olympia shows a number of interesting examples. The hydraulic shock-absorber —with improvements such as thermostatic control—has helped to sustain the life of the carriage spring, and further the development taking place i» to be seen in progressive suspension which goea under various nanies, such as dual-rate and vari-load springs. These are arranged to allow a light action for small loads and low speeds, and the heavier one to come into play when loads are increased, speeds raised, or both. ' One of the puzzles-of the show is presented bv the free-wheel. Last year was a free-wheel year, but now there seems to be a tendency to dispense with tni* device. Some of the best-known makci fit free-wheels, but there is not the unanimity in favour of them that was predicted last year. AVith certain kinds of gearbox and transmission system",, the free-wheel seems an advantage, but jt ia no longer being added indiscriminately to every model that is made.