THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22629, 22 July 1935, Page 3

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The Radiator for July containing articles of wide interest to traders and general readers. TOO LATE. The first known automobile race is said to have been held ill 1894 from Paris to Rou'en in Prance. A hundred and 'two cars attempted to exceed the minimum qualifying speed of 7J miles an hour! A few weeks ago, at Daytona Beach, Fla., Sir Malcolm Campbell pushed a racing ear up to 276.816 miles per hour. These two facts measure _ the distance which automotive engineering has travelled in the relatively short space of 41 years toward faster and safer cars. Unfortunately the intelligence of a.considerable- portion of the driving public has .not kept pace, as the casualty lists show, with the progress made by the manufacturers. A lot of people seem to think that if they have a oar capable of doing 00 miles an "hour and they do not get 00 miles out Of it, they are losing something. When they have wound it around a tree it is too late to go back to the speed of 1894.—Detroit Free Press. PETROL PRICES.

Following are approximate prices, at the beginning of this year, of 5 litres of average quality petrol in European countries. Petrol is sold by the litre, and five litres are equal to 1.1 gallons. Less expensive and better quality petrols are al«0 Sold. . , i Prices per 6-litrea. Country s. d. Jugoslavia 4 0 Italy 3 7 France 3 4 Poland 2 10 Chechoslovakia- 2 6 Switzerland 2 5 Spain 2 3 Portugal 2 3 Austria 2 2$ Belgium 22 Hungary .....<.... 2 1 Germany .......... 2 0 Holland .. 1 0 Finland .. .. .. .... 1 7 Sweden 1 5i Denmark -. •• 1 4J Norway 1 4 HISTORIC MODELS. Rarely does it happen that the first tentative, experimental models of any successful product escape destruction. Success having been in some measure achieved, the crude beginnings are swept into the limbo of forgotten tilings. It is interesting, therefore, to find that the first experimental Wolseley cars are not Only still in existence, but in the possession of the Wolseley Company. The- earliest 'of these, which to-day would not rank as a car, is a threewheeled ' Vehicle, the single wheel at the rear being driven by a horizontally-op-posed twin-cylinder engine, 'not unlike some motor cycle engines of to-day. The driver's seat is between the two front wheels, and there is a seat at the rear for Ofle passenger, looking backwards! Steering was by a tiller operating on the front wheels. This car was built and run in 1895 and 1896. The successor to this was built in 1897. It also is a three-wheeler, but the paired Wheels are at the rear, the front wheel being mounted in a fork Of cycle pattern, with a tiller steering arm. The engine is still at the rear, driving on the back wheels, and the driver and passengers sit over it, back to back. The third of thesd old cars was the first real Wolseley four-wheeled car. Built in 1899, it Was entered in the first 1000miles Reliability Trial organised by the R.A.C. in 1900, and was awarded first prize in the Voiturette class. It has a single-cylinder horizontal engine, 4Ain bore by sin stroke, battery.and coil ignition, three-speed gearbox with gatO change, and Ackerman type tiller steering. In November, 1928, when 29 years old, this truly historic vehicle took part in the Veterans' Run from London to Brighton, and tied for the first .prize. It is still, at the age Of 36. in running order.

Very few firms, We imagine, can show three such interesting relics, They contrast very quaintly indeed With the sleek, handsome Wolseleys which are their liheaj descendants.

THREE MILLION MILES OF ROADS. An Atrtei'ie'an motorist would have to drive continuously at SO miles an hour for seven years to travel over all tho roads of his country. He could keep going for four and a-half months on paved highways and for three tthd adialf days on multiple-lane routes. The figures suggest the magnitude of the American highway system, 3,039,993 miles long' including state, county and local roads, 122 time*) the earth's 25,000mile circumference and—let's mention it just for fun—l 3 times the 238.000-mile jump to the niooii, The paved mileage is impressive, yet it is only 5 per cent, of the aggregate, sug-. cestifiir the big job vet to be done in providing safe, comfortable and rapid highway facilities throughout the country. The mileage figures, estimated for Motor by the United States Bureau of Public Roads, and not including city streets, whose aggregate length nobody seems to know, tell an interesting story: Dirt roads 2.104,667 Intermediate types .. 718,117 Paved, all types .. 157,200 Concrete 81.040 Multiple (over two) lanes .. .. .. 4,310 State highway systems 382,668

This length of roadwnv Would circle the earth 122 times. 'The dirt roads alone would go around 87 times, and the intermediate types 29 times, Paved routes of various kinds would make the circuit 6 times, or concrete would make 3 complete circles

FAST CARS AT BROOKLANDS

England's famous racing driver, Freddie Dixon, " told off" by the stewards for driving too high on the banking in the Gold Star Race, has bt'otight forward the big problem of Bi'ooklands in an acute form.

Dixon's was not the only recently. •In the second race Mrs K. Petre protested to the stewards that she was badly baulked. The fact was admitted, but Mm stewards took no action, saying that the fact that a bilnch of cars happened to be obstructing Mi's Petre, who started from scratch, was just one of the hazards that the scratch car may have to face.

Dixon, on the other hand, was reported by one of the official observers. At least seven of the cars in the Gold Star Pace were lapping at 120 m.p.h. Dixon's catWas lapping at that speed, and weighs only 13cwt.

The scratch car, the big BarnatoHassan special, was lapping at about 137 m.p.h., but is so much heavier that it can be driven far lower down the banking than Dixon's Riley.

The stewards who reprimanded Dixon they were Sir Algernon Guinness. Bart., the Earl of Cottenham. and Colonel F. Lindsay Lloyd—had actually given him ■md five other competitors in the race special permission, in view of their speed, to disregard the rule which required them to keep underneath and inside the black line 10 feet from the outer edge of the truck.

Flight-lieutenant C. S. Stanilnnd. whoso Bugatti overtook Dixon's Riley durmg the race, said: "I was lappin-* at 134 m.p.h. in a car which only weighs IGowt. I wan going past the Fork at 140 m.p.h., and it was absolutely impossible to keep inside the black line at that speed. " Tn any case, whether Dixon was right or wrong - . I think the action of the stewards in publishing the reprimand as they did was inexcusable. No driver had protested, and Bertram easily overtook Dixon on the inside." INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION.

" Independent wheel suspension now finds n place on every European racing cai- built for this season's events, or under construction," says Automotive Industries. " Germany led the way in this respect, when Inst year she produced the Mercedes-Benz and the Auto Union cars,

(Item* of nswcK-«ttort descriptions, of tours, the atato of the roadffl, •to, comment, ear inquiries will be welcomed by " Accolorfttas."J

The former make use of coil springs, with a parallelogram attachment to the frame, the system being practically identical with that used on the firm's stock care. "Auto Union employed torsion bar suspension in front and a very broad transverse spring at the rear. The rear suspension, however, was adopted to save time, Engineer PrOsche's idea being originally to use torsion bar suspension all round. "In view of the higher speed of the German cars, the Italians were obliged to build new cars and to modify the existing models. . "Independent wheel suspension only entered indirectly into the problem which was one of power-weight ratio, but in view of the better road holding ability of the new German cars and tho reduced tyre wear, it was forced on the Italian makers. _ , "Alfa-Romeo has taken up the Dubonnet system, used in the United States by Chevrolet and Pontiac, the suspension being mounted at the ends of a tubular front axle, which is attached to the ends of the two side rails by means of slips and four bolts. A friction type shock absorber is incorporated with the suspension, forming a part of the same housing, to the rear of the axle. " for record attempts, and for open races: in which the international weight limit is not applied, Alfa-llomeo has produced a couple of cars with two eightcylinder motors, oue in front of the driver and the other to the rear. The transmission is in the centre and the drive is to the rear wheels only. .. " Like 'the other Alfa-Romeo cars, this two-engine job has dual drive shafts, coming diagonally from the transmission, the crown wheels being close to the driving wheels. At the front a tubular - axle with Dubonnet suspension is made use of. At the rear there is. a full axle with flexible quarter elliptic spriags, having their attachment very close to the driving wheels. " These two Alfa-llomeo models are really temporary jobs, to be used only until* the entirely new oars are ready. It was expected that these would be out by June, but a delay is probable. The new models will have independent suspension all round." RACING IN EUROPE.

History has sustain repeated itself in i connection with -motor racing in Europe. Some five years ago, France was supreme 'on road and track, her famous drivers of Bugatti machines winning most of the major contests decided on the Continent to the chagrin of Italian and German racing interests. This led to Signof Benito Mussolihi. who is a great motoring enthusiast and a leader who is fully alive to the advantages of stimulating and developing the national automobile industry. giving his support to the efforts of Count Trassi to combat the French successes. Soirie -of the finest drivers in Europe were retained to handle speciallydesigned and constructed Alfa-Romeo machines. Chevalier Ferrari took charge of the racing team, and, within two years, France was being gradually pushed into thq, background by the repeated brillianf victories achieved by the Italian AlfaRomeos —which were all shod with British Dunlops. Ettore Bugatti, the famous builder of France's fastest cars, attributed much of the success of the Italian team to the fact that an edict of the French Government compelled his star drivels to use national tyres. These failed to withstand tho stresses incidental to the high racing speeds then maintained, and several of the leading French drivers had narrow escapes of losing their lives, owing td tyre failures. Prior to the decision of the French Grand Prix, the blue riband event, of Europe, the French Government commanded Ettore Bugatti to make apodal endeavours to stop the march of Italian success, Knowing that tyre troubles had robbed his team of several victories, Bugatti notified his Government that uniesMi his drivers were permitted to use British tyres, as the Italians were doing, it was j useless endangering the lives of the finest [ French drivers in the attempt to win the event. A few hours before the start of the great race the Government withdrew its ban, and a letter addressed to the Dimlop Company, asking " for the honour of France " to supply the necessary tyres to'the Bugatti teaiii. Dimlop agreed, and the result was a narrow French victory, 200,000 Frenchmen witnessing otie of the sporting idols of France, Louis Chiron, win the classic from Italy's representatives, in second, third and fourth places. Great success still followed the Italian drivers and machines until their supremacy Was almost unchallenged in Europe. Theft Signor Mussolini issued an Order: " Our motor racing successes must be allItalian affairs," which meant that the British tyres that had carried them to many victories were to be replaced by national tyres. Since that edict Germany, through the agency of Mercedes and Auto Union machines, built at great expense with subsidies from the 1 Herr Hitler administration, has vanquished Seuderia Ferrari time after time. Italy built faster machines, but with no better suits, for the national tyres failed to stand the increasingly high speeds. The outcome is a repetition of the French episode, for it is announced that tht leader of the Italian team. Tazio Nuvolari, who is credited with' being the world's* finest racing driver, informed Chevalier Ferrari that he would drive no more until British tyres were fitted. The result was a telegraphed order to London for a supply of Dunlop tyres—which were so urgently needed that they were flown to Milan. THE MOTOR CYCLE July 27.—Monthly meeting. July 30.—Social Evening. August 10.—Sporting trial. August 20.—Monthly meeting. August 25.—Social run, September 7.—Treasure hunt, September 17. —Monthly meeting. September 21.—Slow hill climb. October 5. —Paper chase. October 15. —Monthly meeting. October 26-27-28.—Labour Day trial. November 9.—Camberly scramble. November 10.—Monthly meeting. November 23.—Run to Brighton. December B,—Social run, Burkland's Ford. CLUB NOTES. At the monthly meeting in the Club Rooms Mr A. E, Bingham presided over a i gathering of some 50 members and friends. A proposal for maintaining the interest of members in runs and other activities has been adopted by the committee. The members are to be divided into two teams under the captaincy of Messrs R. Stewart itr.d J. Bevin, points being allowed for all competitive events. The committee is holding a meeting at an early date to draw up rules for this scheme, and feels sure that this will greatly help to foster

the club spirit. Mf J. Cunningham gave a brief resume of the opening run to Evansttale.

A discussion occupied the better part of an hour regarding amateur status, members endeavouring to differentiate between an amateur and a professional. After listening to all the speakers one was not much further forward than at the commencement of the meeting. At the conclusion of the general business the Social Committee allotted several items for impromptu speeches of two minutes duration. Some very good speeches were made, those of Messrs R. Dickie and A. Cf.teuton particularly being in lighter vein. Mr W. J. M'lnnee acted as judge, the first three plaeings being Messrs C. Bingham and A. Crighton (equal) and Mr E* Newall third. At the conclusion of the speeches . supper was served by two members of the Social Committee.

SPARKS Demand half the road—the middle half. Insist on your rights. * * * Always drive fast out of alleys. You might nit a policeman. 'There's no telling. ~. . u. Always race with locomotives to crossings. Engineers like it. It breaks the monotony of their jobs. Always pass the car ahead on curves or turns. Don't use your hoi'n because it might unnerve the other fellow and cause him to turn out too far. # * * Always try to pass cars on hills when it is possible. It shows your bug has more power, and you can turn somewhere surely if you meet another car at the top.

A few* shots of booze will enable you to make your ear do real stunts. For permanent results quaff often and deeply of the flowinsr bowl before taking the wheel.

The possibility of building overhead bridges at some of the more inconvenient railway crossings near Christchurch .is being investigated by officers of the Railways Department.

By the recent trade treaty with Poland the duties on light cars were reduced to an extent which will enable United Kingdom manufacturers to re-enter this market after a lapse of a considerable period.

Figures compiled by the American Automobile Manufacturers' Association estimate the total number of motor vehicles in operation in the world in 1934 to be 34,900,000. Of these 24,840,000 are in America. In. 1930 there wgre 35,653,515 units in operation and it seems that the 1935 total will exceed 36.000.000.

In order to avoid steering troubles it is essential that the steering mechanism of a motor car should be lubricated at regular intervals. This docs not only mean the steering box, but also all joints between it and the front wheels, including

the king-pins. After the cat has been out in bad Weather a certain amount of mud and grit from the road will enter these joints, unless they are well packed with grease, and will Quickly cause Wear which will result in serious slackness in the steering.