MOTOR NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 1701, 17 April 1926, Page 11

MOTOR NOTES.

NEW, ENGLISH SPEED CAB. 175 .MILES AN HOUR EXPECTED. 12 CYLINDERS AND ONLY 33-H.P. RATING. , LONDON, Feb. 20. A "hush-hush?' British racing motor ear, the existence of which haw been kept a profound secret for 18 months, during which,engineers '• have worked behind closed doors, perfect - ing its design, will make an attempt, on, the sands at Southport, cashire next week to lower the world's records for the flying mile and kilometre —150.766 miles an hour and 150.269 m.p.h. respectively. The car ,is a 12-cylinder Sunbeam, and will be driven by Major H. 0. D. Segravc, one of our most successful racing motorists. From details given at the works, it is the most interesting car that has attempted to break these records. Compared with the giants that have previously won snecoss over such short-distances the "hush-hush" car is a mere dwarf. Ti 's actual rating is 33-h.p. This is considerably ;less than that of many largo touring caps. Its 12 cylinders, in pairs set ,Y wise, arc comparatively diminutive. While, However, the official rating of the car is almost absurdly low for such, a mighty task, its engine has actually, developed .'IQO-b.p. on" the bench test. DAVID v. GOLIATH. Will this slim, lithe, "and almost dainty machine beat'l he monsters df the past? The ans wertb.'this question will,;be eagerly awaited, by motor engineers. Test bench performance suggests that the chance is good. The engine has been run at the almost incredible speed of 6,000 revolutions a minute. It behaves in a decorous manner when "revving" at 5.000 to the minute. If it can maintain such high speed* on the sands, if wheel slip is not too pronounced, if the wi'"ls are favorable, then the test bench performance gives promise of a speed of .170 m.p.h. But chance has been eliminated as far os possible. 'The tyres for this machino have already been submitted to a test in which road conditions as far as possible were imitated. They have been whirled round a miniature track at speeds of more than 180 miles an ♦four, while subjected to a weight similar to;that' of Major Sograve '.< car, and tjieyhave withstood the test. CHEATING TBE WIND. Ft is hoped to cheat the wind by a new method j of streamlining. Tho body of the car is a wonderful achievement in this respect. Before- being fitted to the chassis it was passed through a specially constructed wind channel. Wind was represented by colored smoke. Any projections 'on which smoke was seen,to strike were shaved off. ' For feeding the engine a supercharger, also 'of new design, is used. This crams extra explosive mixture into the cylinders when most needed —that is, •at high engine revolutions, It acts ns an invigorating tonic. Four-wheel brakes" are fitted, but even so it is estimated that Major Segravc will require nearly.three miles clear run in which to pull up in safety after passing the finishing line —that is, if ho reach the speed he expects to. NEW MOTORING RECORD. ■ '; /.:''•, .PARIS, Feb. 26. ■At the Montlhery track to-day Gart-fiold-Plessicr, driving a Renault car, did-the .100 kilometres in 31miu. 46 1-lOsc'c, ' This beats .the previous record of 32min. 17 62-lOOsec. made by J. G. P. Thomas at Brboklands on October 12 last year in a Leylaud-Thomas. REPAIR CHARGES IN FRANCE. An excellent move has been mado byi tilie French association" of garage proprietors and repairers. To prevent overcharging or irregularities, they have drawn up a tariff for repairs that is to be uniform throughout the whole of Prance. Every species of repairing operation is scheduled, with the price/) to be charged, according to tho type and. power of the vehicle, from a 5 h.p. car to a 6-ton wagon. The new tariff has been approved by the various insurance companies -and other bodies concerned. The real menace on the hard-sur-faced roads, as, reported in "Motor Travel." especially near the lnrgc/r cities, isn't the fellow who travels between twenty-five and thirty-five miles an hour, but the chap who insists upon viewing the scenery mostly at his right, at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, holding up miles of other cars "who may not be upon sight-seeing bent, and are really going somewhere.

Certainly any man who wants to view the scenery ought to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Our roads ought to bo reserved for those who are really going somewhere even if they only expect to turn around and come home again.

"Got any silver .paper?" This somewhat unusual question was put to a Nnpier Telegraph reporter on Ihe Marine Parade by a motorist who was unable to get his headlights to function.'- After a moment's consideration the pressman produced the inevitable cigarette packet and abstracted the" paper desired. . The knowing motorist performed some mysterious operations involving a little glass tube and a fuse, and the lights came on immediately. "It's mi old trick," ho explained, "but there arc not many pooplc who know if if."