MOTOR NOTES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17953, 3 December 1932, Page 9

MOTOR NOTES

British Cars’ Triumph At The Olympia Motor Show

LONDON, October 15. .{A PEE 1,1 MI NA It Y visit to tin; Motor , Show,. which opened at Olympia r to-day, disclosed a scene of mechanical ’ elegance in a setting of scarlet and ’ gold. Exhibits worth more than , £1,500,000 stood in apparently inter- ■ ininablc rows, with their glossy bodies ! and shining metalwork displayed to the best advantage, and midst till this • opulence of production one hardly knew where to start the long tour of [ inspection. The difficulty was, of course, to discover flic ‘ ‘ surprises ’ to find what was actually new and symbolic of progress. By diligent investigation and much patient plodding, however, the sec rets were revealed, one by one, and the points of about 2G new models admneu. There were many different make" <>f motor cars capable oi speeds of ovei i .100 miles an hour; a dozen, including one example of mass - production (priced at under £500), that can ‘do' 1 90 m.p.h.; innumerable standard tourers that are designed to work up f‘» tin honest SO m.p.h., and one particularly attractive little model with a 'maximum of -ISO m.p.h. I'rom tno \ appoint of mere speed, the British m:u ufaeturer is evidently a eoalir-nmu pcimist. He presupposes that u.iilic laws do not exist, and that- Lngi ir. a land of untrammelled toads. Last-Minute Surprise. One of the most interesting of tin cncaper models on view is Dir V'. i.;ktr. Morris ’ last-minute surprise — a a! orris “25,” which is room;/,- fast, and powerful enough to satisfy the mem. exacting driver. Capable of exet ptional acceleration, the • ‘25 7 ’ is designed to cruise comfortably at 55, with a stiuug top speed well in excess of 7b. u sliuuLu certainly be ai.Je to compo., both as regards performance and prim (it is to be sold fur less than 7400; with the larger American cars whk;. scorn to lio making an insistent appe to owners in this country. Smooth miming even at high speee lias been achieved by meur.s or un “double” frame on which the bin is mounted. flic ear virtually hr two frames, one within the other. ; increased lateral support, giving gun,, strength and eliminating any (rtce o. “ weaving” of “iozeuging. ” Other special points include tv. < top-gear ratios' of Die cunsttvd me. I type, allowing for the simples;, oi | gear changes. Tim engine hits a special air preheater, cleaner, am; fume consumer. In the light ear section is •; l\l.C. product i<in, known as the new “Ms;, iiette,”,'tlie ordinary model or whs s wiil travel at up to -SO m.p.h. in rul - ing form with super-charger it will attain a speed of .150 miles an hour, or “(> miles in excess of its baby brother, the M.D. Midget. On the Daimler stand, where luxury , “appearance,” and power are seen in happy combination, is it counterpart of the 25 lap. limousine, with fluid flywheel transmission and self-change gear, recently delivered to the .Royal Mews for the King’s use. Messrs. Stratstone, Ltd., who supplied the car, are a now company formed to continue the business and organisation so long carried out by Strattou-lustone, Ltd. The liuid flywheel enables the car to crawl in top gear tit one mile an Jibui’, ii necessary, and accelerate up to 70— both very advantageous qualities. Cheaper and Better.

The abiding impression of Olympia, this year, is that it constitutes a display of cheaper and better cars than ever before. Every manufacturer, without exception, has definitely setout to combine efficiency and beauty with reasonable running cost and reduced capital outlay. Sumptuous and costly models there are, of course, in profusion, but for the ordinary owner the range of inexpensive, economical, and sturdy vehicles is amazing. So far as elegance, finish, and completeness of equipment are concerned, the British models, this year, are without rivals, although some of the American makes run them close. Nor is ties beauty only skin deep. It extends to engine design and tidy mechanism. Perhaps that is why British sales have dropped off by only about 4 per cent, during the depression, and why British ears are penetrating to markets hitherto closed to them. The tendency to equip the car of to-day with . now transmission and gear-changing systems is manifest on

till sides. In some of the tourers, the self-changing gearbox (Wilson patent) is incorporated—a gearbox which combines simplicity with safety'. All the driver has to do is to place a pointer to the number of the gear to which lie intends to change, and then, when lie is ready, give a touch to the clutch pedal. Tim car at once change.-: its own gear. No fewer than I’D manu-’ facturers are exhibiting cars with some form of easy-change gearbox, cither the pre-selector type, of which the pioneers were Armstrong-,Siddeley', or else of the synchro-mesh type. Latest Style in Coachwork. Another feature of the exhibition is the predominance of sunshine roofs, four-speed gearboxes, direction indicators, and other fittings, which, only a short year ago, were “extras.” And the latest style in coachwork is, of course, the “Windswept” line, of which the main characteristics are eddy-free fronts to the windscreens, side panels to the wings, and rear aprons or tails concealing roar tank ami luggage compartment. A small item which adds to the windswepteffect is the greater use of wheel discs and metal spare-wheel covers. In addition to cellulose finish and chromium

! plating on tho blight parts'of the , body, rust-proofing processes are being j employed on such parts as the wings so that they' will bo protected even if . the paint is damaged. On some of the stands were cars, equipped with the new tree-wheel do- . vice, which permits “coasting” in the j ; approved bicycle manner, and which, probably', will be in universal use before very long. This was the innovation which attracted the special at- , tention of visitors to the recent motor , show in Paris, where M. Citroen made ] a feature of it. i To differentiate the various pro--1 dilations of the exhibiting manufacturers would bo to draw comparisons ’ where none are needed. It is sufficient to state that British makers as a whole < have risen to the needs of the times , and are evidentlv determined not to be left behind by their rivals on Hie C’on- • tinent and in America. If Olympia, , 103 M. demonstrates anything it- demo- j strates that, for it is probably the most ! comprehensive and instructive display 1 of cars, speedboats, and mechanical j equipment the world has yet seen. It , marks a further stage in the emancipation of the motorist —Sydney Morning j Herald. I