Proposed Attempts On Land Speed Car Records

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19248, 13 February 1937, Page 9

Proposed Attempts On Land Speed Car Records

Till: well known American driver, Ab. Jenkins, who recently established several long-distance world's records on Bonneville sail Plats, Utah, [".S.A., intends to make an attempt on i lie land speed record of :ifll in.p.h., at. pre: -in held by sir Malcolm Campbell. Jenkins is having constructed a gigantic car with two engines, each developing 1800 brake horse-power, and he will make his at tempi some time tin's year. Fred Dixon, a 'e-I'amous British racing motor-cyclist, and now a very accomplished driver of racing car--, is working out the details of a new car, to be constructed to his own design. He hope- with this car to exceed the present record. Small Car to be Used

Dixon, however, is proceeding along different line.-, from Jenkins. lie believes thai nn useful purpose is served by attaining the speed in a gigantic car whose power unit cannot possibly bear any relation to any engine designed for ordinary louring cars, and he thinks thai, he will contribute mure lo the motor industry by endeavouring to break the record in a small car of extreme efficiency. Dixon, therefore, will use a car weighing a great deal less than any previous holder of the land speed record, and powered with a single engine of considerably smaller piston displacement than anything yet used for this Jul'.

M:tiiv prmninenl Lnplish nprec with Dixon, and some hold Ihe view thfil n definite limit on piston d isplneemon t for contenders lor the land spaed record would n'sull in some value to the motor industry i roin such attempts, whereas, with tlte pipatllie Vehicles used hitherto, the results achieved have been valueless, itpttrl, of emirse. I'rom what has been learnt about die effects rd wind resi- limn'' and tyre imliaviuur. Other American Cars Henry I't'iiii ) Topping, jut'-. :t younp niillionaire New Oirk sportsman, recently announeeil that ho would build a V in creation, streamlined, pea red for JSO miles an hour, for the next nOO-mile Indianapolis classic. Other younp American sportsmen > were layinp their plans for a earnpaipn into the world of fast aatomo--1 d les. Topping also annouaeed that he had purchased, in a private deal, the powerful .Maserati car "with which I’hilippe Kntancclin, of I’rnnro, roared into the money in tlte Jirst Ccorpo \ underbill t'ii]i rto-e over the new I,'oosevelt racewtty. liabe Sttipp, 'l’oppiap's are conlrael driver, wiii jntot the Maserati in the in;iill’llr:ii race over the Los Anpeles racewnv in March, ('auditions in this event will approximalely those ol Roosevelt raceway.