ENGLISH AND AMERICAN CARS.

Southland Times, Issue 20834, 24 July 1929, Page 3

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN CARS.

To The Editor.

Sir, —“Old England” is right when he asserts that we can quite easily buy all the motor vehicles and tyres we want from the Old Country and at the same time receive better value. England’s selection of cars ranges from the Baby type to twelvecylinder 50 h.p. models. In the commercial vehicle field the carrying capacity of English machines is from 6 cwt. to 100 tons. If England cannot supply our requirements, what country can? In the same edition your two pro-for-eign correspondents quote Englands 1928 import figures of U.S.A, cars as being over 26,000 in one case and 18,399 in the other. Apparently, so far as figures are concerned, one of them is about as reliable as a Y'ankee speedometer. “Unbiased” asks whether the 18,000 (?) New Zealanders who bought Y'ankee cars had more money than sense. Personally I think they are not overburdened with either. Regarding the sale of American cars in England, this is brought about by the evasion of the customs tariff by having them assembled there. It is only the lower priced Y'ankee ‘cars that sell to any extent in the British Isles, which proves again that it is the size of the purse and not quality that counts in the purchase of a car.

This correspondent, who quotes a certain American car that has done 30,000 miles at 70 m.p.h. on a racing track, which is a very good performance, wants to know what British car could do the same. I do not know of any English car that has attempted such long distances on the racing track, but I do know that in the French 24 hour road race for standard cars America has not yet secured a win. In this event which is run under conditions likely to be met with by the private owner, England has done very well indeed. Should your correspondent want of the above mentioned 30,000 miles at 70 m.p.h. record breaking machines, he would be well advised not to buy a new car, but visit some of the garages up North, where he will pick up practically new motors at almost any old price, because their owners cannot stand the continual drain of paying their petrol bills. “Unbiased” you pay very dearly for your few extra miles per hour. “Unbiased” seems very fond of asking questions. As I am too, I will ask him one or two. What • country produced the first car to cross Australia? To help him out I will give him a clue. It was made in the same country that built the cars that crossed Africa and blazed the trail from England to Australia.

As American cars have engines of the big bore, short stroke variety, we must give England the credit for the first six cylinder high compression engine. Not being sure of the originators of the oil and air cleaners I will give “Unbiased” the benefit of the doubt. Even though a certain American make is fitted with both these devices, it seems rather strange that quite a number of these cars require their cylinders rebored after a comparatively small mileage. Badly balanced engines make rubber mounts almost a necessity on American cars. Now what in the name of goodness has the vacuum tank to do with advanced automobile design. If “Unbiased” has much to do with motor cars he will have noticed that most Yankee cars have their petrol tanks at the rear. Like water, petrol cannot defy the law of gravity so has to be assisted to the carburettor by means of the vacuum tank. America cannot claim the credit for introducing electric lighting, coil ignition, force feed lubrication, balloon tyres, efficient snubbers, dipping head lights or small sectioned rim steering wheel rims (if that is what he means). With badly designed external contracting brakes, a car so equipped simply must have bumpers fitted for its own salvation. You will notice the Americans are firm believers in bumpers. Such items as coil ignition, steel frame bodies, wooden and disc wheels, indirect lighting of dash board, etc., are in the American car specification to bring down the cost of production. So far as originality of car design is concerned French engineers are years ahead of the Yanks. England does not build freaks, but specializes in the production of practical, well tried cars. To the new car buyer, my advice is, “If you cannot afford to buy an English car, you certainly cannot afford to run an American one.”—l am, etc., “BRITISH OWNER.”