MOTORING

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1935, Page 16 (Supplement)

MOTORING

LOST PROPERTY DEPOT SOUTH TARANAKI MOVE. FACILITIES FOR MOTORISTS. (By .“Spotlight.”) A move that should meet with the approval and.. support of all motorists is that of the Automobile Association (South Taranaki) in establishing a lost property depot at Hawera. The. action of the southern association is one that might well be adopted by other associations throughout the Dominion. Although no definite’steps have as yet been taken to establish a depot at New Plymouth the Automobile Association (Taranaki) appeared favourably disposed towards the scheme when it was discussed at a meeting of the Association, and the South Taranaki Association is assured of the co-operation of northern motorists. The “lost property service,” simple in its administration, should prove a boon to members of the associations. The Automobile. Association (South Taranaki) has issued a circular in which members Who have lost an article are invited to report the loss to a patrol or. to any association agency. Every effort will be made to restore the lost property.

Similarly in the event of a member finding any article of value on the road, he or she would be doing a fellow member a kindness by leaving the lost article at the association’s office or by handing it to a patrol, when every, effort would be made, to restore it. to its rightful owner. - In the event of property being lost or found outside Taranaki members are assured of the- ready co-operation aiid help of any! automobile association agency.. ' n. f . ( The automobile association has done excellent work during its existence in the Dominion and the new scheme launched by the South Taranaki unit is but just another example of the determination of me association to make motoring a joy rather than a bugbear. •At times one is inclined to feel that the motorist is being too well cared for, but, one must congratulate the association in South Taranaki on its progressive policy.

BERLIN MOTOR SHOW UNORTHODOX MODELS. “PLANS FOR A PEOPLE’S CAR.” That economic crises should not interfere with “motoring for the multitude” was suggested by the speech of Herr Hitler at the opening of the Berlin motor show. Herr Hitler is reported to have said: “The skill of a brilliant designer and the co-operation of his staff have already produced the preliminary plans for a people's car. . It must, be possible to provide the German people with a motor-car to cost no more than a medium-weight motdr-cycle.” In some respects, the Berlin show is an anti-climax, in ' that it follows the Olympia, Paris, New York and other great annual exhibitions, but German manufacturers keep something up their sleeves for their own national display. The reports published in the British motoring press show that there' were several surprises, and, on the whole, the exhibits suggest a trend in popular taste which is not entirely in conformity with the present policy of British and American manufacturers. German car coachwork, we learn, has been', radically altered for the better, and not only is a distinctive form of Streamlining favoured, but there has also been a big swing towards open models. The latter circumstance is associated by several critics with the “open-air” movement, which is very pronounced in the Fatherland. . OUTSTANDING EXHIBIT. An outstanding exhibit was an open sports model Mercedes-Benz, which, although rather spectacularly and scientifically streamlined, is, to judge from a photograph, a very pretty and roomy car. The front mudguards, in which . the headlights ate incorporated, are carried far in advance of the front axle, and have deep, flush-fitting, detachable skirts, which extend below the wheel hubs; while the back wheels are also encased by moveable panels, which are flush with the sides of the car, so that there are no projecting rear mudguards. Mercedes also showed a • small, rear-engined model, built on the lines of the Auto-Union, racing car, with which Hans von Stuck, has had much success during the last year, and another “highlight” was a 3j-litre, entirely new Mayabach type, which,.' although not super-charged, develops, 140 b.h.p. All wheels are independently sprung. At front, according to the description given by the “Motor,” is a single transverse spring anchored high up on an arched cross-member just behind the radiator, and it connects with the wheel holders by large coil springs, the ■ wheels being articulated 'to the chassis by means of twin forked connecting rods above and beneath. The four-speed ge.arbox is bolted to the rear axle casing, and the axle itself ''is housed in a sort of tunhel, keeping all parts of the frame practically on the same level. A similar suspension system is employed for the back wheels. Backbone chassis have been adopted for some time by a number of European manufacturers, a typical example being the 1700 c.c. Hansa. That machine, .too, has all-round independent springing, and the frame is formed from a angle steel pressing, with an attached steel body platform, which acts as an uhdershield and gives a clear flow of air' beneath the car. Ulis model was the cheapest "six” displayed at the Berlin Show, and it is mentioned that six-cylinder cars were in a majority there. The only British make exhibited was the Austin, of which a number of models were displayed. For the most part, the show seems to have been a presentation of German and mid-European products, many Of them of ultra-modern build. even in so-called depressed countries, yearns to become a car owner, and, in Europe, manufacturers appear to be helping the situation by evolving cheap and economical types, with enviable petrol mileages, and a good turn of speed.