THE MOTOR WORLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16331, 21 January 1921, Page 3

THE MOTOR WORLD.

NEWS AND NOTES. (By RADIATOR.”) It is considered by experts in the English motor trade that the cost of motor-car bodies is getting quite out oi proportion to the intrinsically more expensive chassis and its miscellaneous equipment. Open touring bodies in England of quite ordinary patterns are now listed at 300 to 400 per cent higher than just before the war. Kit her this result denotes an abnormal rise in the cost of materials and labour—for it. certainly does not concern design as such—or it suggests failure on the part of the body-trade to curtail productive cost by reference to and adopting processes of production more in keeping with the nerd of the times and tlie pra.ctice in regard to chassis production. The effect of the high-priced body only serves to advance the price of the already high costing chassis, and undoubtedly plays into the hands of the American automobile manufacturer who by standardisation has reduced body production to a science—and about a quarter of the cost. In this part ot the world the price of motorcar bodies has about doubled—which is bad enough, but. apparently not as i had as in tho Old Country. Few motorists in this part of the world realise what a huge concern tho Austin Motor Company vs in England. At 110 time is the partly finished ma- i terials going through the works of a i less value than £”.000,000. The value of orders in hand for ” Austins ” and tractors—and on which deposits had been paid, was £8.000,000. This year the anticipated output, is 5000 cars, and 1000 tractors, big figures for England, but small, of course, as contrasted, with some of the big plants in America. The grip the American motor trade got cn the KngJish market- during the war period nun be gauged from tie fact that during the past- year there were imported into England from America 17,-528 passenger cars and 4503 commercial motor vehicles. It is no wonder the English manufacturer is asking for protection for his industry, which is likely to gain in strength 1 owing to the existing slackening off of car sales in the United States—the output having exceeded the demand. The leading European car manufacturers are already making arrangements for the French *" Grand Prix ” motor-car race, to boi held over tho Strasbourg circuit next July. Before the war this annual contest was the Blue Riband road event of the world. Already the Ballot firm—one of the leading French makers—and the winners oi many of the big road and track contests—has entered four cars, and’ been allotted numbers .1, 2, 3 and 4 for the race. The great American driver Ralph de Palma v. ill drive one of them, whilst another well-known driver in Chnssagne will drive another. It is anticipated that at least fifteen teams of cars will compete for the Blue Riband, including one or tvro English makers. A demonstration was given in New York recently of an invention known* as an automatic safety fender for motors- The inventor is engineer of the University of Naples, who himself demonstrated the device. Playing the part cf the “victim” he permit ted » motor-car travelling at twenty-five miles per hour to strike him full on. The. tender worked perfectly, lifting the inventor off’ bis feet and depositing him in the apparatus without a scratch It is said that it has taken nine years to perfect the device, which weighs 7olb and can bo attached to any car. An attempt is to.be made shortly by J. Ghassagne, the well-known French driver, to lower his own European hour motor-car record off 107 miles 1672 Yards, which was established at Brook'lands (England) in October, 1913. Tho attempt will be made at Brooklands and liis mount will bo an eight-cylinder Ballot. The world’s car hour record at present stands at 110 miles, to tho credit of Ralph de Palma, and was established at the Sfieepshead Speedway, New iork, in November, 1917. '••• $ A regular feature of the wellequipped private American garage is an electric buffer, with which tho chauffeur, with no labour to himself, keeps all the bright and plated work on the car in a very high state oi’ polish. Tho appliance consists ot' a small hivhs peed electric motor of one-eighth horse power, having a double-ended spindle, each end having n polishing “ mop ” a sort of circular brush of calico—screwed on. 'To these the chauffeur applies the usuil polishing powders and holds the motor, which i* very light and manageable, @0 that the brushes or “mops” press while running at very high speed against the part to be polished. The result is a finely-burnished suria.ee, far superior to any polish obtainable by hand labour.