12
THE CHINA MAIL,
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1929.
WA
AN THE MOTORISTS' PAGE AS
AM
First In the World's Classic Races!
Norton
MOTOR CYCLES
The Following are a few of the most
recent successes won by NORTON.
ATHY 75 ROAD RACE
(500 cc. class) Stanley Woods, First (from Scratch) Record Speed 69 m.p.h.
BROOKLANDS
200 MILES SIDECAR
RACE
--also Second and Third. The only finishers as in . 1928.
DONCASTER A.C.U. YORKSHIRE CENTRE SPEED TRIALS
E. Searle - Five Firsts and "Challenge Cup" in each class. Fastest
Time of day, Solo and Sidecar.
✪
SOUTHPORT 100 MILES
J. II. Simpson, First- Fastest Time of the day irrespective of class. SWEDISH MAY TRIAL Most important of all Continental Reliability Trials.
Best performance of the day with Sidecar, and Team prize with Side- car, and Team prize- only team to finish,
BELGIAN GRAND PRIX de FRONTIERES
Jules Dethy, 1st in 500 c.t. class.
COME AND SEE THESE WONDERFUL MACHINES,
A MACHINE WITH SUCH A FINE RECORD WILL OBVIOUSLY SERVE YOU BEST.
SINCERE'S
As good
SOLE AGENTS
as New
DUCO
Let no renew the original beauty of
your car with an expertly applied
DUCO finish job. Then she'll look
as good as new.
Full particulars from
THE REPUBLIC MOTOR CO. OF CHINA.
30-32 Des Voeux Road C.
Telephone C. 1219 & C. 6252.
FOR SPEED AND RELIABILITY
We have in stock
THE FAMOUS 175 cc. SUPERSPORT
Holder of 14 World's Records including the 24 hours average speed of 52 miles per hour. THE 350 cc. SUPERSPORT
Last victories:
TOUR DE FRANCE (4453 Km) 1st
FRENCH BOL D'OR World's Road Record of 24 Hours Record Beaten of 138 Km.
1st
ALGERIA GRAND PRIX
Ist
THE 500c.c. SUPERSPORT
GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE (Montihery Track) Won two years in succession 1927 1928.
verage speed 150 Km.
Easy Payment Plant.
THE FRENCH MOTOR CYCLE CO.
Nathan Road, Kowloon,
NEW HIGH RECORD
STEARNS - KNIGHT SALES
UNUSUAL TESTS
COMPLETE CIRCUIT OF HOLLAND
to
FOR NEW ZEALAND
STRIKING RISE IN IMPORTS
1928 10,871 16,504 $1,663,266 £2,386,299
Where Britain Lags
With June sales and production Highest honours in one of the Striking increases in the in- continuing at the new high pacemost unusual and thorough-going portation of motor vehicles into set during the spring mantha, offi- tests for motor vehicles to be held New Zealand followed the improve- cials of the Stearns-Knight Sales in Europe this year were won by ment, in 1928, of the industrial Corporation of Cleyeland, manu- three stock model Studebaker cars position of the Dominion. facturers of Stearns-Knight auto in the annual Dutch "Eleven Pro- Compared with 1927, the imports mobiles are confident that the com- vince Capitals Reliability Trial" of motor-cars were rather more pany will break all previous re- The trio of Studebaker was than 50 per cent. higher than those cords for the first half of the year. awarded a .silver cup, high- of the previous twelve months.
Announcement in May that sales est award for automobiles, The comparative totals are:
1927. of Stearns-Knight cars during the for being the only "team" first four months of this year more complete the 750-mile test without Number than doubled actual shipments penalty. In addition to the team Value during the corresponding period of prize. drivers of the Commander The United Kingdom manufac
Director last year is given added signifi- Roadster,
Sedan
and turers did not share in the increase cance by the fact that sales during Erskine Sedan each received the to the extent of makers in Canada May broke any previous record and "E.P.H.R.III" gold metal and silver and the United States. Imports that the first two weeks of June medal for excellent performance. from Britain increased only by pushed the peak higher.
The Province Capitals Reliability about 11 per cent. Analyzing the factors back of Trial received its name from the the record demand for its cars, route followed, which leads through With the general marked return officials of the company pointed to the capital of each province in to prosperity after a period of de- the widespread service and sales Holland to make a complete circuit pression, motor-car imports inte facilities of the Willys-Knight or of the country. The test was timed New Zealand during 1928 showed a ranization which are available to and supervised by the Motor phenomenal rise. They increased Stearns-Knight owners and the bicycle-Club "De Baronie" of Breda. in numbers from 10,871 in 1927 to fact that the Stearns-Knight | The trial started on April 26, with 16,504, and in value to £2,336,299, tylish models are available in 114 automobiles and motor-cycles as compared with £1,663,266. Im oth the eight and six-cylindered leaving Breda between 6 and 7.30 ports of commercial vehicles were lasses. Pack of this, too. is the a.m. The route to be covered was £429,772, compared with £372,270 fact that the Stearns-Knight does divided into six stages, covering apin 1927. Of motor-car imports not bring out drastic changes in its proximately 750 miles; and led those from Canada and the United models every year but is one of the through. Middelburg, The Hague, States accounted for 83% per cent. "ew manufacturers in the field Haarlem, Utrecht, Zwolle, Leeuwar of the total sales. which continues its principal lines den, Groningen, Assen, Arnhero, The United Kingdom's share of From year to year with minor Mastricht and Hertogenbosch, pro-
the business is distinctly disap- hanges and refinements, officials vince capitals. Competitors were pointing, for the increase from aid. These cars contain many ap required to maintain
2,128 motor-cars in 1927 to 2,864 ointments and an individuality speed of 25 m.p.h. for the entire dis- last year is only 11 per cent., com- which the so-called "mass pro-tance, which was made extremely pared with a total increase of 62 neers of automobiles cannot at difficult by the large number of per cent. The commercial figures tain in their volume output, ex- hills and sharp turns encountered on were similar, Great Britain's share being about 18 per cent. in point of numbers each year, at an average Canada's average of £91 and the of 2316, compared with
several stages of the run.
an average
Contestants began to arrive in Breen late in the afternoon on the following day. At 6 o'clock, the time limit set for the trial, only 69
value
United States £172.
perts in the trade point out.
Along with the greater buying of the standard models in both the x and eight cylindered classes, There has been an aggressive de
and for the custom built jobs of the 114 entrants had completed Britain's trade decreased from On à basia of value Great which created enthusiastic com-the test. The winning Studebakers ment at the domestic and foreign competed in a field of eight Ameri-2612 per cent. for cars and 33 per lous. Most of these were built can and five European makes of cent, and 30 per cent, respectively. cent. for trucks in 1927 to 20 per 7 Brunn and Judkins and surpass automobiles.
in beauty and striking con- arts, anything offered by Ameri- nor foreign designers.
A TEST FLEET
BIGGEST 1905 TYRE CONTRACT
The bright spot is the motor-cycle, for the number of British machines imported was 2.998, and CAR FOR THE POPE American 659, the British lead in-
SELECTION OF A
FIAT
creasing on similar annual totals. Tyre imports were a shade under £1,000,000, a slight decrease, 60 per cent. of which was Canadian
for motor
The recent historic settlement of and 20 per cent. British. The total the Roman question having brought amount of money sent out of the A sturdy
Dominion last year right-hand drive to an end the Pope's voluntary con- Maxwell was the forerunner of the finement within the precincts of the vehicles, tyres, and parts was great Firestone test fleet which to- Vatican, the Fist Company has day, running on all kinds of reads offered to His Holiness a six cylin-1927 but less than in 1926.
Order of Makes and under every sort of condition, der
а special
Chevrolet headed the list of re-
rriles.
car fitted
with
£4,176,060. which is more than in
|
GARGOYLE
Mobiloil
·Make the chart your guide
increased 19 per cent, to 1,843; Chrysler increased 92 per cent, to 1,480; and fifth on the list was the British Austin, which showed a wonderful increase of 100 per cent., to 1,308. Whippett and- Dodge followed, and then came Morris with 633, showing an in- crease of only 4 per cent, This was more than accounted for by fairly heavy imports of usel Morris cars. Austin is the only British car making any progress on the market, but as 60 per cent. of these sales are in the 7 hp.
Other English:
Armstrong Siddeley Bean
Citroen
Hillman
6
Humber
1
Singer
13
Standard Talbot Swift Wolseley Vauxhall Triumph
2
5
1
Commercial vehicle registrations model American cars hardly feel in New Zealand in January nura- the competition.
PRICES SOARING
FORD MAN RETURNS FROM UNITED STATES
bered 205, and included: Chevrolet Froduction of the Dominion's 91, Ford 82. International 30, primary products has been dis- Morris 5, Thornycroft 5, Dennis 3. tinctly good daring the past A.E.C., Bean, and Leyland 1 each. season, and 1929 has opened with excellent prospects for good motor- car business, according to leading culty of the British agencies has authorities in the trade. The diffi
been to get supplies from the fac-
models were not available for sale tories. The Morris Minor and Six
at the end of February, and de-
Manila, July 26.
several weeks behind orders, Fords have been sold up to date, Over 2,000,000 of the new model liveries of small Austins were:
Following December's record according to J. S. Reese, manager sales, motor-car registrations in of the Manila Trading company, New Zealand in January dropped who returned yesterday from a 10- to 1,650, and for the first time a month business trip to the United British car was second on the list. States. The registrations were:
Ford Austin Chevrolet
261
195
.162
Essex
115
Plymouth
115
Dodge
77
Whippett
72
Chrysler
47
Pontiac
46
Rugby
46
Nash
46
Buick
40
Morris
38
de Soto
34
Hudson
31
The FINEST TYRE
Mr. Reece also asserted that the tendency in the United States at present is for the price of motor cars to go up. A slight raise in the prices of all makes of automobiles is therefore expected soon.
Mr. Reese spent most of his time in New York, making periodical trips to the Ford factory in De- troit.
He declared that business condi- tions in the United States are not as good as could be expected due to the great amount of talk on the much discussed tariff question. Philippines Herald.
FISK
registers hundreds of thousands of limousine body, which will constitute gistratique 15: 1928 with 2,341, an the habitual means of transporta- When Mr. Firestone decided to go tion of the head of the Roman which was off the market for more increase of 35 per cent. Ford. into the manufacture of pneumatics Catholic Church.
than half the year, was next with the tiny factory having thereto- The chassis is a Model 525. The 2,048, a decrease of 30 cars. Essex fore produced only carriage rubber body, which has been specially con- or solids he realised the need of structed and is a very fine example an automobile on which to try-out of the coach builder's art, is a sÍX- this new product.
Beater enclosed limousine. The Buys First Car
bwo forward seats are
In black So he went to Tarrytown, N. Yleather. The interior comprises purchased a Maxwell car, shipped it two seats facing forwards, the to Akron, had it fitted with one of right-hand one being for His the first sets of tyres the factory Holiness, and two folding sesta produced, and then made an initial facing rearwards. The upholstery trip in it to his Columbiana home-is in velvet, two shades of dark red stead. No one in that section had being used, with crimson silk trim-!
seen a "horseless carriage" mings specially woven in Venice. before and the car-attracted much All the metal fittings, such as door
tention along the way.
handles and window controls, are The tyres used, 28 x 3 smooth artistically fashiofed and gilded. treads, were known as "mechanical Inside the car is a gold medallion of ly fastened" and the car was put St. Christopher, patron saint of through many severe tests to prove travellers, this, as well as the Papal that its tyres wouldn't "come off," Arms on the panels having been would not rim cut, etc. The great made in Rome and constituting very Ferd contract, about which Mr.fine examples of the goldsmith's Firestone interestingly writes in his art. famous book, "Men and Rubber," called for this tyre equipment and that it proved most satisfactory is gen in the fact Firestone tyres have been used by the Ford Company over since.
(ver
THE NAKED TRUTH
WHEN FIRST WON'T GO IN
Few things hother novices and experienced drivers alike more than a sticky clutch, which en- ables first gear to be engaged only by brute force and with a grating "Does your fiancée know much noise from the gearbox. The about automobiles?"-
proper course is to ascertain why "Heavens, no! She asked me if the eluteh does not free and to I cooled my car by stripping the adopt the obvious remedy, but in gears." "Contact," in "The some cases the clutch appears to ristor."
be quite in order, and in that case. the reason may be ascribed to an inherent stickiness of the material with which the clutch plates are lined, CHEONGAN If any motorists are bothered with this particular trouble, they will find the following an excel- lent remedy says: “The Light Car and Cyclecar." With clutch fully depressed
the accelerator smartly two or three times. Pause a couple of seconds, and then snick the gear lever into first - The procedure described causes the floating plate to disengage from the driving members owing to its own inertia
QUICK AND
EFFICIENT
REPAIRS
FIAT GARAGE
671 673 Des Voeur Ed.
TéL C. 4821.
HAS EVER BUILT -
FOR MILEAGE
FISK RUGGED ALL-CORD This greatest FISK is mirpassing all FISK records of excess MILEAGE. Depend on the FISK for sure traction, easy steering and safe braking under all conditions
in every way it offers super tyre service, unsurpassed by any tyre made to-day.
FISK
All-Cords
OBTAINABLE AT ALL GARAGES UPON REQUEST.
DISTRIBUTORS:204 GILMAN & CO.
HONG KONG BANK BUILDING, Tel C 290-44 Des Voeux Rd C...