SINGER
The Quality Car
ROADSTERS.
&
SUPER TEN SALOONS
9 h.p.
Sule Distributors
(in Hongkong & South China)
CHINA MOTORS
Asia Lite Hidg.. 3rd. floor, Hongkong. Telephone 26177.
SERVICE STATION & SHOW ROOM
749 Nathan Road, Kowloon.
AT LAST....
THE
Telephone 50318,
'DUCO'
RENOWNED CAR
FINISHES
For Spray or Brush Application For Rapid Touch-up or Complete Refinish
THE CHINA MAIL, BATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1947.
MOTORING NEWS AND VIEWS The Roomy MORRIS Road Test A New Era In Car
#
Stock:s available in Hong Kong of the following:-
FINISHES
PUTTIES
UNDERCOATS
RUBBING COMPOUNDS
THINNERS
IRIMERS
PRIMED SURFACERS WAX & LIQUID POLISHES
No. 2:- HILLMAN MINX
DATA
Alake and Model;-Hillvan Minx 4-door anlook.
Engine: 0.8 hp. 4-eplinder side-sutve, developing 35 bhp at 4100 pm; rubber-cushion- cd mounting down-draught carburettur.
New
Clutch and Transmission:
type control clutch, with compensated operating mechanism. Finir-speed syn- chromesh gearber.
Ignition: Coil and battery: automatic advance and retard. Suspension; Semi-elliptic aprings, with luvar piston-type #hock preARUTO recuperating absorbers; anti-sway bar fit- ted at rear.
Brake-Bendix duo-nervo; handbraker operates ON all four wheels.
Dimensions, etc.:-Wheel- btree, 7 ft. 0 in. Turning circle, 36 ft. Overall length, 12 ft. 10
width, ft.
iw
0
in.;
height, f. 25 in.
Turca:-Dunlop, extra lom pressure, large section (5.00 2. 16 in.).
Local Agents:-Gilmar & Co.
Production
By Laurence Pomeroy
'six-
ing maximum speeds of around 76 m.p.h. This kind of vehicle will have an engine of between 1,500 and 1.800 cc. developing etween 55 and 70 h.p. Under rationalised production pro- gramme the larger companies will probably produce a cylinder variation having a From 1919 to 1946, the design of all British cars capacity of between 2-3/4 and was greatly influenced by a tax based on the 2.7 litres and developing be- piston area of the engine. A formula was used tween 70 and 90 b.hp. which meant in effect that for every two These two larger sizes of car! square inches of piston-area the car was rated will prove effective competitors at 1 hp., and for the greater part of the time with the United States design- ed models on the score of per- during which this tax was applied, £1 was formance and of a superior exacted for every horse-power of engine.
economy. It is Improbable The effective power on the test bed was consider that they will be built to such overall ably higher. A well-designed engine could large dimensions. develop 2 hp. for every square inch of piston- length and width aro restrict- area that is to say, the real horsepower was ed hot only in England, but avail- throughout Europe by four times the nominal horsepower. As
ablo garage space and the nar- between one engine and another, however, rowness of the roads. taxation by piston-area was theoretically The really large car there- sound.
fore, will continue to be made
ДА
In practice, this tax led to full effects come to light. En-in only limited quantities. the construction of engines tirely new designs, not only of There will be no possibility running at high piston speeds engines but also for cars as a of linking the engine dealgn and Hable to excessive wear whole, will have to be brought to the smaller models in larger it lo and tear in an endeavour to forward and it will obviously seale production, and get the maximum real power bo two or three years before likely that the next step above with The minimum of tax this can be effected. Changes 2-1/2 litres and say 80 b.h.p. penalty. For this reason the in fact, will come in two stages. will be engines of between four basis was changed in 1947, £10 During the course of the and five litres developing be- being taken for every litre (or next two years a number of tween 120 and 150 b.h.p.
These almost certainly will I cubic inches) of engine alternative engine aizes which capacity. This gave the de-are now available in the same have straight eight engines and aigner greater freedom but en-chassis will be eliminated. For it is known that a number of forced a serious penalty on the example, one British construc- constructors have this type un- larger cars.
tor now offers virtually the der development, The whole of these difficul-aame car with three different int in hls, choice of ties have now been swept away engine sizes which are obtain-
Are reliability, dura-
and in future British cars willed simply by varying the dio- bility and economy of run- be uniformally taxed on the meter of the cylinder and pls-
vor
High among the factors which moti- vate the aver
age
Kong
Hong motor-
NAMES
Eight
THE CAR WITH THE LOWEST, UPKEEP COSTS
The Morr "Eight" with
exceptional Interior rDomalDesi it draught- proof body and large Luggage book. Remarkably economical to run, with a safe, high crulling speed and an outstanding record for reliability, the "Elght" in better value than ever to-day.
NE
MORRIS
'Eight'
SERIES 'E'
DODWELL MOTORS LTD.) SHOW ROOM: Queen's Bldg. SERVICE STATION: Russel St.
TEL. 32303 TEL. 92302
ning combined with a good persis of £10 per annum. For ton size. The aame car ap- Names associated with the Bat- formance both in traffic and on the first time since the end of pears again, but in a slightly tle of Britain are to be borne by the hills. A rond text of a new World War I, British manufac-altered form, with A four new locomotives of the Southern Iman "Minx" soon showed turers, therefore, will be abie cylinder engine, and it is ike-Railway in honor of the men and why this particolar make in so to use any size or shape of en- ly that in future not more than their machmes who fought in the * populas both with private mo-gine which they feel will beat two and possibly only one skies above where the new en-
torists and with the major meet the technical requirements model will be manufactured Fines will operate.
First four engines to be com- taxicab companies on the Main- quite untrammelled by any with useful savings in produc-pleted will be named after espe land (for both seek, basically, complications of taxation. tion costs and casier service. cially prominent figures in, thore the same qualities in a car).
It is scarcely possible to ex- This particular constructor 1946 days-Winston Churchill, The
for vense
the Lest
is by no means unique. Seven Lord Dowding, Sir Keith Park, others offer alternative engine and Lord Beaverbrook, aizes with little or no change. Other Banies will include Spit. in the rest of the design and fire, Hurricane, and Fighter Pilot, all of these can be expected to Arodromes such as Biggin Hill. Manston, and Croydon aleg will eliminate the variations, most have on engine named after them.. of them probably continuing with the larger or largest aize
REISS, BRADLEY & CO., LTD.
National City Bank of New York Bultding, Yong Hong
2 Queen's Rd, C.
Tel: 28006/7
A Place in the Sun....
For the Family whose car is always in use.
HILLMAN MINX
A PRODUCT OF THE NOOTES GROUP
Solo Distributors:—
GILMAN & COMPANY, LTD.
MOTOR DEPARTMENT
Des Voeux Road, C.
Telephone S3146
(round the New Territories in an anti-clockwise direction) is almost perfect for the purpose, providing as it does motoring bath in traffic and the coun-
try, along the flat and up and down hill, with straight strel- ches and corners that seem to keep going round indefinitely, and road surfaces varying from good to fair.
10
aggerate the influence that this will have, but it must be realis. ed that a substantial, time in- terval must elapse before the
through to top aml it is only on really steep hills that he will need to go below third.
Bottom can be ignored most ef the time-save, say, when starting from rest on a hill,
Available.
Simple
in these cases the effects of
As this was a brand new car.with a full load on, board. Some change in taxation are simple
attempt, of course, wÜR made to get maximum perform-i difliculty may be found in 80and present no difficult techni-
"Flogging" ing from reverse atraight into ance figures. would have been most unfair to second; this is not a
the
arc
Hhaft is
cal or commercial problems.
small
defect, car itself as well as to however, but an inherent fea In other cases the matter is more complicated. The whole at a multi- Gilman's, through whose courture of synchromesh gearboxes tesy the test was made poast-and is due to the fact that the commercial basis
designed to work plicity of models has been the ble it is simple enough to conos the
when
rotat acute sensitiveness of the Bri- keep the revs. down when go-
tish buying public to Minx ing up and down through the ink. Incidentally, the
changes in annual tax. has a well-balanced gearbox. gears, but one had to keep a
A number of companies, for on the speedo- fairly stiff yet fast; changing example, produce care of 8, 10 constant eye
down is child's play. meter when ambling along in
and 12 h.p. (say 900 cc., 1,200 A Boon top an the flat, as the combina-
cc., and 1,600 cc.) each one of tion of a quiet engine and com.
One fitting which is specifically designed paratively high top gear made
on the "Minx" to give the best results with It only too easy to start drift-
la a boon to that particular size of engine. parts ing above the 30 mph mark. "
mo. There are few common Perhaps one's first impres-
torista in used. The problem in future sion is that of absolute control the Colony--the two scuttle will be to decide which size or of the car at all times and over ventilators fitted on either side sites are really required. The all surfaces. Steering in ght just forward of the front doors, economy of the very small car enough to require no conscious These really do scoop, in the will still prove an attraction as effort; yet it is positive and the cool breezes. With the sliding the petrol tax remains a sub- car shows no tendency to waver roof back and the windscreen stantial factor, and the smaller or jump about the road.
opened it is practically the car, the lower the first cost. Cornering is a delight-the horizontal, one has a really On the other hand, purchasers cliche about running on cool drive-a welcome change doubtless will welcome the op- ralla comes instantly to mind. from cars whose windscreens fportunity of buying a Part of the credit for this goes open only a few inches and what, larger car
old
1
Steering
Bummer
Bome- without in-
to the anti-away bar at the which have one bonnet ventila-creasing their annual tax pay- rear, which gives balanced and tor at the most-or, more often ment.
The pronounced even riding at all than not, dispense with it en-
answer to
these ques speeds and through both left |tirely.
tions will almost certainly le and right hand curves. Heel-
The Spartan-like dashboard In the production of fewer en- ing seemed almost non took one back for a moment gine types having considerably existent. The hydraulic shock especially after some of the greater variations in capacity absorbers were on their toes chromium-plated "Wurlitzera" than has hitherto been the case. the whole time and in combina- | that are fitted these daye. The future structure of the tion with "all-round half-ellip-There is, for instance, no oil industry will probably be built tic" springing gave one a cush-pressure gauge or ammeter. On around four principal engine loned ride without any of that the other hand, the
austore sizes, "over the bounding Main" feel- facta tells the average motor- The smallest of these will be ing certain American cars In-lat all he wants to know-in the between 800 and 700 cc. provid- dulge in.
20 b.h.p.; cass of the "Minx" one mighting approximately
for a really needs to adequate power almost say all he
small two-seater car. This in know!
For the "Minx" is cssential- turn would have a ready mar- The steering wheel-which ly a car for the unassumingket on account of its exceeding self-centres smoothly and motorist-the man who doesn't ly low petrol consumption and quickly-is nus affected by road know. (and doesn't want to convenience for town work and surfaces to any appreciable ex-know) the difference between a short rural journeys. tent. Pot-holes were avoided gudgeon pin and a tappet guide, where possible and taken at but who does want a car that slow speed. On one occasion, will get him about his business this was impossible-but there without fuse or bother and Small four-seater care will was no kick or other reaction with a fair turn of speed, who be provided with four-cylinder at the steering wheel.
la willing to forego the palace-engines between 1,000 and 1,100 The new "Blinx" is about 1 like dimensions of a bigger car ce, developing about 85 b.h.p. ewt. lighter than previous mo- in favour of manoeuvrability This class, having adequate dele. The engine develops and economy in running-la | power for normal British jieeds some 35 brake-horne-power at short, the man who wants, and a potential fuel consump- 4.100 rovs per minute, so it good, light car.
ton of 40 m.p.g., may well prove
Small Cars
;
I was no surprise to find instant In addition, in the "Minx" the largest seller, as it will responsa to throttle alterations, he gets a car which scoma to take the place af both 8 and 10 The top-gear ratio of 5.22 and havo að much head and leg h.p. typça-which, havo in the the elimination of deadweight room as any other in its class, past-jointly reprosented 50 par in the new "Minx" are an al-yet at the same time has the cent of British production, most idea! combination for fine lines and proportions--the ·A· four-cylinder engino will local motoring. Indeed, the latter is the important word-- also be used for a somewhat, lazy driver can almost forget' of what might be called the larger type of car capablo' of! the gearbox once he has got “full-alced” car"
seating five in comfort; offer-
THE
THE STANDARD
STA 471
EIGHT SALOON
FAR EAST MOTORS
26, Nathan Road,
Kowloon.
Tel. Nos, 56849 67250
HOME OF
FERODO
BRAKE & CLUTCH LININGS ·
THE GROWTH OF THE FERODO ORGANISATION.
The evolution from a small wooden hut,:0 feet by 0 foot, altuated in the heart of the Derbyshire country, side, to the modern Ferada factory, covering 11⁄2 seren, saulopad with the must advanced schontide machinery and with Bistributory centres in every part of the world, in a story of continued progresalon.
It was in 1807 that Mr. Berbert Frood started making brake' Ünings for horse-drawn vehicles hat with the development of the motor car and the consequent heavy demand· fer amclent braking material, it became necessary to obtain larger promives and employ man modern methods of manufacturoja
In 1912 Hr. Freed therefore acquired the Sovereign Milis at Chapal-an-le-Frith and five years later the business was Hosted as a public limited company known as The Herbert Frood Company Limited.
In 1920 the name of the Company was changed to Ferado Limited and much 'was the demand for Ferodo Brake and Clutch Lialogs that an intirely new factory had, ta be-built in 1911., În 1929 the volume of output and so. Intressed that the factory aven had to be doubled and further extinalons were madh in 1921.
Today, the huge factory at Chapoj-un-le-Frith, complete with Ita Phroical Research Laboratory, linell unique of le kind, producen by far the färgsät volume of frfetion materials in the Eastern Hemisphare. Crea now, aa thu demand ter Firoda profiela incrasons, further large factory extrealone ses la pregTIKE.
FERODO LIMITED.
Britain's Leading Manufacturers of Friction Materiala for all the Needs of Transportation and Industry
Enquiries to:-
REISS, BRADLEY & CO. LTD.
2. Queen's Road C.
National City Bank of New York Bldg.,
Tots: 22000/7.
1