HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1931.
SPARKS
FROM THE PLUGS
SOME NOVELTIES IN MODERN MOTORS. THE LIGHTER SIDE MODERN DRIVERS'
OLD METHODS IN NEW GUISE.
SUCCESS OF AN ITALIAN EXPERIMENT.
:
Motor practice wings in 'n'eircle, ¿quipped with radio sets which had. so that the investigator of novelties to be self-contained as no outside Ands frequently old methods-in a
sources of energy were permitted, new guise, writes Mr. Thornton Speed was not the object of this Rutter the London. Morning Post competition ng that was limited to motoring correspondent. To-day we22 to 28, miles an hour average, ac- ace more battery and coil ignition cording to the size of the motor. on various makes of care than the
As we may have a similar maguelo. True, these are high ten- tion in place of the old low tension petition one day in England, it may system, but the principle is the be of interest to note how th
Italians organised this cross-country zame-electricity for sparking plugs
rovided by the battery-an in the event guided by wireless messages. origin) sparking plug feeder of 30 years ago,
Last week I tested the new 20h.p. six-cylinder Sunbeam saloon, rated for tax purposes at 23.8 h.p. This new car has an excellent and bigh cinta motor, developing a road speed of over 80 miles an hour if desired I actually travelled at that pace for a few miles, and the steering was as comfortable and as steady as at 20 miles an hour.
com:
The following humour has been taken from the Wheel, Stade- baker's free wheeling maga zine:-
**The Early Bird."
John was never an early bird at the office. One morning his boss cxclaimed: **Lale again. Have you ever done anything on time?” "Yes, sir," was the meek but Prompt reply. "I purchased a
car.”—M'eturland,
**Thanking."
"Where's the ear, Dad?" asked the ton of an absent-minded pro
fessor.
"Why, dear me, I really don't know," he said, scratching his hend in an effort to recall the past, "Did I take it out 1"
You certainly did. You drove it downtown this morning,"
"Well, now, that is quite remark The entrants from the various Italian cities and elsewhere were able," said the professor. "I re- member now that after I got out divided into two groups, A sad B. At a given hour in the early mora- I turned 'round to thank the gen- ing direction instructions
were tleman who had given me the lift broadcast to the various groups, and wondered where he had gone!” group of one city being directed to Detroit Motor News.
point different from that ordered. for B group.
Further instructions were shortly afterwards sent out by radio so that competitor,imero 99" for exam. ple would he ordered to a different point from that originally instruct-
The novelty, however, in this new model is the system of fitting steel liners in the cast-iron cylindere ined, and similar counter-orders wore order to get the highest possible efficiency from the aluminium alloy
Listons.
broadcast to other individual com- petitors. Instructions ordering ter Lain cars to stop for a given interval were also went out by wireless.
i
"Bumble Seat."
1}
"Is Harry good company?? "Good company Say, that boy can make you forget you're in a! rumble seat!".
"Assembling."
FAULTS.
SELFISH AND OVER. CONFIDENT MOTORISTS.
S
During 'd recent train' journey,
in writes Chiltern the News Chronicle, my companion, a British traffic expert, was rather severe on slow-moving car drivers, and said a number of traffic chiefs were with him in desiring a minimum speed limit as a means to relieve traffic congestion.
He was also rather severe in his, remarks about modern drivers, and showed that he belonged to the school which thinks the standard of driving nowadays bad:
He predicted a time when trunk roads in Britain would all have a white line or other dividing device from the other, with a section set keeping each lino of traffle separate. apart for vehicles driven at less
than 30 m.p.h.
I believe he is right in regard to arterial roads being divided into oneway paths for traffic.
⚫
Nor do Fagree with him that the standard of driving is bad now- adays, though had he said that much of the present-day driving was o thoughtlessly relaxed as to be da The tourist rushed into the coun-gerous, I would have agreed with try store. "I wanna quart of oil,him. some gas, a couple of spark plugs, timer, a five-gallon kerosens can, and four pie tine."
want to."
•
Here, again, the wheel bus.
"All righty," replied the enter In order to vary the fun of divprising clerk," and you can as turned round, and the system of cylinder liners has been revived from ing by directional wireless, gramo semble 'er in the back room if you the practice applied to agricultural phone records were played and motors twenty years ago, and ↑ Grondenst, and the competitors were brought up-to-date. Cast-iron liners expected to take a note of the muni were the original idea. Then nerober of the recording discs, the name plane engines developed steel liners of the piece played, the artist or and now the Sunbeam Company artista and the opera from which have applied, this system to their music was taken. latest," twenty."' .
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Advice to Competitors. Messages, wore also broadcast and these had to be taken down-ver-
The result is a much improved eu- gine. Rapid acceleration and high speeds are attained in a few seconds. No doubt the seven bearings of the batim. crankshaft help to provide an en- Detailed maps of each section of gine entirely free from periodic | Italy; with mileages from town to vibrations, giving extremely silent, town, were furnished to each ram smooth-running at all engine speeds, petitor, so that they were aware of but the increased power developed the exact distance to be covered can be credited to the new steel after receiving direction instruç liners.
tions on theirʼradio, sets, and were niso able to calculate the exact tiine when their destination should be reached at their sabeduled coas petition speed.
Small Renewal Cost.
Moreover, there are easily renewed should by chance à cylinder wear unequally. Also such a renewal would cost only a very smalt sum and is an economical, method of maintenance.
Entries from those towns for dia- tant from the capital were given two days to reach Rome, while those in the vicinity of that city completed their reliability test run in one day
their allotted time.
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"Damming." Lady (at busy corner): Isn't it wonderful how a single policeman can dam the flow of traffic?
Her escort: Yes, but you should hear some of the motorists that are held up.-Boston Transcript.
'" Free Air." "Is there any truth in the report that Angus MacTavish bought, the corner filling station 1"
"Well, I don't know for sure, but the free air sign has been taken. down."
"SEEING, ROUND- CORNERS.".
A DEVICE TO SIMPLIFY ADJUSTMENTS TO INAC- CESSIBLE PARTS.
Every motorist who works at all on his own car has at some time experienced difficulty with a ne cessible nut or other part that can- not be acon directly, owing to its
Comfort to a high degree is pro- vided for the passengers in the now-
That as many as '000 cars could position. Especially does this ap- 23-h.p. Sunbeam salcon, costing £773. It travels, particularly easily take part in this reliability run as ply to the contact points on scma without jolt or jur to the occupants a test of car, radio set, and driving machines fitted with magneto igni. at all spoeds, high or low, without ability, will possibly surprise tion. A common procedura in duch cany swaying or rolling when round. British motorists. I think that this
tireumstances is to employ a small ing corners, I can thoroughly recom, directional wireless touring is an
mirror. In the direction of sim mend it as a high-class carriage.
excellent idea to amuse the passen gera în a car, as usually it is the
..
"A great effort is now proceeding driver who gets all the fan out of
plifying cparations of this kind, the Mirrorlite really meets a de mand of long-standing. It consists
to persuade motor manufacturers to competitions. In this case the pas of a small mirror, held in a light standardiso a wireless set as part songers also played an important frame which incorporates a flash and parcel of the car's equipment: ele in taking the messages and re-
witch.
whatever
In England so far, only the cars cording them on the officini sheets lamp battery, a bulb and a neat belonging to New Scotland Yard's to be handed in at the end of the special squad are fitted with re competition.
When the bulb in switched ceiving wireless outfits.
Tyres play a very important part inaccessible component,
light is provided to illuminate the Under the auspices of the Royal in all touring and other forms of it may be so, that it can be clearly Italian Automobile Club, the Turin motoring. Today the low prices seen in the mirror. Thus in the Automobile Club organised,, a few ruling for rubber and other comes to which this devies which work facilitated. There are other "weeks ago, a unique motor race in modities have enabled the British costs the modest sum of 35. com which the participants were, guided Goodyear Company to announce plate, and is made by Martinez, by directions broadcast from the new and exceptionally moderate Frias and Watson, Ltd., 2-3, Golden prices for their, well-known range of Square, WI.-ny bq put; for in Rome wireless station. The race Pathfinder covers. These are be pection lamp, and cflere advantages
stanco, it can be used as an ing
ended with the arrival in Rome of lieved to represent the lowest cost to feminine passengers fur fácilitat some 000 cara from all parts of at which tyres of this quality haveing those finishing touches to the complexion at night The Mirror- Italy Some of the competitors ever been available to motorista te passesses the morite-of-txizma Summer holiday rugs op. then simplicity; replacement batteries camo "figm, France, Germany, and covers should lesion motoring ex cost Bd. each, and can be obtained wherever electrical supplies are ugoslavia All the ́enre' 'wero
available.
pletely forgetting their training. behaving like mild hooligans at the wheels of cars.
To take a few of the varieties of thoughtlessness and selfishness so often encountered 'nowadays, "
There is the man who drives well away from the left-hand side on a
Touth rushes up on the wrong side EXCELLENT MODERN of the rond and then, realising the difficulty, bores into the line, forcing. one car to brake harshly and, with the driver unable to give any signal three or four cars behind berong involved in a minor crash,
Another curios act of thoughtless
main road at 28-30 miles an hour.nest most prevalent now is that of It is his idea of safety. He may be driving on the wrong side of the right, but by doing this he is rond at corners whether there are rolfishly making a road that should white lines or not. hold four lines of traffic a two-line, or perhaps a three-line, highway.
Ho forces others who want to get on to wait and the hasty to take the risk of overtaking him on the left-hand side or to go over to the wrong side of the road in passing
If this does not happen through his selfishness, something equall bad does. Cars behind him take up station on his tail until 20 or more are held up, for no one without the acceleration of a racing car dare risk overtaking a line of five or six cars bonnet to tail.
who hung on to the man's
Some may say that the motorists thoughtless also, because they ought tail were
to leave a space of two car lengths į between the car in front of them so that they could overtake the easier when conditions allowed,
Intrusion.
A Poor ExcO.
"FUELS.
FINEST. PETROL IN THE WORLD
The British motorist, who is faxed more heavily than Sare the motorists of any other country, can at any rate congratulate himself.
distinction of a more pleas
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If tackled with this dangerous ing aracter, namely, that bo is rudences he would probably say he supplied with the world's best was avoiding the reverse amber, motor fuels. The various branded but the modern car will take reverso cambers safely at higher speeds than petrols now available throughout the average man travel.
Great Britain have achieved a des
Under the Road Trafic Act, ignor.gree of excellence and consistener ing a white line can bring about a which reflect great credit upon those prosecution for dangerous driving, who organize their preparation, and the police of many counties will blending and distribution. probably this summer give a court Eve
Everyone will agree that the lesson to many such offenders.
petrol companies have been highly Ruccessful in fulfilling these difficult
engines which, as a class, develop requirements so that modern British
more power per litre than those other countries, can never- theless run efficiently and without detonation upon "petrol from the dosir- pump. Neither have other d able features been neglected suc
such as sleanliness and the volatility needed for easy starting.
Then there are the crossroads. readily reply that accidents should Question any motorist and he will
be avoided at all costs, but, judging from observations at cross-roods and road junctions at Whitsun, if would seem that not all motorista hold that vio What is
the
"singular psychologica) change that sets in when a man takes over the wheel of a car
Talk to him away from his car, ond he will say that a crossing or road junction of any kind must he taken at a speed at which, another motorist doing a zeckleas thing could be avoided.
made in
But if they did, some hasty driver would come along and, in anat tempt to overtake, would all the
For this reason it is false economy space, possibly to save himself from
to purchase other than reputed crash with an oncoming ear, the
branded fuels. Cheap spirit may Thoughtlessness, over-confidence. speed of which he had misjudged.
be kerosene adulterated, to the ex- and selfishness in driving I believe Another example of selfish rude
tent of 10 to 20 per cent. dilution. to be responsible for a considerableness is experienced in every traffic
It is fortunate for the consumer part of the road trouble of to-day.hold-up every week-end on roads to But how many do approach these that the reputable oil concerns may
popular seaside places.
crossings and junctions with their be relied upon to supply branded The traffic, for some reason or minds concentrated on the possil fuels which are scientifically blend- other a narrow bridge or an ob- bility of meeting the unexpected † ed to meet engine requirements in struction on the road-forces all With the holiday season begin-every respect; and to guarantee that slucent motorists to move in a jambning, the highway is no place for their fuels do not contain admix- at slow. speed when some bright thoughtlessness or selfishness. ›› tures of kerosene..
·
Like Kid Hooligans.
Week-ends and holiday, times are the periods when these three faults are mostly displayed. Then, one sees cultured men and women, com.
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