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MOTORING AND THE BEST-LOOK-
"ING AUSTIN
MOTORS
A Cheap De Luxe"
Car
BY J. P.
That popular and very over- 'worked epithet "de luxe" is get- ting yearly more difficult of definition-perhaps
should one say that it means less and less every time. it is used. It used to Imply that most things about a given car were made regardless of cost, that nothing was omitted from the specification that could conceivably add to the enjoyment of the owner. There was a touch of Blue Train or Golden Arrow about it. To-day I dely anyone to show me a car costing £180 or over that lacks one thing we should not have Libelled 2 luxury, an extravagance, a splen- did unessential only a few years the ago. All or none-with exception, perhaps, of the cars that you buy for £130 or so-are de luxe.", which is really rather dull.
I am not at all certain whether I am complimenting or offending the new 13-h.p. 4-cylinder BS.A by giving it the name so few new cars deserve to escape. It has all the usual luxuries in the way of gadgets, the things we used to pay for so dearly as extras and it has a good body. It looks as if it is very agreeably finished" In fact it dresses the part admir- ably: It also has the Daimler transmission. the fluid fly-wheel, -and the Wilson gear-box, and this, I believe, must be registered as a real luxury, if only on the grounds that this is the cheapest car that is Atted with it, Cer tainly of the first cars that had it, the Daimlers and, later, the Lanchesters were regarded 23
luxury cars. In spite of the fact that 'the smaller models of these cost £310 and £150, prices that would never have suggested "de luxe" only three years or so ago. there is still a definite suggestion about them of the quality we paid so dear to get. Which seems to
that. prove
within limits, quality has less connection with price than in the vulgar old days.
REAL LUXURY
Whether it comes under the "de luxe" class or not, there is no doubt that the B.S.A. is very cheap. The mcdel I tried the other day Was the ordinary saloon (no description) that costs £230. There is one actually called "de luxe" that costs £255, and an intermediate "Special" st £245, besides a "Sports" coupe and saloon and a Tickford four- some coupe at £268, £275. and 1290, but these differ only in colchwork equipment and finish. The essential car, complete with Daimler transmission, remains. Two hundred and thirty pounds is not muer, for what I have now Anally decided is a "de luxe" car,
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1934.
MOTOR
SUPPLEMENT
A Fine All-Round SIGN THAT SHOULD RE-
Car
By "John"
In the new 13-b.p. Six-cylinder "Ascot" salcon (taxed at £14) the Austin firm have produced a car. that marks a considerable advance on its predecessor, the "Light Twelve-Six, which sold at a litle under £200, it I remember rightly. It is, in the first place, a far more comfortable car. The Ascot saloon de luxe (that phrase again) is. for any but the most expensive Austins, an entirely new type. The bodywork made or approved by this firm has always been sourd, particularly the Weymann saloon fltted to the 16-h.p. some three years ago, but in my candid opinion none has been so attractive a3 this last production. There is plenty of room in it behind and well-upholstered, in front, it is
er and passengers can see out of it properly, it has enough head- roem, and it has very agreeable lines.
I
the do not know whether chassis or the body are light or heavy, but the complete car looks as a car of any size should, as if you could move it about with one hand. The doors are easy to get through in either direction. and although the wheelbase is only B ft. 10 in: and the radiator is still in what most of us call the normal position. over-the front axle, and no attempt has been made to gain body-spade by moving it several inches forward in the existing fashion, there is comfortable room
four well-gTOWN for
people. I should like to see better provision for luggage than the flap of the built-in boot which conceals the spare wheel, but we are still a long
off the design of the real "Way
cruiser, the world-traveller that every car should be, ang until we get it we shall have to put up with the grid-in principle if not always, in appearance. The Austin Ascot carrier is neat. A special type of flush-fitting sliding roof is fitted.
An Improved Model
So far, then, as accommodation goes, the Ascot is a big improve- ment on the older type: It is also a better car. It goes better and noticeably more smoothly. I snöuld remark here that two engine sizes are to be had at the same price, a 13.9. taxed at £14, and. a 15.9, taxed at £16. It was the former that I drove the other day. The .engine of this has a bore. and stroke of 81.25 by 84.83, which give a cubic capacity of just under 14 iltres. The larger engine has a bore and stroke of 65.5 by 84.63. which means a capacity of 1,711 e.c. In other respects the engines are identical-
The smaller I confess I do not see the point in calling it a Twelve when it is in fact a Fourteen or a Sixteen) has an easy maximum of about fifty-five miles an hour, while forty is readily reached on third? It has a considerable degree of flexibility. It runs quietly at all speeds, there is very little percep- tible vibration It
released, by the bber mountings-I am still ob- sessed by that ancient bugbear of it the lover of machinery-and climbs well. It has gained immen- sely in quality over the old type It has very pleasant manners.
I continue in the plous hope that опе day that detestable word will be proscribed and plain English substituted for it belongs to the "serviette," "Cognac." "veritable. petite.". "chic" class, all words that are perfectly translatable into Eng- lsh. What is the matter with
Number One" or "A"?
You get several desirable fea- tures for your. £230, The plain body is a comfortable one, with people to room for four grown
alt in fair comfort throughout the day. The two back passen- gers, in particular, are well pro- vided for in the matter of leg There are six and elbow room. windows, a sliding roof, sliding front seats, and 'wide doors: The windscreen is adjustable, an tm-. portant advantage, there are tront and rear bumpers, the new type of anti-splash front wings. and leather upholstery... You get а comfortable maximum speed.
to
of about 58 miles an hour on top, of 45.on 3rd, and 30 on 2nd. At ang speed over 25 miles an hour you would find it difficult distinguish the action of the engine from that of a good six of the same size. It is unusually smooth...
STEERINGTM
The car as a whole is very well balanced, the road-holding at any speed being exceptionally good.
Uked the springing and it struck me that the steering was definitely of the "A" or No. 1" class. It is light but sufficiently highly geared to give one a steady hola. There is nothing more irritating or tiring than the restless wheel of a low-geared steering that has no caster action. The brakes, of which there is only a single set, operated by and pedal," are both lever adequate, but not remarkable. I continue to prefer two indepen- dent stoppers, or alx. brakes in all The complete car weighs 18 cwt., which is a reasonable figure In these days. The chassle weighs 12 cwt, and the wheelbase. Is 8 ft. 11 in.. but it seems longer..
The specification gives some The side- interesting Sgures. valved £10 taxed 1,185 c.c. engine (63 by B5) develops 28-h.p. at 4.0002, revolutions, averages a
DUCE ROAD ACCIDENTS
Case For Less Hooting And
More Slowing Down
THE AGE THAT IS CARELESS
BY OWNER-DRIVER " Motorists driving on main roads have now difinitely the right of way. At least that is my inter- pretation of the order authoris- Ing the erection of "Major Road
warning Ahead"
notices at all places where secondary ronds meet main ones
.. These new signs consist of a .horizontal thick Ene cut through its centre by a thin vertical one with wording in raised letters beneath.
Surely he, or she, would be a driver of extreme hardihood who would barge into a road crossing at speed after observing such an Indication of danger ahead. yet I am regrettably confident that within the next few months we shall read of prosecutions for this offence.
"I'Sounded the Hooter "
I often ask myself whether mo- tor cars should be fitted with hoo- ters of any description. The re- port that since the enforcement of zones of silence in Paris the number
of accidents in these areas had decreased seems to in- dicate that if there were less hdo- ting there would be more caution on both sides.
For just as thousands of motor- ists defend themselves by declar- ing that they sounded their hoo ters, so do pedestrians arraign motorists on the ground that they did not do su.
Every day I view with feelings approaching horror the manner - in which drivers rush towards street and road crossings at- speeds varying between 20 and 50 miles an hour to the accompani
ment of hideous screechings and the entire absence of visibility.
And then when two vehicles meet and the ambulances have departed from the scene, the po lice have to listen to contradic- tory tales of horrible misdeeds on the part of both drivers.
I have always been amazed at the way in which the man who always happens to be there cau answer almost any question put to him. He estimates road speeds to within a mile an hour; he can pronounce judgment on what is. a main road, on what this driver should have done, and so on, with a confidence that astounds when It does not sicken:
But, apart from these observa- tions, we want less hooting and more slowing down at road june- tions and crossings,
Another Threat to Safety Despite manufactures' state- ments, many four-cylinder cars, and not a few sixes, are rather noisy, especially when fitted with. saloon bodies, and when the win- dows are closed it. is not always easy to detect the sound of a hooter from another car far down another road.
And when one is carrying a load of chattering passengers, listen- ing for another hooter is almost
les are carried between the inner and outer frames. They should be on the dash, as they are in the 10-hp,
Four. The tank holds
A eruising maximum speed of 55 is not, of course very high for a modern car of-1,500 cc., but the general worth of the car must not be judged from this alone. it has many other good points that the driver's attention is far .ore occupied by these than by the re- cord of the speedometer on the few occasions when he can drive 'the car all out, I liked the steering and the suspension particularly. Togeher they gave admirable road- holding, in all circumstances. The rear springs are exceptionally flat and of a good length, mounted with silent-bloc oil-less bushes. 8 gallons and the fuel is fed to Hydraulic shock-absorbers are fit the carburettor
The by pump.
well ted to both axles. The steering is of engine is a very tidy job, the worm and worm-wheel type finished and neatly arranged. An and gives light and certain control. air-cleaner la fitted to the intake, The gear-box has
synchro-mesh 2 hot-spot is achieved by bringing engagement for top and third and the induction and exhaust mani- tonstante-mesh ("slient") on se folds together, and the dynamo le cond as well as on third, giving a mounted above the cylinder-block fanbelt-anı very quiet drive throughout. The and driven by the ratios are 5.5, 8.04, 13.59, and 20.85. arrangement that would have been a nightmare a few years ago, but that is now as good a plan as any for efficiency and economy, Cool- ing is by thermo-siphon (an in-
ns listening on the as difficult telephone when a crowd of people are laughing and singing in the same room as the instrument,
Yet we
threatened with are wireless installations in motor
Cars
I know that some declare that these sets are only for use when the car is parked at some beauty spot. I do not regard that as a defence against the argument that wireless in the car will make for still more careless driving. We all know that given a receiving set in any car many driyers and pas-. sengers will see no harm in keep- ing. it going full blast whether the car is moving or at rest.
Accidents to Dors
A reader asks me to state the circumstances under which the owner of a dog is entitled to com- pensation for an accident to the animal. I do not know.
But what I do know is that if owners of dogs that are permitted to wander about any old how, and at any time of the day and night, were to be fined for not keeping them under proper control and
ereby contributing to many road accidents, there would be a large increase in the sale of dog leads or a reduction in the number of dogs.
Some Mechanical Details The frame is of the now familiar cruciform design and a sturdy piece of work. It is low-hung, with a novation, surely, for Austin?) and " considerable up-sweep over thefari, controlled by a thermostat. back axle. The two 6-volt batter-*· Ignition is by coll and distributor.”
gallon of petrol for thirty-Ave miles, a gallon of oil for 1,500 miles, and, accelerates from ten to thirty miles an hour on
tep
in 16 sec. All these are good for the power and weight. I found, the power-yield on lower gears very satisfactory... Westerham Hili was climbed from a stand- still at the cross-roads, where the gradient is about 1 in 12, in B4 Bec. on second speed, the speed rising to twenty-four and falling, for a few seconds on the bend, to twenty-two miles an hour. A good performance. "De luxe" or Just good plain car, the new BSA. is a very interesting machine for the poor man who dislikes trouble or effort.
with an automatic advance and retard.
I took, the Austin up Westerham Hill, starting from the cross-roads; as usual, on second speed from a foot's pace. The speed rose rapidly
I once had a narrow escape in a violent skid brought on by an endeavour to swerve from a dog that ran suddenly into the road. But since I do not swerve on, wet roads when dogs try to commit suicide. I should be very sorry to kill a dog or even injure one, but I said be much sorrier if I killed 'my-passengers in trying to save a dog. **
This Easy Starting Business My recent article on easy start- ing of refractory engines bas brought a letter from Mr Watkin- san. the Ford agent-in Dumbar- ton. He tells me that tickling the accelerator pedal on a Ford car would be entirely wrong if one wanted an easy start.
The pedal, he says, must beleft alone for a few moments, and he adds that if the throttle is not closed the staring device cannot function.
So there you are. Every make has its little peculiarities.
Do You Agree with This? Another reader writes, apropos of my views on road accidents, that he considers a boy of 17 is often a far superior driver to a man of 50, and much easier to teach. The boy listens; the adult will not.
advocates He also strongly the proposal for driving tests.
On the question of the best driving age I am not altogether in agreement with my correspon- dent. I am now analysing very extraordinarily extensive and complete figures supplied by the largest transport organ: 11tion in this country, if not in the world, and my conclusions, which are not to be taken as final, are that most accidents are recorded against the driver of some four years' experience.
If the final concluslans confirm this impression, it would seem to be that a driver becomes danger- ous immediately he begins to think he is competent.
For that reason it has always been my practice to discipline myself by declaring each time I take the wheel that I shall drive this car better to-day than ever- I have done before. I don't think I always succeed, but the urge towards perfection is there-and it makes me become increasingly careful and watchful.
9.H.P. CAR CARRIES SEVEN
MEN
Advantages Of Being A Javanese
There is at least one advantage;
to 20 miles an hour, and only In being only 4ft 6in. in height, dropped to 19 for a few seconds, the average height of a Javanese on the steep bend, where the grad-native, seven can easily be ient is a shade easier than one in earried to and from the rubber seven. The time was 86 secondsplantations in a 9-hp car Atted At full throttle the engine ran with marked smoothness, and there was little or no resonance in the body work, I was impressed by the general feel of sturdiness and sound construction. This is a car,
with a seven-seater, truck body
"A large order for these chassis has been received by a Coventry company for shipment to Java. The small size of the average Brl- tish chassis has hitherto frequent-
I should say, that will generouslyly hampered sales in foreign mar-
repay decent treatment, and give keta, but it now seems Ikely to reliable service for many thousands come into its own.
Note The firm of miles. It is also by far the best-looking Austin I have seen.the Binger Co.
mentioned is
the
Jargon
Initials of various motoring associations convey nothing to newcomer to the pastime. Here are a few of them with the names of the bodles to which they refer
A.A.: Automoblie Association. R.A.CA Royal Automobile Club. R.S.AC.: "Royal Scottish Auto- mobile Club.
M.C.C.: Motor Cycling Club. J.C.C. Junior Car Club.. B.A.R.C.; Brooklands Automo- bile Racing Club.
B.R.D.C.: British Racing Drivers' Club.
S.M.M.T.: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
M.T.A.: Motor Traders' Associa- tion.
LAE.: Institution of Automo- bile Engineers...
L.C.C.: Light Car Club.
BRITISH CARS IN INDIA
Some very striking figures in- dicative of the headway which British cars have made in the Indian market are revealed by the publication of the imports during the 1932-33 season. The number of British cars imported during that period total 2,233 (more than double that of the nearest competing .country), as compared with 682 for the 1931- 32 season. British commercial vehicles imported during the same period numbered 448 for 1932-33, as against 233 for the preceding
season.
The proportion of these Importa supplied by the Humber-Human- Commer group of Companies-(for which Rootes Ltd. are world "ex- porters) has kept remarkably steady, working out at about 30: per cent. during each season.
SOME RECORDS
صبية
Morris Commercial Cars. Ltd.. of Birmingham, last month had a record week in the history of the firm. During the last three months of 1933 orders showed an increase of 80 per cent, over the ngures for the corresponding months of the previous year.
HOW I "TRAVELLED" CANADA
High Class British Car Which Commanded A Big Second-Hand Price
Recently I decided to visit Ca- nada. Since it was the height of summer I decided to take my Sun- beam tourer with me that some motoring pleasure might be com- bined with my business tour,
I landed in Montreal, whence I motored via Quebec and Ottawa to Toronto. Round Toronto, the Queen City of Canada, are situat- ed many Canadian factortes, and within easy ride are most of the automobile manufacturing and assembly plants. When I was there no fewer than sixteen Amer- Ican-owned Canadian assembly- plants were operating in that pro- vince of Ontario alone. Strange to say, I found many Canadians were still under the impression that British manufacturers are "out of date." This is the result of American propaganda.
In
→ man
the principal cities and -- throughout the countryside I was struck by the frequency of "gas " stations. In Toronto often two or even three corner sites of back- street crossings are occupied.. by Alling stations. One wonders how these units are ever made to pay their way, but many Canadian homes two- or three-car garages are commonplace, "and it is the pirmary ambition of every young.
upon venturing into the world to own an automobile.
As one rarely sees an English car in Canada, In the cities, how- ever, and in certain parts of east- arn provinces, Austin Sevens are in use as delivery vans,
The" growth of this, market depends upon the service facilties offer- .ed. The savings in running ex
penses for light delivery work af- forded by these neat little mach- Ines are obvious.
In spite of the fact that the American cars are usually chang- ed annually, I found that those possessing the better English un- Its could command a price far higher in Canada for a second- hand car than that to be had in England to-day. I sold the Sun- beam in Toronto at a price which when exchanged into British cur- rency yielded me about £250. More car for a five-year-old. English than for an almost new Cadillac! On another occasion, about twelve years ago, the foreign exchange acted as my godfather, During the Auctuations of the French franc I purchased a Flat in Paris which, after using for six months, I sold at a price that, converted in- to sterling, yielded me a net pro-
fit of afty shillinga! „
HEAVIER TRAFFIC.
LARGER
THIRD PARTY CLAIMS!
WILL YOUR POCKET SUFFER?
A.A.U
THE
AA
ASIA LIFE BLDG. 14, QUEEN'S BD. 0.
MOTOR CAR INSURANCE
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MOTOR
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OR PETROL
Pioneer Manufacturers of Commercial Motor Vehicles
Fall Range of Spares carried in Hong Kong and Shanghat
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4 or 6 Cylinders
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TEL. 56768.
TRUST A THORNYCROFT WITH YOUR TRANSPORT