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THE WORLD'S GREATEST MOTORING ROAD
From The Atlantic To The
Pacfic Oceans
The longest motoring road in the world will be completed this summer. Running the entire breadth of Canada, from the At- lantic coast to the. Pacific, it is 4.000 miles long., and has kept thousands of men in employment for years. The final stretches, which are now being finished, äre in Ontario, where work is going forward night and day to join the two "ends" within the next few weeks.
Tourist Attraction
The construction of this vast highway was first urged by the Canadian Automobile Association, who foresaw the advantages of such a road, not only for the Dominion's domestic needs, but also as an attraction to tourists. ne completed road will öfter to all who 'patronise (E an" unrivall- ed variety of scenery under ideal travelling conditions. Rivers will be crossed, great stretches of free and open prairie where the gradi- ent of the road hardly varies will the final be traversed, and in laps the motorists will gude through mountain scenery ün- surpassed anywhere in the world..
At one point "the road takes the form of a ferry for a distance of 300 miles, and although it may be argued that a ferry hard- ly constitutes a road, it may be pointed out that the cars are never lifted from their wheels and that the driver and his - passengers, 1 they can endure a strange cabin, need never leave their seats! And, as an ironie -andmündane commentary on the fight of time since the Red River wagons were dragged wea- rily over the plains by expectant pioneers long ago, there is the fact that there will be plenty of petrol stations on the route.
to
In Nova Scotia
The highway Itself, from east west, starts at Halifax
In Nova Scotia. The first ten miles westward consist of paving, which gives place to a well-constructed graved highway across the province. As central Nova Scotia is still only partially developed, moose and deer can be seen frequently from the road, which passes along rivers, lakes and sirearms, through small towns and romantic countryside remin- iscent of England until it reaches Truro. From there it continues through rich cultivated and plc- turesque country to Amherst; just beyond that town it crosses into the Province of New Brunswick, where here and there marshland, dyked against the high tide wa- ters of the Bay of Fundy, is a replica of old Holland..
Leaving Moncton, an important commercial centre, a choice of routes is offered, one via St. John · and the St. John River Valley and on to the St. Lawrence, the other, via Chatham and Cambell- ton' and up the beautiful Mata- pedia Valley, where the St. Law- rence is followed on the south shore to Levis. One route is as good as the other. Crossing the river at Levis the road becomes a fine paved highway, joining Quebec to Montreal, and it is on this road that some of the finest views of the St. Lawrence can be had. A less-developed road continues to Mattawa on the Ot- tawa River, and then turns west- ward with another paved section into North Bay on Lake Nipissing.
From North Bay two roads ex- tend to the broken section of the highway im north-western Onta- rio," From there the road runs to Fort Arthur and Fort William on Lake Superior, and thence to Winnipeg. in the Erovince of Manitoba. An all weather-sur- face runs from Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan border practically the breadth of both the provinces of Saskatchewan' and ́ ́Alberta. Through the Rockies in Alberta there are two good roads, one via the 'Crow's Nest Pass through the south from Lethbridge, and the other through Calgary, Banı,
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country of great spaces and en- terprise, Canada hs been diligent
in the development of her high- ways. The surfaced highway mileage in the Dominion is roughly 100,000, while unsurfaced roads. total some 400,000 miles. These figures include all roads outside incorporated cities, towns and villages under the jur- isdiction of the Provincial High- way Departments. The total ex- penditure in the Dominion on road construction and on bridges" and ferrles connecting roads amounts to some £13,000,000 a year, while maintainance counts for another £4,000,000.
Motorists in Canada can there- fore travel on surfaced roads equal in length to almost four tes the world's circumfererice. Yet even the added luxmy ôí a coast-to-coast highway does not make this large mileage by any means superfluous.
BC-
The Dominion has now over 1.000.000 cars, an average of nne motor vehicle to every 9.4 per- song. The United States, New
·Zealand and Hawail are the only' countries that can exceed this record, while so far as the actual number of vehiclès is concerned, ' only the United States, France and this country can Cañada.
But it is the visitors' cars that Canada hay in mind as well as her own. Tourists constitute one of the greatest industries in the Dominion. The 4,000-mile Trans-Canadian highway is more that an epic achievement and a triumph of engineering, it is a sound economic speculation as well.
BONNET PSYCHOLOGY
Cars To Lose Their Noses?
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1)
Until recently, my car Was strangely uninspiring when view- ed from behind the steering wheel, but overheating toubles prompted me to have cut 'two rows of louvres in the top of the bonnet, and I And that the car has acquired a new charm. The hard-boiled enthusiast may scorn such Ди sinall matter as the " driver's own view of his car, but I contend that even he is affected, psychologically, by this aspect of his car, For one thing, it is the view he sees most often.
Any motorist taking the wheel of a strange car will be influenced immediately by the car's appear- ance from this angle. Whether For not this impression is favour- able will prejudice his later views of the car's performance. Every motorist knows how come
cars give the driver a quiet con- fidence, while others, possessed, perhaps, of a better performance, render him less happy though unconscious irritation.
The re sult is increased driving fatigue.
Certain marques have retained their individual attraction in this respect through many years and modela. The 1834 Riley Nine has a Very real affi- nity to its predecessors. To sit at the wheel of a new 105 Talbot is to recall the 14-45 one owned last decade. Who could fall to be thrilled by an old Bentley's bonnet Even the most slovenly chauffeur acquires a fresh dignity. of manner behind the sleek superiority of a' Rolls-Royce bon- .net.
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Alas! These sentimental thrills will soon be dented us, for the steamline era is non 1 and our cars will midst assuredly lose their nöses!
Fair Warning!
Old Lady: "Here's a penny, my poor man. How did you become zo destitude?"
Beggar: I was like you, mum
Lake Louise and down the Win-a-giving away vast sums to the dermere highway to join its fel poor and needy"
low at Cranbrook. At Kusinook, father west, a ferry connects Nel- son to the road which runs on from there through the famona
Fraser an
Canyon to Vancouver,
500,000 aziles of Bosda
miraculous road, a great schievement! But, agbehoves a
The Gourmet
Farmer who, on visit to town restaurant, has been served with dressed crab in shell "Hi, walter give me another of them fishples, only don't let the crust be so bloomin' hard.”
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1934.
MOTOR JOTTINGS
AUTOCAR ROAD TESTS
The Lagonda Rapier Four-Seater
When it was Arst announced, nearly a year ago, that the La- gonda firm were to produce a small car. It was to be expected that for its size this would be up to the standard that has been set by the very successfull larger machines they have been making of recent years...
The new small Rapier has been longer getting into full produc- tion than was it first anticipated, but it is now well under way. Since the original design appear- ed, a good many detall modifica tions have Been Introduced, the most important change, being that the wheelbase was lengthen- ed appreciably so as to allow a full four-seater body to be fitted.
This very slightly more than 1.100 c.c. car of individual type enters
the quarter-mile with the wind- screen raised normally was 75.00 mp.h. The speedometer read- ings varied between 82 and a momentary 80.
Running up to approximately 5,500 r.p.m., readings of 66 on third, 45 on second, and 26 on first are given-approximately 61 m.ph. on third gear as a genuine figure; but higher revs up to 8,000 and more are feasible, though, needless to say, they are scarpely recommended for everyday use.
The preselector gear, controlled by a neat, light-moving lever at the right-hand side of the driv- *ing compartment, in the position of an ordinary gear lever, has be tween it and the engine a single- plate clutch: the first part of the
or gear-changing pedal movement frees the clutch in the ordinary way, further depression engaging the gears normally for a preselector box. A quiet tick- oyer in neutral is given, and the gears themselves are quiet.
clütch a märket which is not overcrowded, it would seem, car- rying with it a name which, to say the least, is respected by en- thusiastle motorists, and it would appear from the way in which the Rapler behaves that is is like- ly to Increase its makers' reputa- tion, as builders of good small as well as good large cars.
Overhead Camshaft
Its prime mover is a high- effetency twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine which gives every impression of delighting in reva, being the very essence of the performance. In order that this potential performance may be used casily, and with a' min- imum loss of time, a preselector gear box is fitted, and undoubted- ly is well suited to the character of the car. So lively is the en- gine that it gains revs almost as though supercharged, but it does not become fussy, it is not harsh, and there is no vibration to in- fluence the driver against using the full performance on the gears, 5,500 rpm. being a rev counter reading which can be fre- quently attained.
With the acceleration the car has on the gears, its roadhold- ing, its brakes, the way in which it can be threaded through other traffic owing to its handy size and since a full 60 can be held as a happy cruising speed, the aver- age possible on a long run is high. The gear ratios are such that the steeper kind of hill on main roads can be dealt with most effectively, and altogether it is certainly a fascinating small to handle because it feels "Tight" throughout.
car
"
The body is not built by La- gondas; they offer the chassiq... only. It is noteworthy because, though of sports character and with a pleasing line. it has been made-wide so that the driver and front passenger do not rub el- bows, whilst the back seat is de- cidedly not just an occasional seat for very short distances,
The driving position is very good, vision is good, the front seats are very comfortably:shaped} and there is a full tonneau
On the road the next and ter- tainly equally important point la that the car is altogether re-. markably stable and safe feeling.cover, to protect the car when left
The Rapler can be put into cor- ners at speeds, gradually increas- ing as confidence is inspired, as high as with perhaps any existing type of car short of one of actual racing type. It feels somehow like a larger car, there is nothing" in the least flimsy about it, and the way in which it sits down on the road is quite exceptional. The feel of the steering, too, 14 that of a larger machine. It is dead ac- curate, has sufficient caster ac- tion, is not in any way tiring on a long run, and as much as any- thing else produces the impres- sion of sound design.
Good Brakes,
Then again, the brakes, the all-important factor with any high-performance machine, are extraordinarily good. They are the Girling system, a type which has come into prommence lately as giving unusual power with a very light actuation and a mini- mum of lost motion between ped- al and shoes.
come
On the Rapier they permit things to be done. which in the absence of such ex- ceedingly good brakes might be- dangerous; and they are absolutely even in their effect, showing the car from high speeds with scarely more than a touch on the pedal, stopping it deckive- ly when required. Indeed, the action is so light that one has to accustom oneself to using less pressure than is usually required.-
Because of the stability of the car, the springing e naturally hard rather than soft, but it. la not abnormally "harsh over poor surfaces, nor for the type of car could any improvement really be desired.
From the mean time maximum speed" the car can be driven as fast as even most sporta ma- chine owners wish. That figure' was obtained as an average of several uns in opposite direc- tions, on a day when there was very little wind, two people belts on board at the time under the same "conditions, with the wind- screen lowered flat, a mean of 75 m.p.h. dead was obtained and s best speed of 77.59 mph, whilst the highest speed obtained over
standing - without .raising the hood. Secured firmly to the off- side running board is a large szed spot lamp.
MORE SPARE WHEELS
Overhang at the back of a car
is a thing to be avoided on ac- count of its tendency to produce unsteadiness.
An innovation on the P-type MG. Midget was a longer chassis to give exrta support for carrying two spare wheels, but in order to fit "the second wheel, it has usually been necesary to mount the two rather far apart with the outer wheel outside the final cross-member of the chassis. To overcome any disadvantage that this may produce the Central Motor Institute and Engineering Co., Ltd, of Finchley Road, Lon- don, NW3, have devised and are marketing a new form of spare wheel bracket to bring both spare wheels of P-type MG Midgets close together.
are
A stout steel plate is bolted to the original carrier and sufficiently raises the centre on which the wheels are mounted to allow the second wheel to clear the back cross-member. The original spare wheel lock-nut and sleeve bored out to allow a long stee tube to take its bearing inside. An aluminium distance piece alides on to this tube, separating the two wheels and forming # support for the inner edge bi thể second wheel hub. The whole can then be locked together by a long finbolt passing right through the steel tube and eng asing with a nut welded to the back of the extension plate. This bolt is provided with hand grips for easy manipulation, and in order to prevent damage the aplines - Inside the hub of the outer wheel, the outer bore of the Hub is supported. by flanged disc which, h bond registering falde tube extension. The actual cost to the owner of the car for this adaptation is two guineas.
GOOD DRIVER'S
CODE
Early-Morning Starting
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There is a direct connection. though one often overlooked, be- tween smooth, trouble-free run- ning and good, and, therefore, safe, driving.
These hot days and nights no one should have starting trouble. but we must be prepared for it when it comes, says correspon-. dent. I have seen a man drive like a madman for a few minutes just because his car had been stubborn about starting.
Cars vary, even those of the same make and model.
If you have difficulty, and out the set- ting of throttle, strangler and spark which it likes best and leave them all set when you put the car away at night. It also helps to speed up the engine just before switching off atop the engine by pulling the strangler right out, so that one or two of the cylinders are left fully charged with petrol vapour.
or to
Be careful with the strangler: its effect in starting is to draw neat petrol into the cylinders to the detriment of the lubrica- tion. With a "pumptype" car- burettor the throttle must not be prodded.
HOW IT WORKS
AND WHY
whe
With the idea of a brake every- one is familiar, for some form of brake is used ou nearly every type of vehicle. In many cases blocks of wood or iron are brought into contact with. the wheels on which the vehicle runs, and this is the type adopted on any horse-drawZI lorry. same kind of brake is also used. on railway rolling stock, although it may be carried out in a more mechanical manner.
In these cases it should be observed that the tyre, as well as the wheel itself. is of steel, and is therefore rigid, but in the ease of a wheel with a pneumatic tyre rubber the tyre is not, of course, riged, and this simple form of brake would not be satis factory. It was indeed actually tried on the early bicycles, but was soon superseded by brakes acting on the rims of the wheels. Accordingly, in the case of a car the brakes act on or in metal drums attached to the wheels. These brake drum can, in fact. be considered as smaller wheels specially provided for the brakes to act upon.
of
ed upon to hold the car from running downhill: backwards. Accordingly, the double-acting band brake was introduced and Is of aimilar construction, except that each end of the band is connected to operating levers, ao that when the brake is applied one end is pulled in one direction and the other in the opposite direction.
'Most modern cars, however, employ internal expanding brakes, in which two semi-circu- Tar brake shoes are arranged in-" side the drum. The lower ends of the shoes work on a pivot and the upper ends have fattened faces between which there is a cam ori a shaft connected by suitable levers and rods to the brake pedal or hand lever. When the cam is turned slightly as the driver depresses the brake pedal, it forces the ends of the shoes apart and brings them into con- tact with the inside of the brake drum. As soon as the driver re- lease the brake pedal the shoes are pulled together and from the drum springs.
by
away suitable As in the case of the band brake, a brake lining is em- ployed, and it is. riveted to the "shoes. This lining is specially woven of some heat-resisting material, largely composed of
asbestos, and it is compressed » into hard strips of suitable size.
Transmisziór Brakes
Early Types One of the earliest forms of brake devised for cars
was the band brake, sometimes called "an eternal contracting brake, which is now seldom used. In Its simplest form this consists of a band of spring steel, to which a brake lining is riveted, surround- ing the brake drum, and with one end attached to a fixed sup-and until port, while the other end is at tached to a pivoted lever con- nected by the brake rod to the brake pedal, or hand lever: When the driver desires to stop Base the strain on the battery
the car he depresses the brake by holding the clutch out when pressing the starter button.
pedal or pulls the hand lever, If have "startix" (automatic
and through the operating me- you starting), the
chanism ordinary hand
the free end' of the starting may
brake band is pulled and work better first
the hand brought into contact with thing in the morning.
the brake drum.
Sparking' plugs must be in first- class.order, and battery properly cared for.
When the engine fres keep it running fast enough to make the ammeter needle quiver. Don't let the engine tick over when cold.
A Weak Point
This single-acting band brake has the great disadvantage that it has very little grip when the drum is revolving in the direction in which the band is beng pulled, and therefore cannot be depend-
of
The law makes certain "safety". requirement as regards brakes.
the introduction four wheel brakes a few years ago it was usual to At one brake on the transmission and the other in drums on the rear wheels, or the two brakes were arranged side by side in the rear' wheel drums Transmission brakes are now not often atted. but they are usually operated by the hand lever. A drum is at- tached to the end of the driven shaft at the back of the gear box, and it may have acting on it. a band brake, or internal expand- ing shoes, but in many cases two. shoes are arranged outside the drum and are contracted on to it, rather like the shoes of a Tall- way engine.
JOUST A THORNYCROFT WITH YOUR I
DEAL DIRECT
THORNYCROFT
SIX-CYLINDERED
COACHES & OMNIBUSES
MOTOR VEHICLES
DIESEL OR PETROL
Mozser Manufacturers of Commersial
olor Vehicles
Full Range of Spares carried in Hong Kong and Shanghat,
4 or 6 Wheels
or 6 Cylinders
80 Cwt. to 10 Ton Loads
20 to 70 Passengers
JOHN L THORNYCROFT & CO., LIMITED,
Pioneer Building, Hathan Road, Kowloon,
HIL
TRUST A TRAMENTOROFI WITH Youg