Page
2
AN AVERAGE SPEED
MENACE
Dangers Of Watching
The Clock
Maximum speed is the thing that incurs the wrath of those who believe that motoring is an evil; yet is average speed that causes most of the trouble, writes "a correspondent.
When a person sets out from one place drive to another place, knowing that he has previously accomplished the journey at an average speed of so many miles an hour, he will be inclined to improve upon that average.
Now there are various ways of average speed. Improving upon One is to use a car with a greater performance in top speed,
.ac-
celeration and braking; another is to drive harder. If the Arst method is employed there is "no need for additional risks to be incurred; but if the second me- thod is employed there is need for additional risks to be incur- red:
The
perform- of high car
the danger enable ance will spots to be passed slowly and the safe stretches to be taken faster. It will enable a village. to be traversed at walking pace and a high speed to be attained within a few seconds of the mo- ment its outskirts are passed.
But the car of low performance demand that a constant will speed of something approaching the maximum be maintained re- gardless of the road conditions. lies. the danger That's where The driver who is striving to set up a "good average speed" with a car of low performance, is al- most certainly taking risks. He is not slowing down enough at is passing or he cross, roads through villages too quickly.
Speed and Safety That is why, for a given aver- car is the age speed, the fast safe car. It does not encourage the taking of risks, because it can always save time on the safe -stretches, and there is never any need to hurry over the doubtful stretches.
why, And that is when someone boasts to me of two his average speed between points. I first ask him what his car is
If he says it is "only" a some- thing or other which has a not- ably poor performance. I do not admire the driver. I regard him as of those who cause - unneces sary danger on the road. But if he says it is a vehicle which pos- sesses a high performance, good braking and road holding. I admit the boast as a tribute to the car,
Have average speed, therefore, is never a tribute to the driver. That is the point to be" remem- bered. It may be a tribute to
a
the car; but it cannot be tribute to the driver under or- dinary road, conditions.
[!
When,
THE 1934 NASH
Three Distinguished Features
as in a race, the road is kept clear, high average speed may be a tribute to both driver and car; but those are special conditions have no parallel in ordinary road
use...
If only drivers could be per- suaded to forget all about aver- the age speeds the safety of roads be increased. On a long who run almost every driver
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1934.
MOTOR JOTTINGS
MODERN SINGLE-
SEATERS
Cars Built To The New Formula
SPARK PLUGS IN.
A TRAIN
Speed of 110 Miles
An Hour
Spark plugs have been found in many queer places, but about the last place one would expect to encounter them is in the semi- diesel motor of the new stream- lined Union Pacific high speed train which is making, a tour of
bances which make the shape
The weights less efficient. in-
739.5 the Mercedes-Benz were
for Caracciola's külogrammes
the United States. kilogrammes for Von car, 737 Brauchitsch's machine, and 739 kilogrammes for Fagiols. Near- ly all these cars are built as far as is possible of aluminum alloy. and the steel has to be absolute- ly reliable, for the size of shaft to take a given stress has to be near the minimum.
The recent race for the French
concentrated Grand Prix terest upon the very latest type of scing ear built to the much 'cr.ticised. International "formula, under which the weight of the is seeking to set up a high aver-
exceed 750 its yres must not age speed will become obsessed
the body with
need the
for
kilogrammes, while "keeping
must present a minimum frontal going." He, will strive to avoid
area represented by a rectangle slowing down, and will strive to
Other than 860 mm. x 250 mm. "get through" where there is not
the rorditions laid down in that adequate room, to do so.
formula, the constructor has a resultant free hand, And the
A Hidden Syren Therefore, those drivers who wish to see the safety of the roads increased-and that" in- cludes all intelligent drivers should steadfastly avoid conside- ration of average speeds: Whee they are planning a journey they should leave themselves an ample margin of time, so that no hurrying is necessary, and they should estimate the time to be taken in strict accordance with the performance capabill- ties of the ear concerned.
E
Inventors have produced large number of ingenious plans theft of for preventing, the motor-cars, especially when these are left at public parking places
I or outside shops. was given
to examine the opportunity somewhat unusual device of this kind the other day.
а
It is fifted in the exhaust pipe of the car, and the controls con- sist of a milled knob, and an ordinary yale lock and key. The device is so fitted on the exhaust pipe that a trap in the floor-
cars are capable of from 150 to 170 m.p.h.. according to the con- dition in which they run.
In the Bugattis the front of the car has been altered, the radiator and bonnet being lower, and the appearance of the car, the altered: therefore, slightly the "driver "without All carry mechanic. Now in a car built for speed streamlining is of con- the siderable importance, and problem is how to get the driver in the centre of the chassis in such a way as to present mini- mum frontal area.
me-
tackle that Auto-Union
pro- blem quite well by putting the sixteen-cylinder engine very nearly in the centre of the car. but a little towards the rear, then putting the driving seat in front. where there is no chanism whatever of importance The front of seat. below the the car is. then, the usual he- but, hot misphere to look at, hemispherical in effect, because the radiator is mounted in front and alr has to pass through the radiator while the streamlined rear, has tail, tapering to the perforce to be made less effective by various ports to allow air to
boards will give access to the flow past the cylinders and the knob and lock.
When leaving the car the knob is turned and the key used to secure it in position. There is then introduced into the exhaust of the exhaust syren pipe an police whistle type; and if any. unauthorized person tries to drive the car away the siren sounds continuously, a thing that should be a sufficient deterrent to the most determined thief!
have Other devices which I examined, lock. the petrol off and lock the ignition. That which locks the ignition also locks the bonnet to prevent the rapid dis- connection of
switch lead.
the low tension
I am not prepared, at this stage, to advocate any one form of thief-proof device in perference to any other form; but it seems that those who leave their cars about a great deal have a num- ber of reasonably effective de- vices from which to make a choice.
REPAIRED AND GUARANTEED
""
en-
was
A few days ago a packing case arrived in London from New York. It contained a badly dam- aged cylinder block which, upon
American presentation to gineering concerns, had been judged beyond repair, It a Hispano Suiza block and was an aluminium casting housing steel liners. The work of repair, was refused in America because of the difference in the coeff- cient of expansion of the two me- tals and the problems thus pre- sented to the welder.
Bút fourteen days after the frac-· 'tured parta were received by Barimar in England the owner was sent the following cable: "Cylinder block on Aquitania re- paired and guaranteed
Three distinguished series of
for 1934 fine Nash motor cars and prestige to a great name. carry on the famous Nash tradi- tion of care and precision in all details. For every 1934 Nash car has в Twin-Ignition valve-in- head motor. Twin Ignition gives "22 per cent. more power, five miles per hour more top speed and two miles per gallon of gasoline, Hit- heito Twla Ignition engineering has been confined to the higher priced Nash lines. The body Bries of the 1934 Nash flow with a na- tural "Bpeed-stream" grade from front to rear, every pe blending with every curve in perfect har- mony. An entirely new styling of fender has been developed with parking lamps and tail lamps Built into and made part of the fenders. All models are equipped a built-in easily operated with
chro-shift transmissions. Nash system・・ of ventilation which is draughtless and provides unob-for 1934 presents three series of structed vision. The coincidental cars, all fundamentally the same starter not only saves time and In appearance, quality and mec- effort for the driver, but conser-hanical precision-different only ves battery life as well. De-clut- In wheelbase, weight, horse-po- ching to engage gears for put-wer, extent of luxury and list
price. ting the car in motion also starta
the motor.
All model niso have new tribeam headlamps, new up- ward action positive gear-driven windshield wipers and new Syn-
exhaust pipe to emerge.
No particular effort is made to cover in the cockpit, but as prac- tically no air is Rowing through the cockpit, this does not matter The fact to any great extent.
that the chassis is attached to its axles not through springs, act as but through steel bars springs when twisted by the movement of the front wheel hub up and down" on the end of the lever, eliminates a good deal of mechanism which nor- mally has to be streamlined separately, and, as a matter of fact. the independent suspen- sion for all four wheels seems to have its effect in that the cars were remarkably steady in the race, though, curiously enough, no more treads wore the tyre and no less than those of the normal Alfa-Romeos,,
Rounded Nose
15-
The weights, which are teresting, were 738.5 kilogrammes for No. 2 Auto-Union, which did for 740 kilogrammes not "run. Von Stuck's car, which was ex- ceptionally fast, and 738 kilo- grammes for Mömberger's-all well within the specified limit. Further, these were the only cars "in which the weight was con- centrated about the centre of the chassis, instead of partly at each end, as in the normal car, when if the car began to swing a "dumb-bell” effect might be expected.
the
of the The Mercedes-Benz second German team are really. beautifully streamlined, rounded nose blending nicely into the bonnet and scuttle, which tapers. away into the tall, while separate streamlined covers conceal the independent suspen sion for the wheels and the wheels and the steering.
The engine, which is an eight-. cylinder
camshafts, with twò four carburetters, and a super- charger which blows through instead of sucking from the car- burreters is carried very low, and the drive from the clutch taken, through a long propeller shaft to a gear box attached to the rear of the frame, neither propeller-shatt nor gear box hay- ing any movement other than that of the frame itself. The driver's seat is reasonably low.
Beautiful as the streamlin- ing is externally, a good deal of ar naturally passes through the body, and, emerging through the louvres and, to a lesser ex- tent, the cockpit, causes distur
engine was the familiar straight eight with two camshafts and a super-charger sucking from the carburetters. while the general layout is that usually associated with the Bugatti chassis, ave that the starting handle is at. one side, operating the crank- while shaft through gearing. the wheels are of a new type,
The hub shell is attached at at the rear to the brake drum, which therefore is removed with. the wheel, but behind the brake drum is what amounts to a disc, circular, extending right up to the wheel rim, and with teeth cut all round its circumference. These teeth mesh with others cut on the inside edge of the that all brake wheel rim, so
torque and drive are taken from disc to rim through these teeth and not through the spokes of the wheel The latter. therefore, run straight, up from the hub to the rim, rot tangent-wise, which gives the whole wheel a yey unusual appearance, and, a still more unusual thing nowa- days, one edge of the rim is de- tachable, so that the tyre cover од can be put on and taken very rapidly,
The Bugattis
B
There was certain amount of difficulty
the in getting Bugattis down
weight to the limit. but Nuvolari's weighed 747 kilogrammes, Benolst's scaled the same figure, and Dreyfus was 149.8 kilogrammes. All trad à rather better version of the fami- Har Bugatti body which, in the and Cars driven by Dreyfus Benoist, was strengthened by a longitudinal fin on the tall. All had open cockpite and, of course, the air passed through the bon- bet and out by louvrez.
In comparison, the Alfa- Romeos appear to be narrower than any of their rivals, and an interesting part is that, "though the drive from the gear box is taken, through a universal Joint to a crown wheel and two bevels, each bevel driving a propeller- shaft which alopes outwards to two driving bevels and crown wheels on
the the back axle, driver's seat is almost as high as though a single propeller-shaft had been used, though the "chief purpose of the twin shaft was to allow the seat to be lower.
The engines were straight eights with two camshafts the cylinders being in two blocks of four, and each camshaft divided into two, while the timing gear 18 all, in the centre. The blower in front has a curious little by- pass passage to cut out blower. interference at low speed. Again, as much of the car as possible is butt of aluminium alloy. The weight of Chiron's car was 720 kilogrammes, of Trossi's 721.5, of Varzi's 730 kilogrammes.
As an interesting comparison. take the record-breaking type of single-seater such as the M.G.
which Magnette illustrated, having no Hnilt of frontal area can be much thinner. It will be noticed also that the cockpit is covered in to such extent that the cover has to be removed to allow the driver to get into his seat, while that sent is carried low the propeller-batt being
got out of the way by setting the whole engine and transmission at an angle to the Tame,
C.
Yet according to Otto
the Rohde, chief engineer of Champion Spark plug Co., there are 48 Champion plugs in the distillate-burning 600 horsepower motor which helps the new train bour develop the 110 miles an
It is designed to make,
Spark Plugs are not commonly with Diesel engines, associated
said, but the tem- Mr. Rohde porary motor in this train is a a kerosene semi-diesel. burning ..mixture, and its charges are" fred by plugs just as in the ordinary This motor is con- automobile.
nected directly with a generator. which provides sufficient power to propel the train at its maxi- mum speed.
- Tremendous interest
is being shown in the steamlined, high speed train on its tour People recognize in it the forerunner of a day of changed, railroad trans- portation when the heavy, slow, steam trains will give way en- tirely to this faster, cleaner. cheaper form of travel
The Brute
"If you didn't take so much.in- terest in horses, you would be better off," snapped Mrs. Nark "You've had horses on the brain all your life."
"I suppose thats why I happen. ed to marry a naj.”
WAYS OF THE NORTH
"Jock" Knows How To Find Them
We were on the very top of the world. For hours, it seemed, we had made heavy weather along the winding, "sandy track, with here and there a woolly sheep. and here and there a washout. Snatches of sunshine and much storm, gloomy lochs, scowling precipices, but still the hill road stretching on and on into the far-away distance of cloud" and " Crag.
We knew that it must end somewhere, but exactly where we were cot too sure: Each of us the was subtly conscious that ather was uncertain as to whe- ther we were on the right road; and we shared a haunting dread that all those sandy, rutty, third- gear miles might have to be re- traced. For ages there had been
10
sigh of human habitation, but here at last were four road enda. But, alas, no signpost!
I stopped the car and switched I was cff the engine in disgust. going to have a smoke, anyway, We looked at those four roads, but there was nothing to pick between them. None of them seemed to lead in any definite direction.
cross- Usually four roads point roughly to four points of the compass. These did not, Not
one of them pointed any- where in particular-north, south, east, or west. They had siniply grown there, heedless of all laws" of direction.
Which way, Jock?" I enquired. He said he didn' richtly 'ten "Then suppose you get out and have a good look," I suggested shortly.
The Fallen Signpost He got out, and duly discovered a finger-post lying in the heather. and It was green with moss bearded with Rehen. A tern grew from where a finger once had been, and it fell to bits as Jock raised it like the little princess of
a thousand years ago who crumb- led to dust when they opened her prison doors.
Jock lit his pipe, and simply relterated, that he didna' ken. I
prodded the started. "This looks the most ilkely, I observed. "Get in."
But Jock said, "Bide a wee." He took out his watch and looked at it bens'vely, then he looked at the sky-or rather at the clouds. Jack's watch is famous. It is about the size of a good autumn turnip. and one day, when Jock and I were in camp, a bit of a branch got under the hands and stopped it at tea-time. At mid- night, when Jock and I were sound asleep. the branch broke, and the watch started up. Both of us sat upright. in our bunks. bewildered at the sudden din,
No one but Jock can tell the time by that watch, for both hands are broken off short; but Jock has mastered the art of reading it to the fine point of boiling an egr, in camp at night- time I often He and listel to the DIANE of its big-ends, which grows and fades and grows, these alternations being due to the. "sprigs of heather and pieces of gravel and tobacco which the re- maina of the pointers have to push round as they go.
Jock tool ous his watch and looked at the sky. "We need to travel due north,” said hê. “Now which of these roads is pointing north?"
"That one, I reckon." said I "Na, na!" replied Jock. "That's -east. There's the north," and he
pointed.
Never on your life!" I answer- ed "Where's the compass?"...
Nae need for it," said Jock. "I'll settle the question beyond all doot!"
Calculations
He took a piece of string from his pocket, and, shaking out its kriots, attached to the end of it a small lead sinker. He held the string vertically above his watch. so that the shadow fell across the dial. "I learnt this at the Boy Scoots' camp," he said. "You let the shadow ga' along the minute hand, then the hour hand
(Continued on Page 3)
TRUST A THORNYCROFT With Your Tra
DEAL DIRECT
THORNYCROFT
SIX-CYLINDERED
COACHES & OMNIBUSES
MOTOR VEHICLES
DIESELOR · PETROL.
Pioneer Manufacturés
of Commercial
Full Range of Spares carried in Hong Kong and Shanghal
狴
4 or 6 Wheels
4 or 6 Cylinders
30 Cwt to 10 Ton Loads
20 to 70 Passengers
JOHN L THORNYCROFT & CO., LIMITED,
Pioneer Building, Nathan Raad, Kowloon,
TEL: 60759.
TRUST A THORNYCROFT WITH YODE TRANGTOUT