12
NEW FEATURES
CADILLAC CAR'S NEW
TRANSMISSION
Late in 1924 Thompson began a further development of the de- vice in collaboration with Cadillac and. General Motors engineers. This work included finding the most suitable materials for long life; functional efficiency and general suitability.
THE CHINA MAIL,
PIERCE-ARROW
COMBINATION WITH STUDEBAKER
Formation of the Studebaker Among the new features of
Pierce-Arrow Export Corporation 1929 Cadillac and LaSaile cars,
So exhaustively was the la- on April 11 is announced by Mr. the syncro-mesh, silent-shift
Corporation and transmission is outstanding be-boratory and tost work conducted A. R. Erskine, President of the cause of its direct and immediate that it took three-and-one-half Studebaker
of the board of the effect on driving ease. General years before it was completed. In chairman
mechanical laboratories Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Com- Motors engineers say it ranks in the
were set up and pany. The new corporation wil importance with the self-starter, trunemissions introduced by Cadillac in 1912 and shifted by ninchinery hundreds of conduct affairs and direct the the balanced crankshaft, produced thousands of times. Research en-sales of Studebaker and Erskine gineers engaged in metallurgical passenger and commercial cars in 1923.
Owners of the new cars have tests. Many set-ups were made and Pierce-Arrow automobiles in
the composition of the overseas markets. found that this transmission varying makes gear shifting-as-easy- as materials. For open road tests steering. The control lever is and tests at the General Motors moved into precisely the same Proving Ground, transmissions positions for various gear com- were installed in cars in use for brake and clutch tests with the binations as formerly. There are just two motions-declutch and cars stopping and starting in- shift. The shift is made easily cessantly, so that the transmis and silently. There is no clash-ston would get the most severe ing of gears.
Back of its simplicity in opera- tion is the story of a young man from Oregon who spent several years developing an idea, others in convincing the industry that the idea was good, and then more years with Cadillac and General Motors engineers in making his
use.
This combination brings to- gether two of the oldest firms in American industry, with histories ante-dating the automobile era. Both
Studebaker and Pierce- Arrow are pioneers in the manu- facture of automobiles, building their first cars in the early years of the twentieth century.
Officers
Studebaker of the Before production for the new models was begun, tests. of the Pierce-Arrow Export Corporation arc: P. G. Hoffman, Chairman of transmission had climbed to an equivalent of ore million ear the board, H. S. Weich, President; miles. and before any of them F. L. Overlock, Vice-President; were in the hands of owners, the H. E. Dalton, Secretary; E. L. total had been raised to more! Lalumier, Treasurer. Because of than a million and a half.
RACING DRIVER CHOOSES CADILLAC
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1929.
COSTLY CAR BEAUTY
COSTLY CAR ENGINEERING
in the low-priced WHIPPET
New "Finger-Tip Control" -a button at centre of steering wheel operates starter, lights and horn.
Whippet Four Touring
LOWER COST OF OPERATION
Major H. O. D. Segrave, who recently stabilshed in work's speed record of 231 miles per hour,
with his Golden Arrow at Daytom Brach, Florida.
dream a practical manufacturing possibility.
There is another story also- that of a million and a half car miles of lust for the new transmis- sion at the General Motors Prov- ing Ground, Milford, Michigan, before it was adopted for use in a. Cadillac or LaSalle car.
Major Seagrave is seen here in a Cadillac recently, pareḥrd for his own use.
PETROL
Prime Necessity of Business
The rise in the east of petrol-- prime necessities of tae of the Earl A. Thompson, until 1924, modern business and social life- a consulting engineer of Port-reminds us once again of the cynical land, Oregon, is the originator of the new transmission.
is
dictum of an "oil King," now de egased. that "the price of oil what it will fetchi," and apparently what will fetch is a matter to be derided by those rentemen who having elirainated all competition by absorbing the "unclean thing" in the oil work, are enabled to make petrol supplies "Tetch" some penes per gallon more than the previas competitive price, and this In spite of the fart that supply is far in excess of demand, and the
In the days when automobiles were not the casy-riding, easily controlled vehicles they are to- day, Thompson was taken with the idea of how much better would be to have gears a driver could shift easily and silently.
Anything so fundamentally im- portant in motor car operation must prove itself beyond doubt. From Cadillac's viewpoint, there was the long and brilliant recordsuit of the producing companies of engineering achievement to be is so great as to make the disposal While the spirit a matter of great diffi supported and enlarged. the company has pioneered some sulty. of the most basic and radical con- tributions to automobile pro- gress, it has never accepted any
most thing new without the
and exacing tests and
severe
proofs.
their experience these men are admirably suited for the positions: they occupy.
Of the two companies, Stude ake is the larger. having actual eseals of $105,000,000, and manu- facturing plants at South Bend, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan and Walkerville, The major portion of Studebaker
Ontario. Canada.
manufacturing is done at South
Bend, where factories cover 125 acres, containing more than six In addition an 80 acre proving million square feet of floor space. ground is owned by Studebaker where cars are rigorously tested.
. Factories Over 45 Acres Pierce-Arrow planta are located at Buffalo, New York, its factories covering 45 acres with more than a million and a half square feet of floor
Pierce-Arrow's space. growth dates back to 1001 when it introduced its first petrol-propeli- | ed car.
In 1904 the company announced a four-cylinder auto- mobile, which was followed twe years later by the introduction of a six-cylinder model. The imme- notor diate success of the users and a handicap to trade geu. while producing these models re- erally. It will add materially tosulted in the formation of the the slowing down of the motor trade Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Com- so evident since the petrol tax was pany in 1909. An even greater imposed, a most unfortunate change era of success followed and in TRIALShe conditions applicable to tha: 1916 the various holdings of the trade--one of the very few in which company were consolidated under steady and profitable progress was new corporation carrying the being made.
RELIABILITY
RESULTS OF KUALA LUMPUR MEETING
hours.
The best performances
This increase in price, coming un Lup of the fourpenny duty which was imposed in the last Budget, is great hardship on
a very
same name.
Company
The new alliance between the
TH
HE new Superior Whippet makes the beauty and style of costly cars available at a low price. Graceful lines, rich colours, longer bodies, higher radiator and sweeping one-piece full crown fenders all contribute to Whippet's trim, smart appearance.
•
In engineering, the new Superior Whippet can be com pared only to cars of muchgreater cost. Important advan- tages include a higher compression engine, silent timing chain, full force-feed lubrication, Nelson type alum- inum alloy invar-strut pistons, big four-wheel brakes. Dependable performance and low consumption of oil and petrol make the new Superior Whippet a decidedly economical car to operate. See the Whippet at your nearest Willys-Overland dealer's.
The new superíor
COACH.. COUPE
TOURER
$1,590
ROADSTER
$1,695
$1,950
$1,950
$2,080
(All price und specifications cubject
to change withwal roticed
SEDAN
WHIPPET FOUR
Agents:
Messrs. Gilman & Co., Ltd.
Telephone C. 290.
44 Des Voeux Road, Central
WILLYS - OVERLAND
Garage and Service Station:
Messrs. Duro Motor Co., Ltd.
FINE
Telephone K. 226.
123 Nathan Road, Kowloon.
MOTOR
·
WILLYS OVERLAND
FINE
MOTOR
A
Between the need of the Govern
Headquarters for the Stude Kuala Lumpur, May 6.
ment for the money provided by baker Pierce-Arrow Expert Cor- Yesterday's motor cycle reliability the tax and the rapacity-the right poration will be maintained in the trials under the auspices of the word-of the Petrol Ring, the motor Studebaker administration build- No major Motor Cycle Club were a complete trade and the public are in a parlous, ing in South Bend.
will be made in the success, fine
weather prevailing and largely helpless, condition, and changes
extracted policies heretofore followed by established between men in actual With the exception of five all en small comfort is to be
consideration that the the Studebaker export corporation harge of service stations all over trants competed. They were des from the patched from the starting point in Government will also be placed in but expansions will be made in the he world and the factory. Batu Road in pairs at intervals of serious difficulty as a result of the various divisions.
The production department will one minute. The total distance of disturbance to their plans for rais. the trial was 65 miles and the time ing a certain amount from the two confpanies strengthens the be kept familiar with the parti-
tory in the export markets. allotted was two and three-quarter petrol duty and the distribution of dominant positions cach has held gular requirements of each terri the sum so raised, as the inevitable in the industry. It covers the en complete line of open car models were by falling off in demand must neces! tire motor market, and opensuilt specially for export terri- Rex Duncan on a New Imperial, aarily affect the product of the new possibilities for both Stude-tories where open cars are largely
baker and Pierce-Arrow dealere J. T. Avery on an Ariel and Lee duty.
in demand is being released imme- Building plans are already diately. Soon Lee on a B.S.A. The team It has been suggested that ther: prize was won by the Petaling Tin should be a sort of self-denial week, under way at the South Bend
or month, during which time private works that will give additional Organisation of this new cor- team, comprising F. Ruston on a
evaporation comes at a time when the Rudge, R. Robinson on a Norton and ears shall remain in the garage and space and make possible
overseas export business of both manu- B. H. Oiver on a Scott. The New commercial motoring he cut down to quicker shipments to
markets. Special attention has facturers is at a high mark. Imperial team came second. J. T. the irreducible minimum. Avery was placed first in order of teach the oil monopolista a lesson, been and will continue to be paid During 1928, Studebaker sales in to facilities for any specific box-overseas markets were 41 per ing requirements of individual cent. greater than for the year markets:
1927. Because of the great suc- cess met by Pierce-Arrow in the United States, it is expected that One of the first steps toward export sales will mount rapidly. placing the expanded organisation
merit.
The Petrol Ramp
In the discussion-'that has been going on about the latest rise in the price of petrol too little at tention has been directed to the fact that the motor cycle is the most economical of all vehicles, saye "Motor Cycling."Actually, the increase does not really mean very much to many of us, where as the car owner, even if he runs quite a small vehicle, has been badly hit, at any rate if his in- ceme is on the small side. great, in fact, is the difference in running costs between the car and the motor cycle that the petrol ramp may well have the effect of making many car owners of mo- derate means take once again to two wheels or three.
So
This to
and force common sense upon them and common justice from them. It is a drastic proposal, and if it could. be adopted in its fullness it would be an effective remedy for an evil which, unless it is checked, is likely
Regional Managers
to assume greater dimensions and of the new corporation into effect bring about worse difficulties than is the naming of regional mana- those which we are now combating gers. These men will be Incidentally, it would do the coal charge of large territorial divi- trade much good, would have vary sions. They have been carefully beneficial reaction on the physical selected on a basis of experience fitness of quite a lot of folk and and ability to represent the new demonstrate once again that, after organisation in a proper manner. ail, the common people can, if they | These men have had years of ex- will, unmake the biggest and most perience with Studebaker and and bring have personal acquaintance with powerful monopoly, greed and selfishness, and the dis- the dealers and distributors they regard and the over-riding of their will assist.. rights by whomsover tried, to a sharp and sudden end if they are roused to the exercise of the powers they possess.
Experienced service representa- tives will be stationed in the different territories in the world. A closer relationship will be
MORE MILES
PER GALLON.
9 H.P. CLYNO. LANE, CRAWFORD LTD.
Chevrolet Truck Does Its Bit In Persia
An average freight and passenger load starts feoin Teheran, for the interior of Petsin. This Chevrolet truck is one of many that are in constant use in the Near East
CARS
CARS
MECHANISATION
THE NAPOLEON OF THE FUTURE
"MAY BE IN A GARAGE"
For LAPO
years a mechanized military force typical of the armies of the future has been experiment- ing on Salisbury.
This was revealed by the Director of Staff Duties of the British Army, Major-General C. Bonham-Carter, who told a reporter that he believed weTM
were now ahead of any other country in the world in our know ledge of military mechanisation.
"As the result of secret experi- ments, a date has been obtained," he said, "to enable the War Office to lague to Staff and regimental officers a book, which may be regarded as the first official military handbook of the army on wheels and eater. pillar tractors.
"The experimental
armoured force has now been disbanded, as its vehicles are required for other experiments."
Major-General Bonham-Carter agreed that the Napoleon of the 'future might to-day be wearing overalls and working in a garage.
It is hoped to have a mechanised brigade in this year's manoeuvres.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.