1927-02-16 — Page 8

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Overland "Whippet" Cars.

Unequalled in either Quality or Price. See them at

THE DURO MOTOR CO., LTD.

182, Nathan Rd., Kowloon. or Apply

To the Distributors

GILMAN & CO., LTD.,

Hongkong Bank Building.

Teleph. C. 290.

THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16th, 1927.

MOTORING NOTES

A VERY HANDSOME CAR

THE

BEAN

SHORT 14

4-5 SEATER TOURER £348.

IN THE BEAUTIFUL CURLED

ALUMINIUM FINISH.

1

“A TRIUMPH OF BRITISH CRAFTMANSHIP.”.

LANE, CRAWFORD, LTD.

SHE

SHELL

SHELL

DELIVERED BY OUR OWN LORRIES Direct into CERTIFIED

SHELL PUMPS

IS ALWAYS THE SAME

PERFECT QUALITY AND

CORRECT MEASURE

The Asiatic Peltoire Co. | 8.C.) ZM

aceportal in England)

SOCONY

MOTOR OIL

MODERN OILS FOR MODERN MOTORS

REFINED UP TO A Standard NOT DOWN TO A Price

HOME

LEAVE

A CAR is the Idcel way to get about and SEE the COUNTRY. Buying is cheaper than hiring, simpler sind more commenient, when we guarantee tobuy

the car back from you

CAR READY ON ARRIVAL"

All Makes FREE TUITION NO TROUBLE

Two seaters from £145 Four seaters from £165 "WAY WE MAIL YOU LISTS

OFFORD

CISONS

84 GLOUCESTER ROAD, LONDON, SW.7

A Weekly Review dealing with matters of interest to all local motorists.

The Cost of a Small Car-Two Seaters-Clean Air and Pistons-The Great Prizes.

[BY AN OWNER-DRIVER]

Overland "Whippet" Cars.

EASY TERMS TO SUIT ALL PURSES.

4. Cylinder 6 Cylinder-.

136 HP..

& Beater Tour G$ 875 # Seater Roadster ........ G$ 933-

5 Seater Coach... Q$ 978 5 Sester Sedan (4 door) G$1,100

5 Seater Brongham ... G$1,125

GILMAN & CO. LTD.

Distributors.

HONGKONG BANK BUILDING.

ال

Szor Book

31.6 HP.

G $1,050

*G $1,100

$1,175

G. $1,250

0 $1,975

DURO MOTOR

GARAGE,

NATHAN RD, KOWLOON.

Daimler evolved the usually happens that men who are wear and tear of pistons. It is im- | associated. possible to maintain high comprei carburetor that made motoring poeblesed with financial genius have

The invention of electric a limited cutlook in other ways. aion with a badly worn piston. The sible.

GREAT REWARDS, E is, perhaps, curious that there THE COST OF A SMALL | year. Our Agure for Hong Kong French expert, Henri Petit says: ignition was a great step forward.

"The question of pistons is one that for 8,000 miles per annum is now

To-day the world of motoring CAR: -

$1,800 as against his figure of £60 pre-occupies our designers of petrol is no one name fixed to the motor-

car as there is the name of Marconi offers great rewards to inventors. a year for 6,000 miles Increasing engines at the present time, and Writing from Blatchington Rec his figure pro-rata for 8,000 miles assert that the inventor who will fixed to wireless telegraphy. Iu Thousands. of engineers are making tory, Oxford, to the Spectator, W. we find that he should do that dis- present us with a perfect piston is actual fact Marconi did not do the experiments in the hope of evolving asaared of a magnificent fortune. pioneer work in wireless. He com- & petrol driven turbine. In theory Bevan Brown, gires some interes: tamen at a cost of 200 a year. Unhappily, this perfect piston is mercialised the work of such man such a machine is quite practicable, ing figures regarding motoring for other words it seems to have cost till in the domain of the future"!"

as Branly, the Frenchman, and but the difficulty is that the terrifs Oliver a family man. He says that his ex-us twice as much to run a car in

Lodge, Professor of Physies heat and high temperatures resuit- - It has been suggested that a

ing from combustion of petrol perience shows that a small four Hong Kong as it does in England.

change may be made in the shape at Liverpool, England. scater car can be run a distance of

Those who know these men say vapour and air melt any known of the bonnet of cars so as to reduce about 0,000 miles per annum through

the amount of dust that Ands its that Marconi has not the genius of materials. a life of ten years on an average of

way into the mechanism beneath the other two. Possibly would from £40 to £50 per annum, includ

the bonnet. 1

The trouble is that be more accurate to say that he has ing depreciation, provided

road dust has a way of penetrating not the same type of genius. We excessive speeds are avoided and a

into any nook and crevice.

speak of "financial genius" but it little trouble is taken in mastering the care and the driving of the car. That means that he has found by practical experience that he could run a small four-seater car for ton years at an average total cost of 2d, a mile.

that

The small four-seater car of 1928

is a very much more economical car, so far as petrol consumption is con- cerned, than a similar car produced ten years ago."

LOCAL FIGURES.

The following figures are given to show the cost of running a small four-seater car in Hong Kong daring the years 1091-5. The engine was just under eleven horse-power, Eng- liah tax rating. The car was au expensive one in those days-a car made by the same firm, developing a greater actual horse-power al though the same tax horse-power, and in many ways a much better proposition can be now be pur chased locally at about half the price of 1921. The depreciation figure is therefore one that should be catimated for a 1923 model rather than one made in 1990, -

HIGHER COSTS.

+

It is possible that one of the new 1997 models of a light four-seater could be run very much more econ- amically. It would, however, be rather bold to suggest that it could be run an average el 6,000 miles year at a cost of from £40 to £60 a year, or say $100 to $600. Doubt. less the £40 was for the first year and the 280 for a year with more than ususal bilis" for repairs.

An expression of opinion, given as result of some experience with various small four-seaters in Hong Kong of about ten to eleven borse power is that, even if it cost $20 month for a garago, the total cost should be less than $1,000 a year, including depreciation for ordinary touring work.

..

GOOD CONSUMPTION.

The engines, that turn at 3,000 P.m. and more demand really good compression With that they give a splendid fuel consumption. The figure of 35 miles per gallon is one that is often guaranteed. When the car does not attain half the speed possible on top gear of course the aumber of revolutions per minute of the engine is less than 1,500. Under such conditions there is nothing like the west and tear of pistoni

and cylinders that there is when the car is running at the highest speed that is possible.

That supposes very careful use of

Aluminium alloy pistons are mor the car and a fair amount of know ledge on the part of the owner. In used by a number of makers. What fact any owner-driver who fails to designers are asking the metal ex- have a few lessons before purchasperts to produce is a light alum ing a car for the first time will nium alloy that will give them

piston capable of running 100,00 probably regret it!

miles without deformation."

TWO-SEATERS.

THE GREAT PRIZES. In Hong Kong the popular car la

There is still romance in the the five-seater. There are probably more seven-seaters than there are motoring world. At this time "of two-seaters. The "Shanghai body year many people in Hong Kong are en n chassis gives a very delightful thinking of "luck" in connection looking car. That particular type with the big sweeps at the annual of coachwork, however, is expen races. Two Hong Kong mer-Mac rive. It costs more than a four-Donald of the Tramway Co. and arater body,

Major Harding of the RAM.C won hig sweep prizes while resident here. In both cases the prizes were. soinsthing of the order of £30,000.

i

in

two-seat

However, the running costs over four years for the old model were remarkably constant. Each year we did just about 8,000 miles, and There are probably not more than usually more than 500 miles a half-a-dozen cars in the Colony with month. It cost us about 50.wo-seater bodies of the "Shanghai" month for petrol, or say 8700- year, 39 an outside figure. That type. Are they really seems a very poor result; if we take petrol at an average of a dollar a gallon, it means only about eleren miles to the gallon on the average. Possibly petrol cost more than a dollar a gallon-no rote was taken of anything but the total cost in dollars. We used to find that, for a rua round the New Territories, the car would do 22 miles to the

ers" It is difficult to place them any other category. They have dickey" and are not orthodox four-seaters..

가

THE SELLING PRICE

In general it seems that a four or five-seater car fetches a relatively better price when it is sold second hand. The trouble with selling al two-seater is that most

WHAT IS GENIUS1.

big prizes in the realm of invention. Similarly there have been some Welsbach is said to have sold the potents of the Welsbach gas mantle for a sum of a million pounds ster- ling Hadgeld has made immense sums of money out of the new steel alloys of which he discovered the secret Possibly the biggest single.

gallon with four up. The poor fuel gard them as "disobligers reinvention in connection with the

figure for the year was probably due

A great deal of the pleasure that to the fact that we did a lot of run- comes to the owner of a car is gain- ning about in town. The constanted by giving friends a ride. There stopping and "starting and conse- is of course the dicky at the but it is quent cooling down, of the engine back of a two-seater, seat up the fuel consumption Bot very comfortable for a long ride. There was no theft of petrol, as far Ladies do not seen to like such as we knew, because there was no seats-is, it that they think their chauffeur.

clothes will be spoilt or is it thất they appear two conspicuous in 1 "dicky "acati

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OIL AND GREASE. We were careful not to stint a change of oil and the annual bill for oil and grease came to about $50. The cost of insurance was On a bigger car nearly 870 a year. this item is more. As far as can be discovered the insurance com- panies charge & premium that is based on the value of the car and the tax horse-power. A local popu- lar six-cylinder car that would pay a £30 tax in England and that is now being sold new at rather more than $3,000 would cost about $110

A TRIAL RUN.

A few days ago a party of us went out to Fanling in a so-called "two-reater." Three of us were quite comfortable in the front seat. The driver was in no way incon venienced. In addition two aat in the "dicky" seats and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Amongst Chinese the popular size seems to be the seven-seater and it is amazing how many people are to be seen crowded into a seven-seater

to insure for a year. Insurance is car, doing A joy ride" round the an item that most not be over-island. No wonder there is fairly looked. "

L

L

TYRES.

"Tyros were, it must be confessed, an expensive item. The wheels were small and the tyres in those days did not seem to wear anything like as well as tyres do now. The cost came to. $280 per annDat.

REPAIRS.

rapid depreciation.

two-

A very high grade car was par chased in Hong Kong and it had a breakdown. The pinion fractured. The metal that had dractured was a perfect piece of material. There is no need to discuss the design-the name of the make of the bar was a guarantee that there was no fault in design. The only possible came Including the cost of de-carbonis of the fracture was overloading.

One ing the engine, grinding in the good thing about a valves, new clutch plates, a new seater" is that it is not likely to second gear, a new battery and new be overloaded. wiring the cost of repairs averaged about $60 per annum, over four CLEAN AIR AND PISTONS. years. During the first the

year only expense was de-carbonizing A controversy concerning the That brings us up to a total cost efficiency of air fiters still continues. 81,050 per annum, excluding the The unbelievers say that the so- cast of a garage. In actual fact called "filter" do not keep out there was no such expense as an old the dust and grit. In Hong Kong shed was available. A garage at expérience makes at least one $20 a month brings the cost up to motorist favour the idea of an air practically $1,300 per annum.

A GREAT REDUCTION.

filter. He has fitted one to his car and he is decidedly under the in- pression that it is an improvement. LIGHT PISTONS.

So that it cost rather more than 2100 a month (including 820 a. month for a garage) to do between In a recent contribution which bas 600 and 700 miles a month on a small some bearing on this subject a well- four-seater. (That does not allow known French expert deals with the anything for depreciation). The problem of engine pistons. figure would be less nowadays. De It is the experience of some car preciation is an item that must be owners who use very quick-revolu taken into account. In our case it tion engines that if they wish to was $500 a year, but the gentle- keep high compression in the engine man at the Rectory near Oxford cylinder, it is essential to change the who ran a small four-seater for ten pistons every 20,000 miles. The rea years probably put it down at £20 son givan ie that dirty air helps the

moter-car is the pneumatic tyre with which the name of Dunlop is always

There are many other inventora at work on other problems connected A light and efficient with cars electric storage battery is one.

DUNLOP

THE STANDARD by which ALL TYRES

are JUDGED

LOCAL DISTRIBUTORS: Hong Kong Hotel Garage.

LOCAL OFFICE:

18, Des Voeux Road Central.

The Cost of Your Car

TH

Is the Cost PER YEAR

HE real cost of a motor car in-

cludes not only the purchase price but also operation and main-

tenance costs.

It takes into consideration the num- her of years of performance builtinto the car the resultant re-sale value.

Lowest Cost PER YEAR The Whippet's instant popularity makes possible production at a low price.

This car also offers remarkable écono mies in operation and maintenance- 35 miles on an Imperial gailon of pet- rol, 1,000 miles on a gallon of oil. It is designed as a unit, with perfect balance of all parts, to give trouble-free performance for many years.

It has high te-sale value which reduces its cost per year to the purchaser.

Modern Engineering Means Low Cost Today the wise motorist thinks of en- gineering not as dull graphs, charts

OVERLAND

Service Representative:

MP. A. AHWER.

The Whippet is my 5 feet 9 inches high, yet bus. remarkabk hiad ram and leg room,

and blue prints—but in terms of performance, comfort, economy and re-sale value.

Engineering determines not only the initial cost of your car, but also its cost to you PER YEAR-its cost of opera- tion, its length of life, its ro-sale value. See the Whippet. Ride in it. Drive it. Compare its specifications and perform- ance with other cars. Figure initial cost-plus upkeep-minus resale value and you will be convinced that the Whippet is the least expensive in the long run.

Whippet

World's News-Tape Light Car -

GILMAN & Co., Ltd., Hong Kong Bank Building, Hong Kong.

Centon Distributor: dr. F. FELD.

TOX.CALL 2