1928-05-30 — Page 10

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MOTORING NOTES

MAKE YOUR CAR COMFORTABLE.

RECENT IMPROVEMENTS.

FLEXIBLE STEERING WHEEL

·AND· · PNEUMATIC UPHOLSTERY.

[BY JOHN PEIOLEAU.]

(CONTD.)

THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 30th, 1928.

OYSTERS IN COURT.

Mr. F. Schiller, K.Ch, that pro- duced another box, which, he said, showed that the oyster was a most JUDGE'S “TAKE THEM AWAY, catholic fish, making its home in

STOCK CAR TRAVELS THEY'RE TOO TEMPTING."

3,198 MILES.

MR. CANNONBALL BAKER'S GREAT RUN.

ENTHUSIASM FOR FALCON. KNIGHT ENGINE,

Across the American Continent- var two mountain ranges, across An article I wrote on the things the great Southern Desert from the vast central plaing, traversing I believe to be absolute necessities Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, in a modern car has brought at Califorsis, in three days! a good deal of comment from Cannonball Baker by so driving a readers. One or two of them take Falcon-Knight Six Coach, establish- exception to my demand for steered a new world record for trane ing-wheel lighting switches, and continental travel. This new time also to the hand-controlled radiator cuts 6 hours and 8 minutes from the Bhutters on which I insisted.

former record which was held by a cylinder, 20 horsepower car of the very high price class.

the

It is, I suppose, the old story of personal taste, but I am convinced that anybody who has aver driven a car fitted with, at any rate, the headlights controlled from wheel, would never willingly have the awitts anywhere else. As my critics say, it is not a very long way to stretch forward to the in- strument board in order to switch co. I quite agree, but it"seems to me fairly obvious that anything which removes the necessity for taking your hand the wheel, especially at night, mast be an advantage and not a disadvantage, The question of cost can hardly anter into it at all, as I showed by quoting a really low-priced car which has this as a standard | fitting.

As regards the hand-controlled radiator-shutters in conjunction with the thermometer, I agree that this may perhaps not be looked! upon a necessity by those who are not interested in getting the best out of their car or in running it at its most economical--very often the same thing. Yet again. I can only answer that once you have known what it is to keep the tem- perature of your cooling water exactly at the point you want it, and noticed the improvement in the running of your engine as com- pared with it in the ordinary slap dash method, you will never be antisfied without them...

Pleasant Unnecessaries."--

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Leaving Washington, D.C., at 1.30 .., Eastern Standard Time, on Tuesday, March 7th, the route Pennsylvania where the Falcon- led through the mountains of Knight Six encountered terrific bead winds and snow, and for some time was running against a sixty-mile gale. The motor showed no signs of faltering on the mountain grades, and in spite of the gale a high speed was_maintained, and when checked

at Indianapolis where the speedo meter showed 375 miles, the time was only 13 hours and 55 minutes, making an average of 41.39 miles per hour.

Continuing over the paved high- ways of Indiana and Illinois, the car sped into St. Louis, Missouri, and across that state to Kansas City, where the total time taken was 23 hours and 55 minutes and the speedometer registered 1,088 miles west of Washington.

··Leaving Kansas City, Mr. Baker left the paved highways and sent the speeding Falcon-Knight over the gravel roads of Kansas, completing the 400 miles run to Dodge City, Iowa, in less than o hours.

The Falcon-Knight, sped inta Albuquerque, New Mexico, at 11.50 |

p.m. on March 28th, covering the 13 miles from Washington in about 48 hours. In this portion of, its gruelling grind the Falcon- Kaight took the steep grades of the heavy snow at high altitude., maratain easily, plowing through

In this connection I should like to emphasise again that it is very important that your thermometer should show the temperature of the Mexico with its engine functioning The car sped on across New water as near the engine as possible a perfectly as it did every inch of and not in the radiator. In some the way. The car slipped noise engines there is an immenselessly into Needles, California, at difference between the two and 3.20 p.m. if you are going to control tem negotiating the steep grades of the peratures it is as well to do it pro- southern Coastal mountain range. perly and accurately.

The Last Dash.

Some of the readers' comments. Auggest what one of them calls "pleasant unnecessaries." About one of these, a flexible steering wheel, I agree most heartily. have used one of these wheels now for some three months, and a though like most people to whom they are suggested I was at first quite incomprehensibly opposed to using it, it was not more than a few hours before I reached the stage when I wondered how on "earth we could have got on without

auch things all these years.

་

on March 29th after

From Needles, the last dash of the long journey brought car and driver to the goal at Los Angeles. With the Falcon-Knight double- sleeve engine still delivering its maximum horsepower despite the sustained speed that had been main- tained hour after bour for three con- secutive days and nights from Wash ington, there was no let-up on this final dash.

At. 12.17 a.m. 'the' Falcon-Knight glided into the city limits of Los Angeles where it was met by a Western Union official to verify the exact time of arrival. The speedo meter registered 3,198 miles from Washington.

First Experience With Knight Engine.

1

A good flexible steering wheel insulates the driver's hands, arms, shoulders and back from vibration either of the engine or of the road kind to an incredible degree, and it is no exaggeration to any that it enables him to drive considerably

Mr. Baker was enthusiastic as be further without fatigue than would be possible with the rigid type. arrived at the finish line, and said: They are not cheap compared with The performance of the Falcon- the latter, but they are, in my Knight Six in this terrific grind was opinion, absolutely invaluable.. one of the most remarkable I have They are most specially to be re- even seen. I have made many re- commended to the owners of very cords on race tracks and in cross amali cars in which the driving seat country travel, but I believe this is cramped. The flexibility is is one of my best achievements and naturally not very great as measurI attribute it to the power and edthat is to say, you cannot bend stamina of the Falcon-Knight the rim of the wheel very much double-aloove motor and its ability but the man who finds difficulty in to maintain a high rate of speed day getting into his driving scat and after day. Throughout the entire who is becoming resigned to bump- trip the only stop that was made ing against the rim of his rigid for any kind of repair was near wheel when using clutch or brake Dodge City where we had & punc pedal will find his driving pleasure tured tyre. This is my first experi at least doubled.

ence with a Knight engine, and I can safely say that if the new world

Another peasant unnecessary that

I have recently discovered is record set by Falcon-Knight is ever

rubber foundation to the floor

broken it will be by a car using the mats. In my ear there is such a same type of power plant foundation, which consists of a At the end of the trans-con- complete set of mats covering the timental speed test the Falcon- whole width and length of the Knight Six was carefully inspected floor boards, something like half and declared as perfect as when it an inch thick, of a very resilient started the long grind out of the yet firm material of the india national capital, scarcely three days rubber order. It is anything but before. cheap, I believe, although I do wrot know what the price is, but I think jul it well worth the money.

some people may not attach the same importance to it so I do my- Pneumatic Upholstery, self. There is, to my mind, no With this set of mats under the comparison whatever, hetween tho ordinary car mats there is no comfort of long drives sented on vibration felt in either the back or air and seated on horse-hair-and- the front seats. No matter how springs, or whatever it is the fast the engine may be running on orthodox cualtion is made of. There any gear, not the slightest temor is nothing much in it, perhaps, ia can be detected by either hand or short and slow trips, but as soon foot anywhere on the floor. The as you set your car'e nose for the engine, as it happens, runs with blue, so to speak, knowing that Ies vibration than most; in fact it you have to keep up a decent runs with none at all, so far as I average for several hours a day, can see, but experiments on other 'you will be very wine to have those people's cars with this flooring has lightly inflated cushica in place convinced me that it is one of the of the ordinary kind, as most necessary of the pleasant un put pneumatic upholstery, the necessaries, flexible steering wheel and rubber- To conclude a list of pleasant uncovered floor boards among the best. necessaries I would add pneumatic things that have been invented for upholstery. Its place is really the comfort of the motorist since much higher up in the list, but cars were first pushed out on to the

(Continued on nezt Volume). Toad

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anything from a broken electric laurp to an old clay pipe. One of the oysters in the box, and cou sel, had settled on a skate's ang.

"*'A' skate's egg!”, exclaimed the judge, examining the egg. " "I always thought those were pods of soma sort of seaweed.!!

Oysters caught off Brittany were shown to dir, Justice Rowlast dur- ing the bearing of the actical con- perning the sale and resale of more than 9,000,000 oysters by a Fal mouth oyster company, the West- Mr. Justice Rowatt, giving judg. ward Fisheries and Transport Coment, held that the defendants had Ltd., and the Shell Fisheries, of discharged the onus placed upon Perouil, to the Solter and Ham them by the agreement with the Oyster Fisheries Co., Ltd., of the plaintiffs, and the claim therefore

Harbour, Whitstable..

The oysters were placed on the bench by the side of the judge, who inspection he said. examined them. At the end of his Take them away. They are too tempting to be left there."

The usher removed them.

failed.

MR. WODEHOUSE'S FILM | doings are well known to hosts of

Mr. Wodehouss's readers:

DEAL.

£7,500 FOR "* JEEVES ” AND

** FSMITH.**

Mr. P. G. Wodehouse, the humorous writer, is to be paid 27,500 by a British film company for the right to select from his stories of "Jeeves" and "Psmith" material for the making of two pictures.

Introduced in The Inimitable On the counterchuim the Whits Jeeves," which was published five table company, the judge found, years ago, Jeeves, a prince of were entitled to recover £2,559, butlers and a marvel of resource, advanced to the plaintiffs to enable on behalf of his employer, a gilded them to carry on their businLASS. young man about town," instant- Judgment was entered accordingly became. fainous. Pamith is an ly with coste.

other humorous character whose

U.S." AND FREEDOM OF THE SEAS.

Mr. Wodehouse, who is staying at Droitwich, Worcestershire, told a

ADELAIDE, South Australia, Daily Mail reporter that he has j Professor Russell, Dean of the also sold the film rights of his Faculty of Education at Columbia" atory Sam the Sudden." He University, New York, who was said:

entertained by the League of The biggest sum I have pre-Nations Union bere, expressed aur- viously been paid for film rights prise at his invitation in conso ia £1,000 for "The Small quenes of the refusal of the United Bachelor." I am now thinking States to join the League

the

out more picts for Jeeves while I

Fersonally, he lie in & brine bath. I can United States' adoption of the huge

regarded

generally get ideas in this way, Afterwards I go for long, slow Day proposals as pure bluff, and rides" on A push-bicycle and did not believe that the ships would Calabarats them sa 1.go.

over be built. I am able to work best when He thought the authorities - real my wife in with me. We go over resson was a desire to fores the plota together, and when I have‍j hands of the British Government Goished a story she reads it end so as to compel some understand- given me har advice... She helpsing respecting the freedom of the me a lot.

sena.

In the Light Car Class

Only the Whippet

has all these Vital Advantages

Unprecedented

Low Prices

SEDAN

(4-Door)

Coach (2-Door) Roadster (4-Passenger)

Coupe

(2-Passenger)

H.K.$1,950

H.K.$1,850

H.K.$1,720

H.K.$1,850

Cabriolet Coupe H.K.$1,850

(4-Passenger)

· Easter Parking-Toma in a 17-foot rading. Parks in 14 fext of curb space.

Easy Steering-Wom and gear typo steering gear for easiest handling.

900

Controls-All pinced for driver's 'mokale

"mum convenience.

More Leg Room--More than in aury

cer of conventional dicat

Eficient Engine-Dévelope twice; its rated horsepowes,

- Low Centre of Gravity-Hakes for: mesoother riding and greater security a

TOURING

H.K. $1,550

Proven by more than 200,000 owners

Speed with comfort-The Whip pet will travel 55 to 60 miles an hour easily and comfortably-a modest claim for a car which has set up a record of 71.6 miles per hour in the hands of an expert driver at Rock- ingham Park Speedway, U. S. A. Its power reduces the necessity of gear shifting to a minimum on hills and * heavy roads. Semi-elliptic springs.

and low centre of gravity assure safety and comfort on curves and rough roads Fast acceleration in traffic and general casy handling en- able the Whippet to get through traffic faster than more cumbersome cars Unusually efficient engine-It eliminates the disadvantages of the slow-speed engine, avoids the exces sive side-thrust wear of the abort piston stroke, and the tax waste of large bore.

Engine smoothness-Whippeten gine smoothness is attained by the use of bronze-backed babbitt bear ings, long connecting rods, large come necting rod bearing surface, extra heavy crankshaft, light weight dur able pistons, quiet gears and valves, and the silent timing chain. Vibra tion is practically unnoticeable even at the higher ranges of speed. Fuel economy-Whipper owners commonly get 25 to 30 miles per allion of petrol-a conservative esti mate for a car that has shown itself capable, in the hands of an expert driver, of establishing an official rec ord of 43.28 miles per gallon in a transcontinental trip of 3559 miles across the U. S'AMM 20 Effective lubrication-Full pump force-feed engine, lubrication, em- ploying drilled crankshaft. Grease. gun-chassis lubrication, t

Dependable electric system The Whippet has the world-renown- ed Auto-Lite double unit starting, Lighting and ignition system. Bendix drive on starting motor. Large U.S.L battery. Efficient generator.

Substantial steering gear-For safety the steering mechanism is of the most sturdy construction. The horn button and a hand throttle are conveniently located on top of the steering wheel. Ignition control' is automatic. S

Large 4-wheel brakes - The Whippet was the first to set the stand- ard of 4-wheelbrakes asasafetyfactor

Distributors for S. China:

GILMAN & CO., LTD.

HONG KONG BANK BUILDING, HONG KONG,

for light cars. Others are now fol lowing this advanced engineering practice. Its large 11-inch mech. anical brakes on all four wheels give the driver sure control of the car at all its speeds. The emergency brake hand lever operates on the rear wheels independent of the foot brake pedal. The total braking surface of the Whipper is 220 square inches much more per pound of car weight than in any other car. pe

Single plate, dry-disk clutch- the famous Borg and Beck type, its- suring velvety action entirely en closed and protected from dust and grit.

Extra long springs-There are 164 inches of chrome vanadium springs under the Whippet body, accountingto a large degree for the un usually comfortable riding qualities of this car. The springs are semi- elliptic type placed parallel with the body of the car.

Sturdy frame-Built of strong deep-channel steel, braced by FOUR cross members,

Modern rear axle construction Latest semi-floating type with nickel-steel spiral bevel ring gear and pinion, with Timken adjustable roller bearings throughout. Banjo-type housing permitting easy adjustment without disassembly. Hotchkiss clrive through strings gives added protec tion from road shocks.

Petrol Tänk in Rear-Safely away from, englos and wiring.

Baubbers--Pull-alas balloon tyres and Cla- besel Baubbern for encofort-4-wboel brake

b

Full-Vision Bodies-Narrow front pillars remove the “blind spot” hazsed.

Bilent Timing Chala-For quiet engina

Roomy bodies-handsome ap pearance-Fleet low lines without sacrifice of comfort. Ample road operation, as on expensive cas clearance. Ample head room. In genious body construction gives plenty of leg room. All Whipper models are handsomely upholstered and tastefully equipped. Exteriors are finished in polished lacquer in a variety of beautiful colour combina- tions Interior vibration is absent. Equipment includes, self-starter, magnetic speedometer, oil gauge, ammeter, motor driven horn, cowle ventilator, automatic windshield wiper, rear view mirror, dash light, stop-light, ignition lock, tyre carrier and extra rim, and si complete set of tools with Jack and pump.

Compare the Whipper point for point with any other light car. In no other will you find such remarkable value. Come in todayfor a trial drive.

Crankshaft-- Heavy, rigid with thres

large main bearings

ble Steering Post-Fi"

Ariver of any KİRL"

Service Representatives:

DURO" MOTOR CO., LTD.

NATHAN ROAD,

KOWLOON,