1932-01-05 — Page 2

Page

CRUISING SPEED OF

50TM M.P.H.

ROAD PERFORMANCES OF THE ROVER METEOR

LUXURY CAR AT £398.

[By NORMAN RAE Everag Standard Motor Correspondent,

When I wont to Great Portland

1

When, taking out

Rover Meteor," said Mr Price, it is well to remember that this 20 h.p. car costs only £308. It must not be compared with big luxury cars sell ing at round about £1,000,"

Over 70 M.P.H.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1932-

SPARKS

FROM THE PLUGS

AMERICAN CARS IN MOTOR-CARS AND

BRITAIN.

FAMOUS MAKER'S

DECISION.

On actual time lest the Metror is expable of speed a few miles in excess of the 70 m.p.h. mark. The brakes system is very good. At first was a little disturbed by the apparent failure of the foot pedal, but I quickly discovered that this was really a delusion. The brakes Mr. Walter P. Chrysler, America's pull the car up safely and steadily ¦ third largest motor.car maasinetur. Į at any speed. "In fact the braks jer, has decided, in order to retain pedal is one of the most casy to the British market for his ears, that i operate I have ever goen. At high he must erect a British factory, speeds the Meteor is remarkably

There has been for some me stundy. I tried it on a particularly past an English subsidiary.com. "skiddy" and winding section of naby, Chryster Motors, Ltd. with impossible to make the ear-skid at rund, and found that it was almost works at Kow, where, Chrysler gars are nsacmbled and in some in- all.

stances fitted with English bodies and necessories.

This company will greatly extend its activities shortly. Additional

The Rover Company claim a cruis.

street to take delivory of a Rover Meteor from Mesara, Heulys, I was given a little lectura by Mr. John Price, who is in charge of the Rovering speed of 45, but I found that section at Henlys, on the basis one the perfect crusing speed is just should criticise motor-cars.

over the 30 m.p.h. mark.

There is no starting difcutty with the Meteor. By the judicious use of strangler, the car will start up first thing in the morning on the second touch of the starter button, Yesterday morning I timed the Mr. Price could easily, havé onïit- - starting operation, and found that ted his lecture. My experiences with the Meteor have convinced me that in this 20 h.p. car. the Rover Company bave produced a real luxury car capable of high touring speeds in perfect comfort minimuni cost. e

Six-Cylinder Engine.

The engine of the Meteor is a six-cylinder one rated by the R.A.C. at 10.3 hip. It is operated by over. head valves, and ignition is by a coil and battery system

There is room for three full grown passengers in the back seas, which, however, can be quickly converted into two very comfortable seats by bringing into use a normally invin- ible arm

There is ample leg room, and dur- ing my tests, a friend who is 0 feet 2 inches expressed the opinion that he could stretch himself in comfort in this gar

in under 3 seconds from touching the starter button, the engine was running comparatively smoothly without any sign of fuse.

The light on the Meteor are particularly good, The driving position is comfortable, and the gear-handle is in just the right; position.

If I have any fault to find with the car at all, it is with regard to

lever. the hand brake

In

my opinion it could be made just a little bit more accessible. I found it awkward to manipulate at first, but by the end of the best I had got accustomed to its position,

Top-Gear Performance.

The geceleration of the car is re- markable. Time and again, by just the slightest touch on the accelerar tor pedal, "I found it easy to pass cara ahead. Top-gear performance is good. In this gear the Meteor (Cuntisued on ut te Galumai

Why not a

FIAT

workshops are to be erected, and

future cars sold here by the cop- pony will to a considerable extent he produced from British materials. by British labour.

Mr. Chrysler thus comes into line with Mr. Henry Ford and General Motors. These three producers are responsible for practically 70 per cent, of the total American outpük

Second gear will, take the car up went over Harrow Hill at 23 m.p.h. 1

a gradient reputed to be one in four. In fact this gear "enabled me

to get away from an enforced stop

CRIME.

'A. 'DISQUIETING PROBLEM TO BE FACED.

BANDITS TRANSFER ACTIVI TIES TO PROVINCES.

Those of us who assisted to develop the motor car from a noisy and unreliable toy into universal

Useless Registration System.

!

provinces; and the inoritable corol-lowed to defend themeslves against lary is the building up of a similar oriticism they would probably claim system of safeguards in the other that "sconor, or later they lay all gitira. - Tho- provinces-furnish -no! the lendora of the new crime by the such goute problem for the police.heole, and that their main trouble A provincial city admits of closer is that anybody can join the ranks shopherding; its residents are more of their enemies at brief „potier,

GOOD GOING.

MORRIS MINORS FINE PERFORMANCE.

stable. If the depredators come so that they are perpetually huntean's Maleomess, Ltd, Morris

News had been received from

from afar, the number of ronde ing for new recruits. The recruit which need watching after raid to the new crims really needs no District (South Africa), that Mr. E. Distributors for Port Elizabeth and are fewer, and the night trade equipment except some small gar T. Baxter, the private owner of a along the main national reads is age, a little mechanical knowledge, Morris Minor overhead valvó two- But at the and the address of a more or less senter model, recently set up a new ensier to supervise. ably faced with a situation which can well what he wouls. The Elizabeth by covering the 746 miles i moment the nation is, unquestion- trustworthy receiver, to whom he

record from "Johannesburg to Port will multiply its expenditure on- police by very substantial sums,

istence of these recruite complic..

separating these towns in a total

Some Preventive Measures.

m.p.h.

:

This performance was all the moro meritorious inasmuch as the driver undertook the journey purely as a pleasure trip, and carried with him considerable luggage.

transport failed to realise the glee

ates the proper tactics of the police, ruuning, time of 231 hours, the aver with which the underworld would and may altimately compel us to which is to identify the potential adopt the bag. Iocomotion and the adept completaly novel methods of criminals, and watch them in therage speed throughout being 32 acuto problems which it was to road supervision.. It is allegod; haunta, na a cheaper alternativə": orante for the polica forces of the that in a

recent smash-and-grab | than watching shops and, ware- world. The professional criminalraid the valuable booty consisted of houses and roads, and chasing ac has snatched a new lease of life quite a small parcel of very costlytual thieves with fast ears directed with the aid of the motor car, and rings. They were carried off in a by telephone and wireless. ancy which scientific poljer methods distinguishable from hundreds of has been able to fend off the ascend-mass-production car, completely in-

were fast establishing over him. sister vehicles. Within a mile of)

Several palliatives have been aug. present when the police definitely the scene of the theft, this small gested, and it is conceivable that known that a gang of dangerous. parcel was transferred to another some of these palliatives may yet thieves are racing into Londen by There was a time when an in-mass-production our of a different be forced upon us. Such measures night from-for example-the make; and at some unknown dis-include mochanical provision for north, they experience con- tance farther along the thieves making ears comparatively thiet siderable difficulty in. stop. ultimate route, the spoils were proof. The ignition lock is useless, ping them, even- when the handed over to yet a third car. but a gearlock is far more promis. Appearance of the car is known and equally indistinguishable. Two of ing. Some polios authorities con- the stolen goods are too bulky to the three cara aro supposed to have sider that personal identity cards clude even a superficial search., Of

sibly bure an imaginary or rever Others hold that a modification st the French octroi system would alle number.

help; that outside every consider. able city each main vend, should be furnished with a safe and sim

nocent Home Office imagined that n' system of registration and number.

honest, motorist. plates would checkmate the dis- They ought to have been disillusioned at the very

outsit when a mischievous "jour

on the hill, and at no time duning nalist, perceiving the meshes in the been stalen, and the third very pas-may one day 'bo forced upon us, these expedients, the personal iden

Government net, announced that he had driven his car scatheless for

the test of over 200 miles did I find it necessary to use bottom gear.

The Meteor when handed over to;; me by Messrs. Henlys had done three months with a licence-holder 1.500 miles in the hands of demon-containing the label soaked off a stration drivers, and was obviously buttle of stout. The Home Office just approaching its best.

Light to Handle.

th

The Police's Mala Dificulty." it is very greatly to the credit of

tity card may prove the most use- fu. It is odd to reflect that I can- not easily establish my identity in any part of England where I am a stranger; but that when I tour the Continent I am instantly identi fable anywhore with the aid of my It is true that photo- graphs can be interchanged on pass ports, but a finger-print passport would be irrefutable.

was shocked, but it did not perceive the police that they already.control ple type of barrier, which could passport. the red lamp. To-day everybody

difficult a position in all its

knows that the registration-book is major aspects. If they were The speeds make it an idea! ear for the driver who likes, high an expensive nuisance and does no maximum speed coupled with the practical service to anybody. It cafort of the luxury type of car. occasionally assists the buyer of 4 It is an easy and light to handle that the average woman driver second-hand car to discover its would find it as delightful to driye | precise age; but he eah 'always oli. in traffic na on the open road,

without bumpers is 13 feet 10 inches, ing the chuesis numbers to the fhe The overall length of the Meteor tain this more accurately by send and the overall width 5 feet 10tory. The criminal scouts the whole inches.

of this cautionary organisation.. curate petrol consumption test; but If a man is going to burgle a bank,

I was unable to carry out an ac

from general observation I should for anatch a cashier's bag, or amash- .say it is about 25 miles to a gallon,

F

210

6 CYLINDER

22€

CYLINDER

A FIAT WILL GIVE YOU GOOD SERVICE

AND PLEASURE RIGHT THROUGH THE YEAR AND

5144 cylinders

DURING YEARS TO COME

TOURERS AND 2 SEATER DE LUXE

...$2,850.00

...$2,900.00

520 -6 cylinders

TOURERS DE LUXE

521-6 cylinders ?.

TOURERS, COUPE DE LUXE

$3,750.00 and $4,300.00

5220-6 cylinders

SALOONS DE LUXE

...$4,500.00

OR A SECOND-HAND CAR WITH A GUARANTEE. MANY DIFFERENT LINES AND MODELS AT VERY REASONABLE PRICES.

For Service I

FIAT GARAGE:

850, Hennessy Road,

TIL 24821.

AGENTS:

A. GOEKE & CO.

SPARE PART DEPARTMENT: CHINA BUILDING. TELEPHONE 22221.

Showroom:

FIAT CABAGE: 360, Hennessy Road, T. 24821.

and-grab a jeweller's shop, minor offences do not worry him. He will perhaps equip a car with reversible number plates. The crime will be committed with ear XXXX42,- nud as soon as the wires are singing with that number the plates will be swung over, and car: YYY124- will pass innoectly through the cordon with which the police have sur- rounded the area. It is even por- sible to enmouflage a ear, so that its appearance can be substantially changed in a very few minuten. Bub such complications are hardly neces sary in these mass-production days, when any of a dozen factories may barn out in one week as many as 100 care, each of which is an exaét duplicate of the others, except for numbers stamped an inaccessible portions of the mechanism,

Bafety Measures in London.

Recent developments in the Lon don RFCL have rendered motor crimes extremely dangerous to their perpetrators, though the cost of the safety measures has been enormous, In the first place, an adequate fores of very fast police cars must by maintained over the whole aròn. Secondly, elaborate communications are needed to concentrate the speed patrois at the briefest imaginable notice in any locality where a crime is reported. Thirdly, a network of foot patrols must cover the" whole aren, in order to set the speed patrols in action by means of the lightning communication system. But this development naturally creates reactions." London is not the only part of England where rich booty awaits the daring thiet. As motor burglaries are made

more. and more risky Metropolis, the expert

in the

thief shifts his attention to the

al-

be brought into action at will. At (Continued on neat Column.)

1:

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