1935-04-16 — Page 2

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MOTORS AND MOTORING

"The Observer" Trials

I have lately received a large number of letters asking for ad-' vice on the buying of new cars and the sale of old ones, and for fuller information on the manner in which the tests are made on' which I make periodical reports, writes a correspondent. I do not. make any individual recommen- dations on the choice of ears, old or new." From time to time, on the request of makers or deal- ers, I take out the latest models and put them through a series of tests, the results of which tell me everything I want to know except the durability of the cars and their components. My reports contain every useful information. I have been able to gather and my personal option.

I feel, after re-reading some of my correspondence on the sub- ject, that I ought to stress that word personal. If it is not exact- ly true that no two people like the same. car" equally, it is cer- tainly true that no two expect the same results from it, We are an extremely individualistic people, and, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, resist very stub- bornly all attempts to standardise cur tastes. We may, from sheer laziness, asqulesce in this or that unimportant fashion, but when it comes to the things that really matter' we will have nothing that is not of our own choice, nothing that is not personal,

If it were possible I believe that ninety per cent. of us would go to " Indnite trouble

to ensure our cars being unmistakably dierent, from anybody else's. The egg- like resemblance of most of the cars you see in America will never be accepted here.

ጎ

THE IMPORTANT POINTS. What I happen to think of any particular car may be quite dif- ferent from what everybody else thinks, for more, reasons than 'cue. Price, power, behaviour are all taken into account by every buyer, but by no two buyers in the same proportions. My own procedure is to decide first of all whether. I would like to own the car under test, regardless of price or anything else; secondly, whe- ther it would be a suitable sort of machine for the work. I exact from any car I buy: thirdly, whe- ther it is in my view, especially suitable for some particular job such as town work, or long-dia- tance touring. or hack-work- which 18, in general terms. "don- key-work. The back-car is, so to speak," tied up to the fence, and anybody who wants to go any- where on any job just gets in and goes there, as if by tram. I have.. the highest admiration "for the back-car. There are not very many that I can remember sur- viving the ordeal.

i af-

rtain

struc-

The fourth is, for most people, the acid test is it worth the money? On these points I try to form a fair judgment. • ".

As it is an entirely pers" fair, there are, naturally features in design and tion which get more ma is from me than others, and "vice versa." In performance, for example, I rate very highly swift acceleration and the ability to reach and maintain a high speed without noticeable effort. I do not really. care for the maximum speed in itself, but the car for me must be able to go fast as if it liked it. If it cannot, it means, in nearly every case, that it is a tiring car to drive at any but the most modest pace. The steering must be of the "forget it” sort—light, steady, and fairly high-geared. The suspension must give rigid road-holding in all circumstances, particularly on bends, but I do not expect any but an expensive machine to combine this essential quality with perfectly shockless' riding at all speeds.

Brakes must, of course, be more than adequate. They must be like the steering, producing the right, results without perceptible effort The seating must be comfortable. Time was when we thought little of such things as properly angled seats, draught-scotching, elbow room and so on. To-day, they are almost as important as anything clse. Driving a car safely and in such a way, as to please your com-· panions as much as yourself grows monthly more difficult in this country, calls for more and closer attention, You cannot con- centrate on the job if you are in. the last uncomfortable.

A car with an uncomfortable driving, seat is a dangerous car If nobody sits comfortably in it for any length of time it 28 a waste of money. Everybody will hate it,

NEW "OBSERVER" KOUTE Other things to which I attach great importance are low weight and general accessibility. The arst is so rare that I can count the truly light cars on the fingers' of one hand, with a good margin. The second, a few years ago si- most universal, is now "losing ground It may be true that a modern car needs far less atten- on than an old one (my experl=" ence teaches me the exact oppo- site, but let it pass), but, none the less, I still believe that such things as gear-boxes, differential- cases, universal-joints, brake ten rion-controls, batteries and cll- filters should be easily and quick- ly get-at-able.

The cars are all taken over the same route, which includes the run over Box Hill for flexibility against the collar and for good springing, and the timed ascent of Pebblecombe Hill, which has a gradient of one in six or worse. All sorts of road-conditions are met with, and at the end I know fairly certainly how the cars will behave in all ordinary eiraum- "star.ces.

A YEAR'S TRIALS Here is the list of cars tried since March 4, 1934: Humber Vo- gue. March 4; Citroen 12-hp.. March 18; Hillman 16-h.p., March 25; Sunbeam 20-h.p., April 8: Rover 10-h.p., April 29; Standard 16-hp.. May 6: Rolls-Royce 40-"- h.p., May 13; Daimler Straight- Eight May 20; Austin 18-h.p.. June 3; Sunbeam Dar, June 10: Standard 10-12-h:p-. June 17; Triumph 10-h.p.. June 24: Lanchester 18-h.p., July 1: Hillman Mix, July 8; Austin 10- h.p. July 22; Vauxhall 20-hp., July 29: Lagonda 10-hp, August 12: Singer 11-h.p., October 28: 'Daimler 15-h.p.. November 4: Ro- ver 14-h.p.. November 18; Hum-. ber Salpe, November 25; Citroën 12-h.p.. December 18; Morris 20- lap., December 30. 1935; Wolse- ley 14-h.p., January 20, Lancia 12-h.p., "January 27; Triumph 12- ip., January 10; Rover 10-h.p... February 17.

PEDESTRIAN GUARD RAILS

ralls are

Pedestrian guard being erected at the Britannia crossing, Camden Town, and in Whitechapel Road at the junc tion with Cambridge Road, Step- ney, as part of the experiment which the Minister of Transport is carrying out in collaboration

with

the highway, authorities

concerned.

The Minister has also invited the appropriate highway authort- tles to co-operate with him in similar experiments at Cambridge Circus. Westminster. The Broad- way, Hammersmith; Marquis of Granby Junction, Lewisham; and Streatham Hill Station,

The ral's will be erected at the edge of the footpaths to prevent pedestrians from stepping off the kerb in dangerous places and to guide them to the marked pedes train crossings, where there will be gaps in the rals.

Three types of guard ralls have been selected. One feature which they have in common 18 that movable sections are to be pro- vided for the conventence of frontagers, The rails will be -erected 12 Inches from the edge of the kerb and will be about 3 ft. 3 in. high. If the guard rails succeed in their purpose at the above sites the experintent will be extended.

Experiments with the rigid past and the post and chain types of guard rails have already been made in various towns in the provinces, notably Brighton, Scar- borough and Wolverhampton, but on a much smaller scale.

WORDS OF WISDOM

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1935.

MOTOR JOTTINGS

THE WILLING

HORSE

Experiences With 8 h.p. Ford

fit a

Superchargers! How much dis- cussion

about there has been One would think that an them! ordinary man had but to supercharger and find his faith- ful car transformed into a Bery. petrol-eating steed, it only to challenge Nuvolari with, or qualify one with a long bill as a member of Casque's Pelican Club."

to

Yet how far is this from actual fact, if supercharging is intelll- gently employed. I have driven quite a number of supercharged cars of various types. Some of them, by the very rature of their construction, were dery war-her-

ses.

Others, more gently nur- tured. had all the characteristics of well-groomed stallions merely eager for the open road, ready to do what one liked, to walk. to gallop, just to give good service in a willing wŁY.,

To Watch a Triaj Going down to watch the Lon- driving don-Exeter Trial, I was

an 8 h.p. Ford with a Centric blower fitted. The lttle Ford is a good enough car, as is vouched for by the thousands on the road, but it is not a racing sar. Nor did the addition of a superchar- ger transform it into one. When' Mr. C.. H. Strang. of Centric Superchargers, Ltd., Ribble Bank Mills, Bow Lane, Preston, offered me the car, and also the pleasure. of his company on the long run.. because he, too, wanted to see a long-distance trial, he remarked. naively. "We shall get there all right, you know; it won't let us down."

Why Cars Age Quickly

́SODA WATER" IN THE

CYLINDERS

Motor-cars, it can be fairly sald, are improving steadily in all respects save one. They are fast- er, safer, more comfortable, more easily handled, better value for the money, but in respect of de- preciation they are not better,"in- deed, probably worse, than the cars of ten years 180.

Depreciation is about the largest factor in the cost of motoring," as every owner who has been reckon- ing up his expenses for the past year knows full well, You put down, say, £50 for petrol-and you get a lot of miles for 250 the average English car-and so much for other items, but if you estimate the present market value of the car you will have to put down as depreciation at least one quarter, more likely one-third, of Its cost price, if it is new. and half that amount it it has passed « its second birthday.

His confidence in the car was based upor nearly 12,000 miles running, without any sort of over- haul except the usual periodic decarbonisation. Nor did I find any reason why the car should give trouble, since no matter how hard I drove it, it purred along just as sweetly. The blower was of the low-boost type, giving 5 16 inaximum pressure in the induc- tion pipe. Ruaning with the throttle light, the blower, indeed, registered no pressure on the gauge. As soon as one put one's foot on the throttle, however, even at very low speeds on top gear, there was a low hum from the carburetter, up went the gauge, and there was the effect of another; gear being brought into action. One did get the im- pression that the engine appre- " ciated the extra help, the even distribution, and the good ́car- burations, so that it never needed any "urging on.”

Lubrication

The blower had a smal oil tank on the dash, which fed off to the ball-racer and and vanes, by means of a small external

this car was a balance pipe from pump, An ingenious system on

the pressure side of the blower to the tank, so that the flow of all to the pump was further regulat- ed by the blower's own needs, acd' this latter ONT 2 450- mile journey used 2 mere pint" of oil! Another advantage 19

that a small amount of ofl colletes in the blower when the engine is standing for any length of time, and is blown on to the cylinder walls as soon as It is started. This may account for the very small wear in the cylin der bores 0.002in. ovality after 10,000 miles-on a small, high- revving engine. The petrol coc sumption worked out at 29.mp.g.. over "trials" going, with much use of the lower gears.

The Ford had a special alumi- nium head to give a lower com- pression and also to provide in the casting a mounting for the blower As a precaution special exhaust valves had been fitted, but apart from this the engine. was quite standard,

Figures

The Minister of Transport sald recently: "In the spirit of true brotherhood let us consider how much may depend upon our action on the road, and help to Inspire in others the crafstman's pride in a job well" doce.". An-was being repaired, on a wretch-

other interesting statement of his was: "Nearly one-fifth of those killed and one-quarter of those injured on the roads are pedal cyclists. Pedal cyclists constitute the major part of the "problem of road accidenta,

Could any stronger argument, be advanced for the principle of

· segregating... trafic according to Its class?"

FICTITIOUS DEPRECIATION

Some of that depreciation is fc- titious. The moment a car has been sold and registered its value has dropped 10 per cent. or 50, although it has not left the show- room. That is a outcome of the tremendous business in second-・ hand cars, in which supply con- stantly outruns dentand.. But the greater part of depreciation is on- ly too real, and it manifests it self in the modern car with start- ling rapidity after it starts life.

The chler reason why cars age so quickly seems undoubtedly to be engine wear, and particulartv cylinder wear. Excessive cylinder wear is reducing the life of the average car by tens of thousands of miles or alternatively involving its owner in frequent and costiv overhauls. This is the view of, among others, one of the largest London dealers in secondhand cars, Mr. Maurice Newnham. He finds that a large proportion of used cars suffer from what he calis undersize pistons in oversize cylinders, although the speedome- ter figures show that they have been relatively little used,...

CORROSIVE CONDENSATION Corrosion when the cylinders are cold is the trouble. When the pistons are at work in the cylin- ders before they have warmed up the wear may be eight tired as great as in normal conditions. The products of the burnt mix- ture of petrol and air condense on the cold cylinder walls, and that condensation is a sort of soda-water, full of carbon-dioxide, which is highly corrosive,

Having learnt that, what are We to do about it? So far I do nct think the manufacturers have been very helpful. One or two have taken steps-not very vigor- cus ones-to explain to clients the Importance of rapid warming up, and tell them that letting the en- gine idle for some minutes after starting up and before driving of is the worst thing possible. One tiistinguished engineer urges everybody to have a thermostat fitted as the best way of attain- Ing rapid warmth, and he couples with it the advice to drive off out of the garage the moment the en- gine fires, because, putting. it un- der load helps the warming-up process

AN EXPENSIVE HABIT On the other hand, half the ears are now being fitted with engy-starting devices, bot-spot manifolda and automatic chokes and so forth. Unless the owner is warned at the outset, these de- vices simply invite and encourage the habit of letting the engine idle until it is warmed up, and so contribute very handsomely to the nation's bill for rebored cylinders and new pistons, which, with the waste of oil and reduced miles per gallon, comes to some millions of pounds per annum

For us owners the best advice from the experts is to use an up- per cylinder lubricant and never let the engine idle when cold, But. is high time the manufacturers tackled the problem from their end. Are not corrosion-resisting cylinder walls possible?

We also took the car to Brook-it lands, and dodging in and out of the obstructions where the track

ed wet day, got a few Agures; 10-30 m.p.h., on second gear, 6 3/5 sec. on top, 14, sec. 0-50 mp.h., 18 2/5 sec.; the standing quarter-mile, 24 sec.; and the aging quarter-mile 6923 an 68,18 mph -- Eno

to prove that the car has a fine perfor- mance. It costs

£147,

UNCONVENTIONAL DESIGN The most unconventional": mo- tor-car yet produced has been on

set is £30, with a £2 charge for Atting and-tuning

The supercharged model is not produced in any way in conjunc with Centric percharger fittedtion with the Ford company. It-

self-BF.W.T

The price of the supercharger

show in London and Berlini "this" past week. It is the lätest. Tatra, product of a factory in the wilds of Czechoslovakia, where 5,000 farmers' sons are employed turn- ing out cars and lorries that are making a name all over the Con- tinent. This car has a frame côn- sisting of a thick tubular back- bonë, with hinged to it at either end, a pair of wheels on half- "axles, each wheel being, thus in-

dependently suspended,

Engine and gear-box are at the rear, one on each side of the rear axle. The engine is a V-eight, air-cooled. In the body, above and forward of the gear-box, la a tí luggage space and then two senta, éach broad enough to carry three, persons.

The whole body is beautifully streamlined and the design looks both shapeller and more practical than I have previously seen. The body is unusually low, but head- room and the depth and size of the windows are unusually gen- erous. The driver's view is ex- cellent.

NO REAR WINGS Whether or no this is "a "fore- “rumner of the car. of the future, one minor point of its design is bound to come. The Tatra has no rear wings. The body sides come right out to the full width of the car and sweep in one unbroken curve from the rear doors round over the wheels into the tall.

Some modern cars of conven- tional design, notably the Ford de Lure, take their body sidês out to the full width, and it does not need much courage on the part of the designer to abandon the semi- circular wing and enclose the wheel within the side. It means more seating room, less mud-scat- tering and easter "cleaning. The Tatra can be seen at 87, Davies-.. street, London, W.-

TAX LOAD

Motorists Up In

Arms

Rebelling under a tax load that has reached the staggering total: *of $9,553,800,000 since 1919, Ameri, marshalling can motorists are their forces for a fight to the finish for relief...........

Motor registration fees," petrol taxes, federal excise taxes and personal property and municipal levies last years alone totalled $1,137,872,000.

will Motoring organizations oppose renewal of the Govern- ment excise taxes which expire next June 30, and also will urge state legislatures to pare downe the high petrol taxes..

1

In some States. It was pointed out, county and city petrol taxes are levied in addition to the State. impost. In Alabama there is a county tax which tuns as high as three cents a gallon and a city tax as high as two cents. Thus, in addition to state levy of six cents and a federal levy of one cent, many motorista pay an aggregale tax of twelve cents on a gallon of petrol.

The highest State tax is levied by Tennessee and Florida, seven cents per gallon, followed by Arkansas, 65 cents, Georgia, Mis- sissippi, and the Carolinas, six cents, with Arizona, Idaho, Ken- tuck, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Virginia and Washington levying

ve ccents taxes.“

State and federal petrol taxes alone last year cost motorists B total of $699,322,000, an average levy of $30.40 a car, and repre- sented 43 per cent, of the retall price of the patrol sold, ·

The policeman watched a bad player of the concertina walking. up and down the middle of a long street and was suprised" at... the number of people who came out of their houses and gave: him money. When the man had disappeared the policeman turn- ed to a gentleman who was sit- ting in a motorcar drawn up to the pavement and said "He was ritten musican to get all that."

a

QUITE SIMPLE

Hydraulic Brakes

With more than 1,000,000 Ply- mouth cars already using hy- draulic brakes the 1935 Ply- mouths on display here have hydraulic brakes with improve ments developed through years of actual experience. Ma

Plymouth hydraulic brakes "are simple in design, based upon the fundamental Isw of physics that pressure applied, to an enclosett column of fluid is transmitted equally and undiminished in all directions. This means they are always equalized...

Differing from other types of hydraulic brakes. the Plymouth brakes to act depend upon self- energizing action. They have two pistons per wheel, instead of one, so that each brake shoe is moved positively into contact with the drum by its own piston..

Engineers made a notable im- provement in he Plymouth brakes this years when they increased the size of the rear cylinders so that the piston operating the rear shoe is larger than the one operating the front shoe. This change was made after the en- gineers discovered that the front brake shoe did a slightly greater share of the work because of the

forward movement of the car. Now the larger rèar pistors in- crease the pressure on the rear shoes so the rear"shoes do same

amount of work as the front.

In addition to this improve- ment. the length of the

rear

brake lining has been, increased, The result is a gain of approxi- mately twenty per cent. In effec- tive braking area. A new ` de-. sign of "stepped wheel cylindera Estised

to further improve the braking system.

In recent "safety lane” tests conducted in cities throughout America, Plymouth brakes ob tained a high percentage of ap- provals. One test showed '92 per cent. of all Plymouths were "okay" as compared with other percentages as low as 56 per cent. and 33 per cent.

"He may be said the gentie. man sitting in the car. “but he's a well bookie."

TRUST A THORNYCroft WITH YOUR TRANSPORT

DEAL DIRECT

THORNYCROFT

SIX-CYLINDERED

COACHES OMNIBUSES

MOTOR

VEHICLES DIESEL OR PETROL

Pioneer Manufacturers of Com

Metor

Fall Range of Spares carried in Hong Kong and Shanghai

4 or 6 Wheels

4 or 6 Cylinders

80 Cwt. to 10 Ton Loads

20 to 70 Passengers

JOHN L. THORNYCROFT & CO., LIMITED,

Pioneer Building, Nathan Road, Kowloon.

TRUST A TH

TEL. 88759.

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