1929-10-19 — Page 8

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MOTORING SUPPLEMENT.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1929.

FRONT DRIVE

CAR NOW READY.

Pull by Front Wheels Instead of Push. [Special to the Hongkong Telegraph by Israel Klein.].

RUBBER

SPRING BLOCKS

GEAR SHIFT KOD TO DASHİ

REVERSED MOTOR

| BATTERY

TRANSMISSION

DIFFERENTIAL}

FRONT AXLE

CHAKE

QUARTER ELLIPTIO SPRINGS

DOUBLE UNIVERSAL

This shows the whole "works" of the Cord front drive power plant. It is a single unit.. from moter to differential,

GEAR SHIFT:

RENTIAL

LEVER

FLYWHEEL

CLUTCH

TRANSMISSION

FLAT FRAME.

FUEL TANKİ

This phantom view of the new Cord. front drive automobile shows the straight chassis frame, unit power plant and levelled seating position.

Auburn, Ind. U.S.A., Sept. 9.- In the early days of the industry, automobiles were built with the drive applied to the front wheels. But the great difficulty of steering sch vehicle under the epridi- tions then existing forced manu- facturers to resort to rear wheel propulsion.

4

Now, however, with the sleering difficulty overcome and many other troubles cleared up, the front drive motor car is coming back.

The first of these to be ready for popular sale is the Cord, which is being introduced by the Auburn Automobile Company of this city. It is named after E. L. Cord, presi- dent of Auburn, is made in four models and is to sell for around $3,200.

"

Introduction of, the front drive car does not mean that the car of to-day is to become extinct. In

fact, Auburn itself is continuing the production of its rear-drive models in even greater proportion than heretofore. The new type cars are much costlier, due largely to the necessity of retooling, and many automotive engineers are not yet convinced of their entire no practicability.

What Can Can Do.

View of the Cord front 'drive aport sedan, showing the V-type radiator, sweeping fenders, differential in front and

In front of that, the axle. A set of bumpers goes ahead *

?

of this

effect on the direction of lifferential housing as an added [motion:

We took sharp curves at faster For more than' two years speed than we would"dare witl Auburn had been working on this rear-drive cars, without kicking type of construction and even be the rear over or losing control of fore, that time. Hurry Miller, the steering.

TOUGH METAL.

"Lo-Ex" Developed.

NEW

PISTON

MATERIAL

Working in conjunction, the Reo

| Motor Car Cö,, the Aluminium. Co. | of America, and the General Elec- tric Co, have déveloped a new pis- ton for petrol engines.

rotection against possible lamage to the driving mechanism. Despite all the "works" in front, there is only 40 pounds difference. in weight between front and reat, due to the heavy frame and body."

As a result of putting the entire

famous front drive racing car We turned completely around in designer, had been experimenting a 40-foot circle and that with a driving mechanism in front, the with it, improving on the design car of 137 inches wheelbase. frame in back can be straightened from year to year. The Gord front We bumped over deep ruts at out and the body lowered con- drive is the combined product of fast speeds while the front driving Miller, C. W. Van Runst, another wheels continued to pull us along front drive expert, and the Auburn at a steady race without difficulty, engineers.

rondability,

siderably, thus providing much greater comfort and roadability. according to the engineers. The Cord frame, besides, has been strengthened with sturdy X-cross members in order to eliminate

on

I have just completed inspec-1 Pull Supercedes Push, tion of this car and test drive And all the time we had quite aide-sway which was found to over wet streets, gravel roads and comfortable journey. The reason exist in early experimental models. I am satisfied that, If there were any serious disadvantages to this being that the car has more sprung

One of the great disadvantages type of automobile, they have been weight than the rear-drive models overcome. This is what three of and is built lower to give it greater which engineers pointed to

front-drive cars was the difficulty us did with it:

Wo took turns on wet gravel The secret of the front drive of steering the front wheels and roads and close to the edge at 70 automoblie lies in the pull as yet keeping them rotating at un- varying speed. This has been miles an hour, without skidding against the push of the rear-drive overcome in the Cord, by a sturdy Cord engineers say this double universal joint at each over or losing control of the car. machine.

affords casior traction. easier wheel which not only permits the We drove across a banked rall steering, reduced thrust on front wheels to be steered nt 42 degree road track at 40 miles an hour, wheel bearings, reduced skidding.. came down on the other side with reduced pltching, less strains on angle, greater than those on most only one easy bump and levelled body and springs. Also, since the rear-drive cars, but also assures out much faster than any rear power is always applied in the constant driving speed while turn- drive car could.

direction the wheels are going, ing." We locked the rear wheels going there is increased eficiency and at 60 miles an hour on wet ease of operation, asphalt and came to a stop without Front drive necessitates turning extends through the dash and over skidding out of our track.. the engine around so that the fly-

We drove into a car track-and wheel is toward the front, and through neutral, much like the old lated by a turn a thrust right out again without the least hitching on in order clutch, trans- extra effort.

mission and differential in one Dodge system.

Since the transmission is toward the front, the gear shift lover

It is called "Lo,Ex." The name is derived from the low expansion of Its metal, which, it is claimed, per- mits closer fitting in cylinders than has ever been possible before.

A reduction from pláton wear, both on its surfaces, and in the ring grooves is predicted for this new metal because it is so tough. This toughness provided a prelim- inary drawback, for it was difficult to find a material sufficiently hard to machine it.

A new tool had to be developed for the purpose. This is made of carboloy, a metal harder than sap- phire, which is the next hardest stone to the diamond. In tests, this tool actually scratched a - tural sapphire.

+74)

The "Lo-Ex" platon is turned with carboloy, which also is used to rough bore the piston-pin hole. Instead of a broaching tool It has to be used to finish the piston.

COVERED SPRINGS.

In the near future automobiles may be equipped with a new. flexible spring cover being put on the market by two companies. The covers fit over the spring and aré, efficient in retaining grease and keeping out dust.

heart of summer with the battery under the floorboard.

Special Powerimi zngine.

The motor or a lont drive car may be any stock engine, although the Cord motor is a specially de- signed Lycoming straight-eight of 25 horsepower. One of its fea tures is manifold heat control from the dash, which adds materially in starting in cold weather, and another is its dual carburetion and dual manifolding.

-Brakes are four-wheel internal expanding hydraulic, with 60 per cent, of braking in front and the rest in back. The front brakes are applied directly to the differen- tial,, rather than the wheels, · no that they become part of the sprung weight and thus add to the driving ease.

....

Double quarter-elliptic springs In front, with the spring ends set in rubber blocks and long semi- elliptic springs in back hold up more sprung weight in this than in rear-drive cars..

The long wheelbase is neces- sitated by the added length to the front given by the transmission and differential, but this is offset by the greater steering angle and resultant low turning radius,

Only 61 inches high to its peak, it has 38 inches head room, while its length permits of a wider body for comfort. Starting with the V-shaped radiator in front, the body shapes back gracefully to a completely finished job in the rear. Besides its beauty of design," it includes every possible feature that the modern good car has for comfort and safety.

The car is now in production at the Auburn Automobile Company's plant at Auburn, Indiana, and announcement will be made soon.

FOR ALL CLASSES

OF

MOTOR

INSURANCE

WRITE FOR

OUR

PROSPECTUS

the myine. It is easily manip China Underwriters,

From the Another peculiarity

In the

We drove with the left side on complete power unit. wet grass and the right on gravel differential come the two propeller placing of the battery in front and road, then 'speeded up the engine shafts, one to each wheel, indepen-above the motor in order to afford to make the left wheels spin with-dent of the axle which, In the casc greater accessibility. to it. Heat, .out traction, and we moved of the Gord, is a sturdy tubular Cord engineers say, will not affect straight forward as the driver member joining the stearing it, nor will the solution of "out steered. The uneven traction had knuckles and crossing in front of any faster than it would in the

Ltd.

HEAD OFFICE Hongking Bank Building,"

ta Des Voeur Road Gental, Tel. 0, 1121-23

WITH EVERY TICK OF THE CLOCK

BALLOON

BALLOON

BUNLOD

CORD

DUNLOP

SOMEONE BUYS

A

CORD

DUNLOP

THE GREATEST TYRE

OF ALL TIME

DUNLOP RUBBER Co. (China), Ltd.

Pedder Bullding.

READY FOR THE ROAD

EVERY Nash on the salesroom floor is fully equipped E

from bumpers to tyre locks. There are no "extras" to buy..

Mechanical advantages of the Nush "400" fnclude high turbulence, high compression, 7-bearing crankshaft mö- tors which add to power, speed, smoothness and fuel economy.

Outboard mounted hydraulic shock absorbers cushion every road. Individually designed springs add a new de- gree of comfort. A new steering mechanism provides cffortless driving control.

New beauty without affectation is expressed in long, low- swung classic lines. Colours are smart and in good taste. Upholstery, of richest materials, is tailored faultlessly. There is an elegance throughout comparable only to that of cars which cost much more.

WONG SIU WOON, Bola Agente for Hongkong and South China, Telephone C. 1474.

21, Pottinger Street. SERVICE RECE

STATION1–76, Der Vœux Road Central,

Telephone C. 644.

NASH 400TM

Leads the Works in Mosor Car Value,

Tel. C. 4554.