OCTOBER 21ST, 1905.
THE AUTOCAR :a Journal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall\? propelleb roab carriage.
EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
No. 522. VoL. XV.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2rsT, 1905. [PRICE 3D.
THE AUTOCAR.
(Published Weekly.)
Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom.
Entered as second-class matter at the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.
EDITORIAL OFFICE .
COVENTRY.
PUBLISHING OFFICES :
20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C. , ENGLAND.
CONTENTS.
JPAGE
NOTES: Fu ruRv. CoMPto:TtTroNs-SPORr A="ID TRADE IN CoMPETITIONs-
Tv•E AND LrnP TRi.Ls
473-474
MAGNETO IGNITION (illustrated)
HORSE ANO TRAMWAY ACCTDl"'.NTS BRIGHTON TO EDINBURGH 0:-f TOP Gt-:AR (illustrated} To CONSTANTINOPLE • • THE R-\C~ FOR THE VANDERBTL T CUP ... THK SHOW AT OLYMPIA USRFUL HINTS AND TIPS ON THK ROAD ... THR N F.W DE D10N Gto:AR (,illustrated) THE EDGE HILL AFFAIR THE CLY.MENT TALBOT BACK Axt.E (illustrated1 THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON MOTOR TRAFFIC .• • THE LA.TF.'-T STANLEY STKAM CAR (illustra ted)
475--179
.. 479 480-481
481 482-483
-183 484 485 486 486 487-488
488 488
CONTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS: THE GAILLO:,,i HILL-CLIMB (illus
trated)-G~RMANY'S PLEA FOR R~cJNG-THE COMPIF.GNE TOURING TRi.LS 489-492 CORRESPONDENCE ; THE INDICTMENT OF AUTOMOBILISTS - THE
DANGERS OF UNLIGHTED VEHICLES-RECKLESS HORSE DRIVINGTo COUNTERACT POLICE EvIDENCE-1906 TOURIST TROPHY RULES - ENGTNE BRAKING il'ustrated,-J ui;;TJCES' JUSTICE-THE ABSURDITY OF THE SPEED LIMIT-COURTESIES OF THE ROAD- A CONSIDERATE BENCH-ONE RESULT OF UJIIJUST FINES-STEAM CARS-THE AUTOCAR CONSUMER OF THE WOW.LO-HOTELS FOR MOTORISTSSIZES OF TYRKS AND WH!:EL RIM-;... 493-496 THE NAPIER MOTOR BROUGHAM (illustration)... .. . 497 THE T OURIST TROPHY FUEL LIMIT RELIABILITY TRIAL~ IN INDIA FLASHES I illustrated) SOME QUERIES AND REPLIES C LUB DOINGS . • •
498-499
499 500-502 ... 503 ... 504
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j Notes. uture Competitions. At the present time there is something more than a tendency among manufacturers and others to agitate for a return to the arrangements which used to obtain in the rum1ing of club reliability trials. Reliability trials as such are a thing of the past, but there are the Tourist Trophy and other important events which have taken their place. Now it will be remembered that the earlier club trials were managed entirely by the club. Then a time came when they were managed jointly by the club and a certain number of manu facturer . The question is a many-sided one, and in teresting from more than one point of view. Perhaps the most significant aspect about it is that when the club managed the reliability trials entirely there was great dissatisfaction expressed by some competitors. They had all sorts of grievances, which would not, they were assured, have occurred if the event had been managed by a combined committee of practical manufacturers and the club. Then they had their way, and a trial jointly managed was held, but not one of the competitors was any better satisfied.
The fact of the matter is. so long as competitions la ·t there must always be dissatisfaction among the lose rs unless they regard the matter entirely from a sporting standpoint. The Tourist Trophy, for instance, is an event which combines sporting interest with mechanical development and imprnvement of the car, and there is no doubt that the machines which do well in it earn a gyeat deal of credit, and consequently the makers of those which fail to perform conspicuously are, unless they happen to be thorough sportsmen, inclined to grumble and to imagine all sorts of grievances, and, above all, to find fault with the management of the event. As an instance of this we have only to mention the case of a moderately-successful competitor in the Tourist Trophy Race, who, after it was all over, discovered that he had been carrying more than his fair share of ballast, and in consequence considered that he had a serious griernnce against the club. It neYer occurred to him that he was in the main to blame. Any official, whether club or otherwise, may make a mistake, but surely the person in charge of the car should have seen to it that he had his proper quantity of ballast and no more. It was easy enough to check, as it was served out in 50 lb. bags.
We do not mea.n to say that the management of the Tourist Trophy was perfect. but it is questionable whether it would have been any better had it been jointly conducted by the trade and the club instead of by the club alone. However, it is necessary to remember that this event, like many others, is practically confined to the industry. The club invites members of the industry to compete in the events, and there is no doubt a strong feeling among the makers that, as this is the case, they should have some share in the management of the competitions. It appears to us t :: > be a reasonable request in itself, but the makers must bear in mind that in competitions which combine sport, engineering, and business, the greatest possible care must be taken that the business element does not become preponderating, because, directly this happens, the competition, as such, inevitably falls to pieces. This has been shown plainly enough i.n France, and human nature being the same all the world over, there is no safeguard that history will not repeat itself so far as this country is cot med.
Sport and Trade in Competitions. The Club. speaking broadly, represents the amateur owner and user, and it is mainly interested in organising competitions which shall provide sport and at the same time tend to improve the design and construction of cars. On the other hand, the main idea of many of the makers a.nd agents is to use these competitive events for the sole purpose i.n one way or another of
