M,v 26TH, 1906.

THE AUTOCAR B Journal publtsbet, in tbe tnteresto of tbe mecbnnicall\? propellet > roat > cnrrtage.

"

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

==================================No. 553. VoL. XVI.] SATURDAY, MAY 26TH, 1906. [PRICE 3D.

THE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom.

Entered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y. ) Post Office.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

PUBLISHING OFFICES :

COVENTRY.

20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.

CONJBNfS.

P,H.;E

NoTl•:c;;.: APPARENT I NCONSISTENCY - ATTENTION TO D&TAILS-

5PRAGS

657-658

USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS: M >.KESHJFTS ON TouR (illustrated) THe 10 H.P. ADAMS-HEWIT r CAR (illustrated) THE 30 H.P. W&STINGHOus& CAR-IN THE Hous~ OF C<...M,.,o~s .. ON THe ROAD. By Owen J ohn ...

6)9 660-(6 [ ... 662 ... 663

THE PoweRs THAT e~. By A. E. S. Craig NEw SuspgN~ORY METHODS (illust rated) HILL·CLJMBING EXTRAORDINARY (ilh:strat ed) OccAs1osAt. Goss1P. By II The Autocrat " THE D usT QUESTION

664-665 ... 665 666-669 ... 670 ... 671

CoNTI !'iENTAL NoTF s AND !':Ewe;; : TH~ (ouPE o'OR (illu traterl) THE FA1E OF THe GoRDOs-81-:N:-ErT CUP 672-674 .. . 674 T HP. D u:"HILL D UPLt,X LY.~s HEAUL1GHT(11lustrate<l ) CA·< C:o-.i1 o uRs A:'l:D Du~T RA I SING (il!ustrat d ) How Tfl RP.:oucF. Pe:1 R0L CoNSU~tPTION d llusu ateJ) TH E \VH tTl::-PLAST DrACHE~I R 1M (illuc;trated} CORR"~PONOENCE: D!!S1G 'l AS IT AF FlCTS lA'< ow ~ ► RS-THI': O UST

675 675 676 676

T ROUBLE-SPEED Q}," ~ I OTOR CA1<-.-'.\-lhll fi:!;CR IPflON OF St-:C0N0H AND CARS-MOTOR CARS ANO THE CARl<IAGJ! TAX-FURL FOK C ARBURKTTERS uc;xo IN N tnv ZeALAND-1 HE GRAND PRIX-CLIMB· ING KIRKSTONE PASS- UP 8RASTED HILL-AN" APPRECIATION OF THE GUILDFORD BF.NCH-THE s1~GLE-GFARED DRIVE-THK CON· s r1TUTI0N o F THP: A .C .G B.l.-AM AUTOMOBILE CLUB Tt: s rMoTOR CAR lNSURA?-CE-THE HEOGELAND AXLP.:- AUTOMOBILE Ass1ctATION ScouTs-K.-:1- P voua BRAKKS AnJ USTED (illuo:;trated)CoPPER IN AcP.TYLENY. LAMPS- UNIQUE MuToR REPAIR,;;-Su:-.1-

MARY OF OTHlR CORRESPONOtiNC~ .. •

677-681

AF.RO~AUl'ICAL NOTE', (iltu5,trated)

1HE CAsrL~ H G H·TE:i~I0N DrsTR'BUTER (ill ustrated)

THt: G:iAVITER P ~TROl. l:-1Je:cr10:i TAP illustrated)

STEELS FOR MOTOR CARS ~i llustrated, . . .

T HE WtRtNG OF THE 15 H.P. D& Dro, CAR (illustrate d)

FLASH ES ..

682

... 683

6S+

684

68 i

685-68 8

C LUB DOINGS: CLUB FIXTURES -OAKAMOOR I NTER-CLUB MEET AND

HTLL-Ct.lMB-LTI\CS. A.C.-MANCHRSTF.R A.C.-N.E. LANCA~HIRK A.C. l\O\-ST0P RUN Tu EU1 ,,I1UkG H A · D 8-\CK, 1-. TC. .. 639·690

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." THE AUTOCAR" SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Dritish Isles, 16~. AUr6ad {thi n paper t-ditio111 , 2.?s:. Sd p~r annu11l,

I I Notes. Apparent Inconsistency. We think it is t ime that the At:t(,mohil e ·;~11~ recon­ si,le red its attitude \Yith regard to the disclosure of i-l mes made in hill -climbs and speed competitions held on pri,·nte roads nr e nclo mes. Tt \\·ill be remembered that some tim e ago it ,ms decided that nn times or speeds \\'e re to he published 11·hen motor ca rs were ru,~ against the \\'a trh . This ,ras to he irrespecti,·e of 1rhether the ,events were hill -r limbs Gr speed tests on the le,·el and ,rhether they ,re re held on a private road or not. \Ve have always considered th is regulation wel l meant. but foolish so fa r as p ri rnte roads are concerned. However, this is not the poin t :1 t the ·moment ; th e real griernnce is on the part of the ,·lubs affiliated to the A.C.G.B.I. These clubs have held rnrious. events ll'ithin the last few months, and have kept the tim es absolute ly private, so that the eYents have been a lmost without inte rest to any other, except the participants, and not ahrnys of very much interest to them. Yet the club pub li shes. in i_ts Oll'n journal gross infractions of the s.i:;eed limit.

H o \\' is it that a. fe w amateurs and others who meer together fo r a fri endly contest up a hill or OYer a straight road in a private park must not disclose the times th ey make, hut a manufacture r ll'ho pla es h is rar under ohseri• ati on of the Aulomobile Club officials is r, crmittecl to run at a speed of approximately sixty miles an hour upon th e Bexhill trar k, and the par,ent club makes no attempt to preserl'e secrecy, but publishes the figures in full? \\'e need only take the t\\'O most recent instances. The N Hingham club held some speed e1·ents at C!ipstone on a private road of the Duke of Portland 's, and it loyall y obse rved the ,rishes of the nati onal cl ub and kept the times private. or tried to do so; one or two leaked out , but it was aga inst the ,ri shes of the Nottingham offi cia ls. On the other ban l , a few days later a car acromplishecl a speed of something over fifty-nine mil es an hour at Bexhill, and the A.C.G.l3.T. made no sc: cr-e t of the fact. Personalh· 1,·e see no rea on ll'iw it should do so, so long as ·it does not hamper it:, a ffil iat•e::l clubs from making the record of their doi ngs interest ing too. but II hil e it places an embargo upon th• :!m it should at least observe the same secrecy itself. There may be good reason for thi glaring' inconsist2nc,·, but ll'e mu t confe. s we cannot see them, because it is much more intere ting to automohilists to kno11· h111r different makes of cars compare with ear:i other 11-hen raced together up a hill or OYer a straight stre tc h than it is to know how fast one particular car can lie driven ll'ith a moderate gear and a Yery po,rerful e ng ine.

Th,e consideration of this matter a lso leads us to . uggest to r I ub secretaries and others roncerned in the running of speed tria ls that it would be interesting a lso to in clude a "slow rare" in the programme, to shall' ho\\' slowly the cars ll'hir h had competed in the speed event could be dri,·en on the top gears 11·ith out slipping thei r clutches. These low times would be most interesting and instructive, as littl e is kno\\·n of the slow speed or top gear apnhiliti es of the aYerage ca r. What definite kno\\'I ge ,re haYe at present is almc~t cnti re ll' clue to the enterprise of one or t11"0 firms. and it on ly applies to a very fe1r makes of rn rs.

Attention to etails. The latest motor Yehir les are more di tinguished for attention to detaj\ than for any radical departure from r re-existing designs. Still, there is much to be done in th e ,my of attention to littl e points, whi ch. whilst not appearing to he important, are capable of causing much inconvenience rind delay if trouble with them is. expe ri enced on the road . As an in. ta.nee \\'e may m~ntion that on some engines it is the practice to ri t the ignition cam r fibre block on to its drivingshaft by simply screwing it therenn :rnd securing with a lock -