SEPTEXBET 8rH, 1906

THE AT]TOCAR E 3ountat pubtigbeo rritne tJLl?::r:? o,I ,#f.{lsclranrcattp propetteD roaD carriase'

No. 568. Vor. XVII.I SATLTRDAY, SEPTENIBER Bru, 19o6 [Pntcr 3o

TTIE AUTOCAR.

(Published WeeklY.)

Regist.red as a ncwspapcr fo! tresmission in lthc United Kingdom'

Ent.rcd as sccond-class mattcr in thc Ncw York (N'Y') Post Omcc'

EDITORIAL OFFICE:

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES:

20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E'C',TENGLAND

NOTES

CONTE NTS. ['rr',rttrst(s l\ (()MPl fllli'N\ r\Nrrtltlli

A"t' t"' 1t

PRDSSII)N USEFUL HINTs AND 'l'lns: ON rll!: CAR!: ()ts l"A(ED CTAINS '-- p*rorra^" Exeutlertox or Sprnrtsc' PLUcs -ON-l)Rl-\ tN(;

'--

Prer iouNn Cutvrs -llEpArRl!c Llaxt RelttetoRS- I o I IisT FnexcsCnerr " " 325 MoroRrNc lltonr-ulve-Ileels (illustrated) " 3"61?9 HEAvy T^xartoN or Cees Coxrtuplerup " " 33o A NBw Fonu oF IUoroR BoAr (illustrated) " ' 33r WsrBrarse rrp BooY LENGTH (illtrstratcd) ' 3-12-333 A Moron Auaurercc FoR GLAscow (illustrated) " 333 Tsa Swrrr Two-cvrINorn ENGINE (illtrstrated) ' 334 THE TouRrsr Tropay Cens (itlustrated) .. ::5-:36 A NEw PARSoNS NoN-sxto (Itiustrrted),. .. " 336 A Tsrnrv-srx HouRs NoN-sroP RuN " 336 CoxrrNerru NorES AND NEws (illustrated) .. 337-339 THE PRoBLEM or Atn-coorrrc Prtnor Elotrts (itlustrated) 340-342 CoRREspoNDENcE: A Tnrvrsrt or Jusrtc-u-Texrrc Conluts-

TYRE TRouaLEs-ArR CooLINc PETRoL ENGINES INcoNSISTEN'

"rii-o, itt B"rrrrsn TnIers-Tse lJusrLESS Rolo-s-AssocIa- ,* A b"^u"anun's Surus-UNSATISFAcToRY DEALINc- i*it*tn" or Dnrvpns-A TouR IN IRELAND-IIILL-cLIMtslNG ;';;;;;-i'I.M.a cios-Tvre Tssrs-A Nerrorp F.un- c;;;;;^;,;ii ro* Moro*rsrs- f HE AuroMoBtLE cll'B's It1t""^nrc^" PnortcreNcv CERTIFIcATE-PRoGRESS -oF'TH!: FJi"t p*o"""r-Cosr or [Jexrsr-Acctoerts lro Stesnlro Cii"-ftcotsro"RATE DRIvING-suuveav oF oraER CoRRE- sPoNDENcE" " 343'347 TsE RoYAL CouMlssloN oN MoroR C^Rs (Contintred) ' :+8-3lq As OaHERs SEE Us " " 35o A SArrsFlED OWNER (illustrated) .. .. .' " 35o Moron lvir MlNteuletlor (illustrated) .. '. " 35r FLA5HE6 .. 352-354 Crue borrds (ilirrttot"d) ls5-:56 DANGERS Ar RYE " " 356

..THE AUTOCAR" SUBSCRIPTION RATES : Britisb 1316, I5s. Abroed (thin PaPer edition), 226 8d' per arnunt

1No/es. Unfairness in ComPetitions. A good rleal of corresl.ronclence has taken place re- cently" on the question ol the best formula to use in hill-ciimbs, ancl the c<tndrtct r-rf these events generally' At the same time, tve think scarcely enough has been made of the unfair practices u'hich are stated to have been indulgetl in by a few of the-competittrrs' We shv' a few 'ir,lviseclli-, becartstr wb know that in the miiority of irrstalrces competitors. h:tle not marle atlv

"ttiitqpi rvhatever to obtain unfair advantages' Per- hapS ^the gravest abuse in < 'olrrlectic >t-t u ith ('om- p"iitiont of"oll kind. is the bujlding of special machines ior competiti<rn purposes. 'f hese machines nlay or may t)ot be of the ordirlary dimensions so far as the engine is t',,tt,'erttc,,l, lrut rvherr nny attempt is made i,,-set behin,l the rulcs, it is geneiallf in the engine, ,, i,,

".,n.,1r.'titions rvhich permit it, there is nothing ea.sier thlri to call arl engine, say, a standard 16 h'p', but to i1(--ttlttllv give it r'l-rigrler bore than that of the rurrlinary r6 li.p. of tl'rat particular make. However, this sort ol thing can only l-ie tlone when no proviston is matle for the examirtatirtn of the engines of any of the cars takinrl part in the competition'

As to the fittirtg of special sprocket or. gear rvheels to sive the best iatio for a particular hill, this is a

1lroCti.," which cannot be recommended in any way, ih,rugh it is lar less rellrehensible than. that. of inter- Ieriric *ith the errgine.- At the same time, it is very unfeir. becattse if rvhat we hear be true, there are occasii,ns on rvhich cars have been driven down to hill-climbs rvith gears so lorv that it rvas only.possible to get them ttt the scene of action- by driving at a crawl, t-,therrvise the engine rvould have overheated, ol'ing to the gear being so much below the usual ratio] 'I'hen, again, it is alleged that some comp-etitors have usetl oxygell, and others a mixture of para'ffin and Detrol. 'lhal-is to say, attempts have been made to get more power by using special-fuel. -These attempts in themselves ".e most liudable, and provided they carrv no objections rvith them, either on the score of dan[er, er,p-en.e, or cleanliness, there is nothing -to le i.i,i agiinst them except that they.may provide the competito;s rvhcr make use of them with an advantage whi& is, after all, unfair, because of the fact that it is not plainly stated that special fuel is being used, so that if such'compe'titors' cars do well, it is naturally assumed that it is upon their merits.

It is one of the great points in favour of the Tourist Trophy Race thai there are practically no loopholes left'o1ien to competitors rvho rvould try to-obtain an unfaii a<lva,ntage bver their racing rivals. In the first place, the cars are carefully examined to see that they i,rnfcrrm to the regulations, and in the second, everyboclv is servetl u'ilh the same kind of fuel, and no opp;rtunitv is permitted o[ adding anything to it. 'With t.[r.,l io the alleged malpractices.in competi- tions in geireral, anrl hill-climbs in particular, we may say \\'e hive rebeivecl several letters upon the subject, but, un[orturtately, they are of a nature which do not permit of publication. Very < lamaging statements are matle l,y ti-reir rvriters, l.rut ihese statements are based entirely upon herrsai. Something more substantial than lrcarsav is requiietl before a competitor should be vili6erl in tltis millltler, l)ilrti('ularl)'as allv st:Itement once rnatle uottlrl stick to hin-r. It rvoulcl be almost in-rirossilrle for him to rlisprtlvc an alle.gatiorr. Ilo'rvever uniounrlerl, ttorv that some time has elallsed since the comlretitions u'ere helcl in which the alleged . mal- pr^.ii.,., torrk lrlace. At the same time, these things ire not rvithout iheir s:rtisfar:tort' side' Little strbterfuges to ittr're:ise tlre eflir'iettcv of ltltr'particular eltgine or car rnAv give it a nl()mentan' fl(lvantage in an event or series irf ever-rts, but these things can never be kept secret f()r lotrg, str that il anvthing goo<1 is frlttnd out,