fE~RU AR\" 2:-.U, 1907 .

THE AUTOCAR a Journal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantrnll\? propelleb roab carriage,

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

ro . 589. V OL . XVIH.] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 1907. [PRICE 3D.

THE AUTOCAR.

( F11bli~!1 cd Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the Unite d Kingdom .

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

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES :

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

CONTENTS. NOTES . • . • . • . • • • • . • • . THE DATES OF TH E T .T. AND HEAVY TOURING CAR RACES . . ARMY MOTOR RESERVE . • • • • • . . • • USEFUL HINTS ASD TIPS : ON REPAIRS AND ALTERATJOKS , • THE 30-42 H.P. SPYKER CHASSIS ( ILLUSTRATED) • • . . THE jAPY MECHANICAL CARBURETTER (ILLUSTRATED) .• SPRING IMPROVEMENTS ( ILLUSTRATED) • . THE ORIENTAL PYRENEES ( ILLUSTRATED).. ACCIDENT TO MR. C. j GLIDDEN ( ILLUSTRATED ) OuR VtL E BODIES. Bv G. STUART OGILV I E THE 30-35 H.P. DENNIS CAR ( ILLUSTRATED ) A NEW STEAM CAR (ILLUSTRATED) CLUTCHES WITH CORK I NSE RTS • • ON THE R OAD. Bv Ow Es J OHS • • A SHOW RESTRICTED TO TRIED CARS • • PETROL ENGINE I ND ICATING ( I LLUSTRATED) THE MOSELEY TYRE (ILLUSTR AT ED ) T HE NEW Y ORK SHOW MARKYATE ECLIPSED • • CORRESPONDENCE . . . • THE LIVERPOOL M OTOR C AR S HOW THE ORMOND·DAYTONA BEACH RACES . . FLASHES • • • • , • • , A FRENCH R ACE ON T.T. L INl::S . • • . • . • • ENTRIES FOR THE T.T. RACE- i\l OTOR UN ION A CTIVITY C LUB DOINGS • • . • • • • . • · · , A c cESSIBILITV AND CLEAN1.1NESS (CONCLUDED) • .

PAG F.

139-140 , . 140 , . 140 .. 141 q 2-144 . . '45 . . '45 146-14 8 .. 14 8 q g - 150 . . 151 152-153 , . 153 , . 154 155-156 157 -1 58 · · 159 . . 160 . . 160 16 1-1 67 . . 168 . . 169 170 -171 , . 172 · · 1 72 173-174 175,176

" THE AUTOCAR " SUBSCRIPTION RATES : British h.les, I6s A b road (th in I aper edition) , 22s. Sd . pe r annum.

j Notes.

Brooklands Track Measurement. 1 t is reported upon good authority that the motor rac ing track now in course of construction nea r 'Weybridge is to be measured on a line drawn round the track and offset ten feet from the inside edge. Now , ll'C have had some expe ri ence of tra ck design and const ruction, a nd some knowl edge of th e manner in whi ch th e fastest rac ing cars can be held clown to cun-es of comparati\·e ly small radius. The cun·es or bends of th e Brook.lands course 11·ill be quite the reverse, and round th e big ea sy Sll'eeps of this track the re will be littl e diffi culty in holding cars at e \·en 100 miles per hour to within two fee t of the insid e edge. Indeed, no d iffi culty a t a ll if the cun·ed portions of the course a re adequately super-e lernted. If the Brook.lands trac k is to be the scene of record cutting, it behm·es th ose most concerned with it construction and the huge sums of money now being spent upon it to tak e parti c ul ar thought to this matte r, and before committing them-

selves to make sure not onl y that the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ire la nd ag rees to thi s (to our mind most incorrect) method of measurement, but th at the clubs of other countries do so likewise. It would be a thousand pities to compl ete thi s costl y work on the lines suggested, only to find th e French, German , and American 'Automobi le Clubs refus ing recognition to the very first record th e re made on the ground, and th e ve ry reasonable a nd proper grou nd, that the track \1·as short. Set out as is suggested, viz., to measure th e three miles lappage on a lin e offset ten feet from th e insid e edg e, th e track would most in dubitably be sh0rt . Hm·: much is , of course, very eas ily calc ulated.

Taking the course as a circl e thr ee mil es in circum ference, the measurement of an inner co ncentric circl e tw enty feet less in diameter would meas ur e 2 miles 1, 739 ya rds, or 21 yards short. By the time a hundred mil es had been covered th e shortage would amount to upwa rds of 700 yards (t1rn,fi fths of a mile). And ll'hat would our cordial neighbours say to this ? This motor track shoul d not be measured more th an 1ft. 6in . out from the insid e edge . and th e apprO\·al uf the British and othe r cl ubs shou:d be ob tained . Ii Brooklands is to set the fash ion to the world , and motor tra c ks are to follo1\' in other countries, le t there be some uniformity as to measurement, or riva l makers whose records approach within seconds or fractions of a second of each othe r will consume nights in comparative cal culati on, and 11·ill deluge us with mathematical proofs that , though inferior in time , th ey reall y were superior on distance. Before finally settling on the 1 ine of measurement the track managers should wait til I the course is completed, and then secure the cooperation of a few crack drivers who ,rnu ld see ho\\' close they coul d hold to the inside edge when driving at full speed. Their 11·hee l marks could be ca refu l! ) measured. and th e correct line fi na ll y decided on th e average distance kep t from the inside. It should Le remembered, too, that 1rith practice th e dri1·ers wil I lea rn to cut finer and fin er. This is always done, though whether it rea lly pays is an open question, and depe 1ds on the track , the ca r. and other fa ctors into whi h we need not now enter.

Twice Sold Motor Cars. In the last issue of 1'he .d.utocar (page 136) appeared th e repor t of a case, in which a firm of motor car dealers had so ld a ca r to one purchase r, and then. while it re mained on their pre mises, had sold it to a second pers on. who had taken it a ll'ay. The ac ti on was brought by the first purchase r to recover th e car from the second p rc haser. The defendant (the second purchase r) maintained that, hal'ing bought the car in good faith. be ll'a e ntitled to keep it under tht provisions of the Sa le of G"oods Act. The judge, in summing up the case. made some remarks of suitabl e strength relative to the dea lers, and left it to the jury to say whether the d efendant ,ms justified in actin g as he did , or whether he had not made prope r enquiries as to the ownership of the ca r. They ultim ately found