APRIL I3 rH , 1907.

THE AU'TOCAR tl 3ournal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall\? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No. 599· V oL. XVIII . SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH, 1907.

[P RICE JD.

THE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly).

- Registered as a newspaper fo r transmission in the United Kincdo~

En tered a s 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.. . . . . • • . • .. . , • • • • . • 513-11;14 USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS; ON CHECKING AND ADJUSTING THE . -

TIPtllNG OF MAGNETOS (ILLUSTRATED)-A Low TENSION IGNITION TROUBLE . • • . . • • • • • • • SOME NOTES ON INDUCTIO N CoIL TESTING (ILLUSTRATED) LoNDON TO MONTE CARLO. BY MAJOR C. G . MATSON THE DEASY THOUSAND MILES TRIAL (ILLUSTRATEf.') THE HEEL OF A CHILLES (ILLUSTRATED) • • . . THE StDDELEY Lo z.rn DISTANCE TRlAL {ILLUSTRATED) .• CoNTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS {ILLUSTRATED) • • EXHAUST ANALYSIS • • • . . • . . TOURING CAR RACE FOR AMERICAN MACHINES A DISGRACEFUL ROAD • • To THE SOUTH OF FRANCE HILL CLIMBING IN KENT.. • • . . • • . . • .

· · 515 .. 516 517

517 518 .. 519-520

521 . • 522-j25 . . 526-527

527 527 . . 528-529

530 53°

THE TAR SPREADING AND TAR PREPARATION COMPETITIONS .•

ACCUMULATOR V. MAGNETO • • . . • . . . IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. bffORTI- AND EXPORTS • • ExcES'iIVE BRIDGE AND FERRY TOLLS THE 1907 SCOTTISH RELIABILITY TRIALS VAPOUR EMISSION COMPETITION CLUB DOINGS . • • . SoME QUERIES AND REPLIES • . CORRESPONDENCE • • FLASHES . • • • . . . • • • . . THE AGRICULTURAL HALL SHOW (ILLUSTRATED) . • . . THE STRENGTH AND STRUCTURE OF ALLOYS (ILLUSTRATED) THE AUTOMOBILE STANDARDISATION CoMMITTEE • • • •

53 1 532 532 532 532 533 534 · · 535·540 · · 541-542

• • 543-554 · · 555-556

556

"THE AUTOCAR " SUBSCRIPTION RATES: British Illes, 16s. Abroad {thin p:i.per edition ), 22s. 8d. per annum.

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Notes. verdoing it. We are afraid just now there is a tend ency to overdo open competitions, more particularly in th e fo rm of hill-climbs. Whil e these even ts were confined mainly to the members of local and distri t clubs they were in every II ay exce ll ent fixtures. ~ ow in many ca:,es it is th ought th e correct thing to hold a huge open event in which all the manufacturers are invited to compete. They are industriously ci rcularised, and eYery poss ible effort is made to ecure th e ir entries. Not only so, but inducements are sometimes offered to_ encourage them to enter more than one ca r, so that we already hear of over a dozen cars of one make being entered in a single event. In itself this is no evil, as it is always most interesting to see how far a. number of practically sister machines perform equally, but it is quite obvioos that if the number of open hill-climbs is not kept ,Yithin reasonable limits the practice will be hopelessly vverdone, and will become a ta"x on the industry, a_-, the expense of running a number of cars in events in different parts of the country is enormoos, and extrarngance of this kind always reacts injuriously on the purchaser, as it is such an expensive method of obtaining publicity. It may be urged quite reasonably that manufacturers are not obliged to enter for these events, but they are more or l ess compelled by competition amongst themselves to do these things. What it appears to us is needed is, at the outside, half a dozen open hill-climbs in different parts af the country. These climbs should be so dispersed as to bring ea.eh of them within convenient distance of one or other af the great > centres of population. In a.ddition to these there might be as many club events confined to amateurs as poo;sible. These smaJler gatherings are always interesting, and provide excellent sport for the participants. They are matters of recreati on for the owner and nothing whatever to do with the manufacturer, but the only way to make them successful is to confi ne them absolutely to genuine amateurs. Not only so, but the professional element 5hould be entirely excluded from these competitions. We mean to say not only should the o .rners be amateurs, but the drivers too . The makers in their turn should not attempt to take any part in these events indirectly, as we have heard of cases in which so-called amateur events have been rendered unfair by the owner arranging for his car to be driven by one oI the specially trained drivers from the ·er's works, who has not only driven it in the eve , , but who has spent two or three days in specially pr a.ring the car for the competition.

hange Speed Gears. Last year an attempt was made to prove on paper that change speed gears were scarcely necessary. Some write rs did not go so far as this, but they strongly advocated nothing) more than three speeds. We maintained at the time, as we still maintain, that four speeds are better than three. Whether the third or fourth shall be the direct speed depends upon circumstances into which we need not now enter. We admit at once that it is po.;sible to do without change speed gea rs a.ltogether so long as the engine is big enough, and the gear is low enough, but such a car is not really a practical vehicle. and however goad it may be it would be better with a. change speed gear. Quite recently we had the opportunity of making a very interesting test between two sister machines, the only vital difference between the two being the fact that one had three speeds and th e other four. In each case the third speed was the direct, and it was sufficiently low to enable gradients up to one in twelve to be climbed an the top speed. What made the test more int er esting was the fact that the ratio of power to weight was high , th ere being nearly two horse-power available for each cwt. af car and load to be lifted. Thus th e test was all in favoor of the smaller number of speeds, inasmuch as it might be fairly urged that