THE AUTOCAR B Journal publisbet, in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcallr propellel > roal > carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No. 7rr . VoL. XXII.]

SATURDAY, JUNE 5TH, 1909.

[PRICE 3D.

The Autocar.

(Published Weekly. )

Registered as a Newspaper br transmission in the United Kin~dom . Entered as f,econd-cla~s □atter in the New York (N.Y.} Post C ffice.

----- -----Three Editions every Friday.

The THREEPENNY EDITIO:~, printed on Art PaFer. The PENNY EDITI ON, printed upon thinner paper. The FOREIGN EDITION, price 3d., printed on thin p1per for tr:msm issic n abroad.

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COVENTRY.

Publishing Offices :

20, TUDOR S 1 REET, LONDON, EC., England

CONTENTS. N OTES A SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL H.P . FORMULA . . U S EFUL HI NTS ANO TIPS (ILLUSTRATED) . .

\ 1V!-1ITSU NTIDE RACING AT BROOKLAN DS ( ILLUSTRATE D) .. ON THE ROAD- ABROAD . . 79 1•7 92 THE P OLI CE R E BU K E D B Y A JusT MAYOR.. 792 THE KI NG'S DERBY WAS A M OTOR D E R BY (ILLUSTRATI ONS) . , 7 93 THE FINANCE BILL THE N EOTHER~t CELL ( ILLUSTRATED) M OTOR U N I O ~ N OT ES . . Two FINE E XAMPLES OF I30DY D ES I GN ( lLLUSTRATE D ) ON THE TRACK. A 1' E W SLIDE VALVE E~GINE .. A L OG O F THE IRI SH TRIALS ( I L L USTRAT E D ) F OR E ASY GEAR CHA~GING ( lLLU TRATED} . . A TRESPASSER I N T H E C AR ( ILLUSTRATED) . , C ORRESPONDENCE .. A SI NGL E - CYLINDE R A USTI N ( AR- FIGHTING TII E B UDGET FLASH ES .. R OAD \VARN I NGS ..

794·79.I

796 797 79 799 00-803

807 808 . . 809 -8 13

8 14 815 s,c

A COMFORTABLE DASH BOARD~AN lNGEN!Ouc- P ETR OL GAUGE

( ILLUSTRATED) . .

817

CLUB DOINGS

818

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I

Notes. The Scottish Military Conveyance Scheme. La t 1Yeek on page 769 we gave the details of the provisional scheme 1rhich has been issued by the Scottish Automobile Club for the prompt mobilisati on of the military forces of Scotland. So far the cotti h Club is the onh· one which has foll owed the Lincolnshire example ·in working out a ca refully detail ed . cbeme. To a l 1 11"110 a re interested in the ubject in a ny way 11·e commend a very careful considerati on of the Scottish plan of operations. and we hope all 11·h are qua ] ifi ed to offe r practical suggest ions 11·ill assist the scheme by sending their suggestions to l\Ir. R . J. Smith, sec retary of the S.A.C., 163, West George treet. Glasgow. as we have a lreadv announced that he will 11·elcome any help of t.his kin d as we ll as that sti ll more pra ctica l co-operation 1Yhich he expe ts to secure from Srottish a uto,nobil ist s- a co-operation we have 110 doubt he 11·ill secure. unl ess ,re ha ,·e a ltogether mi. understood the Ca!e:lon ia n temperament.

< luite ap:ut fr o:11 the thoro ug hness with ,rhich the srheme h:1s been 11·orke .l out bY the nationa l motor c lul > of Scotland. it sh ou ld be fio rne in mind that it possess s the sterling merit of be ing nationa l and not locn l. That is to say. it is an attempt to focus the lo:·al motor st rength into one great nationa I system. It in no ,my limits lora l enterprise. Indeed. it encourages it ; but in matters of thi s kind loca l enterp ris e, unl ess it can inte rl ock 11·ith surrounding lo a l enterprises of a like cha rar te r. is of I ittl e va I ue, so th at it is only possibl e to secure the best results by formulating the scheme on a national basis and by means of a nationa l sYstem.

At the time the L.incolnshire A.C. scheme for the mobil isation of the Lincolnshire T errito ri a l F orce ,ms announ ce d , the RoYal Automobil e Club a lso announced th at it ,ras about to suppl ement the go d ,rnrk of the Lincolnshire men b, nationalising th e ir schem , but up to now not hing furth er ha s been h a rd of this enterprise, With one or t,rn ronspi r uous exceptions it cannot be said th at the county cl ubs ha1·e sh01rn any great

·re to emulate the L incoln shire exampl e. Proba bl y ' · are ,rniting for the R.A.C. to move in the matter.

~

ow First Speeds. Last yea r some con iderabl e outc ry was made because some ca rs fail ed to climb Amulree, the now celebrated hill 11·hich came as a surprise to the competitors in the last Scotti sh A .C . Reliability Tri a l . \\"e maintained at the tim e th at , steep , ro ugh, and tortuous as was th is r-ealh- terribly se,·ere incl ine, it was not an unfair t , t. bec;use a car ought to be a ble to climb anything on it fir st speed. It is true th at the re is carcely a 111· hi 11 in the British Isles so severe a Amulree, bu: it ·is nec-essary to bear in mind th at engine s a re not a lwa ys in the best of trim e,·en with the mo t careful 01rn ·rs, anu, furth er th an that, ca rs are o ften ove rloaded. There is no doubt th at th e hill a t Brookland s 11·ill ha,·e a ben-= fi c ial e ffect, as there are a good many ca rs on the road to-day which could not climb it, anu there a re still more which could not re tart upon the

1. in 4 grade. It may be urged quite fairl y that 1 in 4 is so much steeper than the a , ·erage steep hill that it is a n edlessly se,·ere test, but it i. neces. a rv to bear i!l mind th at 'this is counterba lanced b\ the exce ll ence of the surface to a large extent . Ot1r rea de rs kn01r that 11·e a re absolutely opposed to under-gearing of ca rs on the top sp-=ed, beca use it is so irksome to sit behin < : an • '.! ng ine 1d1ich has to be bustled und uly to make :t fa ir s peed on a fa, ·ourable road. but thi s is no reason 11·hy the fir st sp eed should not be a low one. In other 11·ord . it should be an emergency spe d . low enough to r-e-s ta 1t up and climb the steep~st hy-lane in the Briti sh I sles. and therefore suffi c ienth· low to enable a car in th e colonie . . 11·h e re st il l si11all er be,·els or counter-shaft sprockets ·wi II be use 1, to 1 imb out of a 1i1·er b.ecl with ease and certainty.