F EBRUAkY 8n 1 1908

THEAUTOCAR B Journal publtsbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcallr propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

VoL. XX. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH, 1908.

[PRICE 3D.

The A utocar ..

(Published Weekly. )

Registered as a news?a.per for transmission in tht- United Kingdom.

Entered as second-class matter in the Ne·N York {N.Y.) Post Office.

Editorial Office :

COVENTRY.

Publ:shing Offices :

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

co TS. NOTES USEFUL H INTS AND TIPS (ILLUSTRATED) A NOVEL PETROL ENGINE (ILLUSTRATED) .• MOTOR TRANSPORT FOR THE COLONIES (ILLUSTRATED) THE VVATTON DETACHABLE fLA:SGE \VHEEL • . THE R.A.C. AND THE MOTOR ISDUSTRY SOME MOTOR ACCESSORIES (ILLUSTRATED) .. THE NEW YORK-PARIS MOTOR RACE • • SOME E!'l'GtSE EFFICIENCY TESTS (ILLUSTRATED) CAPE H ooo MATERIAL • • ON GEAR CHANGING (ILLUSTRATED) T H E R OYAL A.C. AND THE M.U. CoMPRO~HSE I N DESIGN • • THE \.VONHAM VARIABLE SPEED GEAR (ILLUSTRATED) CoNTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS AEROPLANE V . FLYING MACHINE R.A.C. CERTIFICATES A NEW FORM OF COMPETITION-IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS THE M o TOR UNION-OK0NITE CABLE .. THE ENGLISH FIAT \VoRKS CORRESPONDENCE .. FLASHES CLUB DOINGS SOME QUERIES ANO REPLIES . , SOME FEATURES OF 1908 ENGINES (CONCLUDED) . . THE R ESULT OF RACING ON DESIGS \COXCLUDED) lNTERSATI0NAL (OSFERENCE ON MOTOR BOAT RACING • •

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{

Notes. Good and Bad Cars. \Ve u e the terms good and bad for simplicity of expression. Perhaps it would be advisable to explain that, speaking generally, there are very few bad cars indeed, and the comparison would be bette1 expressed as being made between very good cars, good cars, and indifferent cars. These three divisions overlap to some extent. The cars which can legitimately be included in the superlative class are necessarily not quite even in merit, and as they tail off it is difficult to know whether those which may be quite the best of the second class should not be included at the bottom of the first class. However, we need not go into this. What we wish to emphasise is the difference between really good cars and more or less indi fferent cars.

To the ea ual observer there wi ll be 1 ittle difference in the outside appearance, particularly if we deal with chassis alone. So far as shows are concerned it is· often :1~ticeable that the most highly polished ~hassis 1s exh1b1ted by a maker who is not remarkable for the quality of his finish in the ordinary way. In fact, all experienced motorists take very little notice of this gli~ter and polish . They object very strongly to rough fimsh, but so long as the exterior surfaces are clean, free. from the irregularities which are clue to rough castmg or careles workmanship, they do not mind. \\"hat they are concerned about is interior finish and the material used. They realise fully that a motor car is made up of a ,·ery large number of separate parts, each of which must function properly and continuously if the car is to be a success and a source of pleasure as a whole .

If hrn chassis are taken, one good and the other of indiffcP~nt quality, \H: in all probability find that both ~re good 1-_alue fo.r money, but the lower priced chassis 1s not, as 1t~ novice owner fondly believes, as good as the one which may cost, say, £r50 more. If these tll'O chassis are tried on the road there will certainly be a difference in fa,·our of the better one-a difference ,rhich will at once be detected by the motorist who kno\\'S hmr a good car should run, but not so great that it \\'ill not in all probability be overlooked by the novice. The slight irregularities in the running of the engine, the fi erceness of the clutch, the more or less unsatisfactory gear changing and gear noises 11·ill be lost upon him, though he will be conscious enough of them after a littl e time when he has had some experience, and be 11·il 1 ,Yonder how he came to overlook such indications of the painful truth that the car, after a ll , onl >· belonged to the second class.

At the same time there is no denying the fact that the Yery best chassis aml those ,rhich are a long wav from being really good ar not necessarily widely separated by their performances when new. The lowe1pri eel chassi may be as fast both on the flat and up, hill s. They may even be faster, although this ispractically impossible if the engines, the gear ratios, ano the 1reights are the same. This, however, isextremely unlikelY in t11·0 different makes, and, therefore, it is quite likely that the cheaper car, which mayhave some advantage in engine dimensions, will actua ll y. beat the high class car on point of speed alone. Let ns return to the t\\'o machines after they have both covered, say, 5,000 miles; then we shall begin to see where a ll round good quality te ll s.

Assuming that both cars have been fairly looked after, we shall find the good one, if anything, rather more powerful than when it was first turned out, and running in e,·ery 11':1)' at lc >:i st :-,~ 11·e ll as ll'hcn it 11·:i-; new. On the other hand, the low priced car which had eemecl practically as good as the other at first is found to be absolutely out of it now. The engine has probably lo. t power or has required an inordinate amount of attention to keep it really up to· its work. It does not run smoothly, and its firs1i