APRIL 4TH, 1908.
TH~E AUTOCAR B Journal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall\? propelleb roab carriage.
EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
No. 650. VoL. XX.J
SATURDAY, APRIL 4TH, 1908.
[PRICE 3D.
The A utocar.
(Published Weekly. )
Registered as a newspa!)er for transmission in the United Kingdom.
Entertd 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 AN EXTRAORDINARY AccIDEST • • USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS (ILLUSTRATED) ROAD MAINTE:SANCE BY :\{QTORlSTS, . THE VINCENT \VIND SCREEN (ILLUSTRATED) THE AGRICULTURAL HALL SHOW
. • 477-478
478 479 . • 480-481
482 482
THE DUTRIEUX SHOCK ABSORBER-THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE
R.A. C.
ON THE RoAD : Is FRANCE. Bv OWEN JOHN
483
• • 484-486
SOME DETAILS OF GRAND PRIX RACERS
MOTORS IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS (ILLUSTRATED) • •
487
• • 488-490
FORTHCOMING TRIALS THE SILVERTOWN ELECTRIC CARS (ILLUSTRATED) • • THE MoTOR UNtON ANNUAL MEETING . • CoNTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS (ILLUSTRATED) SOME USEFUL ACCESSORIES (ILLUSTRATED) • • I N THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ENTRIES FOR THE SCOTTISH RELIABILITY TRIALS • • CoRRESPONDENCE THE SOCIETY OF MECllANIC DRIVERS .• MOTOR BOATS AT OLYMPIA ARNOLD'S GEAR LEVER- A DOUBLE (OXE C LUTCH .• FLASHES THE INTERN'ATIONAL TOURING CAR TRIAL • • CLUB DotxGs A NEW AUTOMATIC CARBURETTER {ILLUSTRATEDl • •
490 491 492 493-495
496 497 498 499-503
504 . . 505-506
506 · · 507-509 . . 510-511
51 3 514
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Notes. The 2,000 Miles Trial. On anc-ther p:1 5e we deal witl~1 -fue exce llent paper read by i\'Ir. laude Johnson bef ·e the Royal A.C. " The Conditions for the R.A.C. 'ouring Car Trial. " We think that anyone who carefully peruses our sum mary of Mr. Johnson 's paper will appreciate the reasons underlying the establishment of the trial, so that there is no need for us to go into them as a 11·hole. On the other hand, there is one point in his pa.per "·hich ,re think cannot be too fully emphasised. We ha.,·e already referred to it, but as so mu h misunderstanding exists concerning it ,re think it advisable to r turn to it. Great exception has been taken by some pe_ople to the 200 mile race on Brookla.ncls which is to conclude the trials. We a.re told that touring motor ca rs are not meant for racing purposes, and so on. In fact, even possible objection is urged to this final ordeal by sus tained speed.
:-Ir. Johnson points out most emphatically that the arh·antage of the race is that it is a. test of condition at the conclusion of the road trial. While it i. perfect ly true that 2.000 miles is no test of a good car, th re is no question 11·hatever that a. 200 mil es race at the concl usion of 2 .ooo miles road work 11·ith a number of timed hill-climbs included in it will prove a most sparching test a.ncl an excellent criterion as to the conrlition of the cars at the encl of the road portion of the competition . On the other hand, the severity of the test will be somewhat in the ratio of the size of the car. Tt 11·ill be \·ery much more of a. test for the low powered single and two-cylinder vehicles than it \rill be for the la rger four and six-cylinder cars, though we a.re inr lined to the opinion that some of these 11·ill not find it so light an undertaking as many people anticipate, for. aJter all. the cars all have to do the same thing whether they be of 6 h.p. or 60 h .p .
On all the hills they ha,·e to run as hard as they ran to beat their fellows in their own class, and the same remarks apply to the race on Brooklancls. Where the large ea rs get the ad vantage over the sma 11 ones is undoubted ly in the daily running, as they are so much more 11·ithin their capabilities than the small cars, ,rhich a !so ha ,·e to maintain the legal speed conditions, a. ridiculously asy task for a. moderately powerful car, but by no means ea. y for a. small car, especially over the hillier portions of the route. However. this does not realh· matter ,·ery much, as it simply means that the small ca rs 11·ill ha.,·e a. more searching test than the larger ones, and e1·ery large ca r ,rhich fails in the final ordeal by speed through any structural or mechani<'.tl dt,f ( t 11·ill but re fl ect the greater glory on every small c; · 11·hiC'h triumphantly withstand the ordeal.
The ociety of Automobile Mechanic-drivers. This Society has been too long content to hide its light under a bu he!. Its objects and aims. conceived :iml promoted by the men themselves without omsicle aid of am· sort. clesen·e to ha,·e the widest cognisance of e,·en · car mrner employing or intending to employ a professional clri,·er. The general disrepute in which tlw chauffeur has for th e most part been he ld of late ~purred the promoting nucleus of this Society to seek . ome means of hall-marking qualified men 11·ho sought and desired to retain employment as paid drivers of motor cars. .--\. short three years ago a start 11·as made b,· an earnest septet. ,rhich has already r suited in a soriet1· 3 r 6 strong. and a sound reputation amongst all ,rho ha ,·e been brought into contact ,rith the body.
That such a bod~· can provoke so well-attended and so successful a function as the annual dinner which took place last ,reek. and can ensure the attendance of such men as Lord Montagu of Beaulie u. Sir John i\Ia cclonald . Sir H erbert J ekyll , Sir Kevill Gunter. Bart.. Captain Hume. the Hon. Lionel H olland. and others . is suffirient guarante of thp esteem in which it is held and the manner in 11·hich its objects are a ppreriatecl .
The difficulty expe rienced in finding suitable com-
