MAY 2ND, 1903.

THE AUTOCAR ti Journal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcall\? propeUeb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANE"l.

--- - --------

VoL. XX.] SATURDAY, MAY 2ND, 19?8.

[PRICE 3D.

The Autocar.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United 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.

J'\JQTES

CONTENTS.

iUSEFUL Ht :-l'TS AZ,.D TIPS • ,

FAGE

629-630

Tm: AusTtN CRAXD Pmx RACERS

A SPEEDO:O.IETER TRIAL-THE 16 H.P. CLASS R ECORD

ON=TIIE ROAD-I:"- FRANCE (ILLU3TRATF.n)

HORSE-POWER AT T!IE ROAD \\'HEELS {ILLU.5flUTED)

THE ?\EW YORK C ARS"!VAL HILL (LIMB (ILLUSTRATED)

DusT TRIALS AXD ExrCRDIE~TS Ottt:STRATr:o)

TRIU,\lPII OF THE \\"oLSELE\'-SIDDELEY!BoAT (ILLUSTRATED)

(O!-l'TI~E~TAL ~ OTES AND NEWS ( ILLL"STJ<ATED)

l :LECTRIC lCNITION DEVICES

AN EASTER R EL1Ae1un· Co,1rr:T1TTO:s . .

THE D E DION BOUTON PATESTS (ILLl.:STRATED)

CORRESPONDESCE {ILLUSTRATED)

.. 632-63+

635 . . 636-639 .. 6+0-64 2

6+3 6+4 . . 645-646 · • 647-6+9 .. 650-65 r

65 l

• • 652-65+ .. 655-660

THE 5EMPERIT TYRE-A (O)l?OUND ~[A';XETO A:-.D ACCU)lULATOR

Sw1Tcu

66r

THE LACOSTE 0JSTRIBUTCR ([LLUSTRATED) , •

662

BRIARCLIFF TROPH\' RACE- ll?I H HILL-CLDIBtXG (Q)IPETIT!ON.. 663

• .CLUB D01:sGs

• • 664-666 .. 667-66S

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jNotes. Long°: Distance Ttaps. At the moment ,re are hearing a good deal about Jong di tance traps, 01ring to the fact that in certain districts in Sussex th~ police are timing motor cars between different places. There is nothing new in this. In fact, we belie1·e we are right in aying that police timing ,ms first carried out in this ,my. The ,difference between it anrl the pre,·ious attempts of the sort is that it is apparently mush more systematically managed. Tt is quite a fooli h plan, because it does not in any ,r ay pre,·ent objectionable driving. That i to sa1·, it 11·ill he ,,·orse than usele. s if it i propo ed to take proceedings against all motori. ts \Yho are shown to ha,·e dri,·en bet11·een any t11·0 places in :Sus. ex at a higher a,·erage than t1renty mile. an hour.

ln gross cases of excess it is quite right that proceedings should be taken, but e1·erything should lie con"idered on its merits, and 11·here there are no gross excess~s of the speed limit no proceedings should be taken. \Vhen ,re say that place to place timing 11·ill not pre,·ent furious dri,·ing, as it i stateJ in some of the local paper - the Sussex authoritie imagine it 11·ill -,re ha ,·e only to point out that if a man is determin d to dri,·e fast h will simply make a practice 11·hen he has passed through a place of stopping for a while and then dri,·ing as hard as he can for a £e11· miles and stopping again. In other 1rnrds, the scorcher will still scorch, but if the system be carried out rigidly the ma!l 11·ho slightly exceeds the · legal maximum between tll'O places separated by a deserted stretch of road will be fin ed un le.. he stops en route. If the Sussex authorities are rea lly interested in conducting the road trafli c of their county theY should use a fe1Y of the po! ice they ha,·e hithe.rto 11·;sted on traps, and 11·hom, it is 11011· stated, they are to waste on place to ~lace timin , , by posrtin, them at such parts of the roads as xperience I sh01rn that trafli c regulation is rec ired.

Comparing Prices. We are a[raid motorists as a whole do not encourage makers to lit their cars out in the best possible ,my, hecau. e when comparing prices they do not 1Yith sufficient care compare the details of the different makes of cars they contemplate purchasing. One of many instances 11·hi ch ,re might cite is that of dual ignition. T,rn cars of the same power and price by different makers may be in contemplation. and almost the only difference b t1ree11 them 11·i 11 be that in one case both magneto and accumulator ignitions are fitted. while in the other an extra barge is made if t11·0 ignitions are specified. Therefore at first glance the car with the t,rn ignitions without extra charge appears to be from £ rn to £2 5 cheaper on the catalogue description.

,vhat do we find on examining the two chassis? On the car for 11·hich the extra charge is made for the accumulator system in addition to the magneto, there are tlrn 60-hour accumulators. a best quality coil and distributer. and last, but not least, a separate switch, so that both ignitions can be used simultaneously if desired. anrl beyond the two ignitions being controlled by qne ignition Je,·er the systems .are entirely independent. and either of them 11·ill fire the engine perfectly. In such a cas the auxiliary ignition is a real stand-by. and not a mere apparatus for starting purposes.

On the other car, on ,Yhich the two ignitions are included 11·ithout extra charge. \Ye probably find the accumulator system is poorly carried out. One starveling 20-hour accumulator is provided. a coil of the cheapest sort is used. and the 11·hol e of the starting and stand-by system of ignition is carried out in the cheapest, and, we had almost aid . the nastiest pos ible manner. The accumulator i of such small capacity that it is only fit for starting purposes, and the coil