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MARCH 16TH, I907 THE AUTOCAR a Journal publisbct > in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall\? propellet > roat > carriage. EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER. No. 595. VoL. XVIII. SATURDAY, MARCH 16TH, 1907. [PRICE 3D. TlfE AUTOCAR. (Published Weekly.) Regiat:ered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom. Entered as second-clas• matter in the New York (N. Y.) Post Office. EDITORIAL OFFICE : COVENTRY. PUBLISHING OFFICES: :io, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND. CONTENTS. NOTES .. , , .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 363-364 USEFUL HI NTS AND TIPS : To REMOVE RUST SPOTS-ANOTHER IN­ PAGE GREDIENT OF "CARBONACEOUS,, DEPOSITS-RUSTED UP JOINTSARTILLERY WHEELS IN THE TROPICS-ON WASHING A CAR-PROTECTION VARNISH FOR BRIGHT PARIS • . • • • • . . 365 j To BRIGHTON AND BACK ON' .-\ 16 H.P. REO (ILLU5TR..\TED) . . 366 THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB • . , • • • • . 367 How TO MAKE VULCANISED TYRE REPAIRS (ILLUSTRATED) 368-371 THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB • • 37r THE 18-24 H . P BRITANNIA CAR (ILLUSTRATED) • • , . • , 372 -374 THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER 375-376 H OODED VAN DAKGERS . • • • • • , • , • • . 376 THE SICILIAN CIRCUIT : A MoUNTAJNOUS Cou~SE (ILLUSTRATED) . . 377 CoN TT NENTAL NOTES AND NEWS • • • • • • • • • • , . 378 SOME FEATURES AND ACCESSORIES AT OLYMPIA (ILLUSTRATED} 379 -382 CORRfi:SPONDENCE • • • • • • • • 383-387 THE PERFECT DISTANCE RECORDER (ILLUSTRATED) . . 388 MAP OF THE !RISH RELIABILITY TRIAL ROUTE . . • • 388 THE MOTOR BOAT SHOW AT OLYMPIA (ILLUSTRATED) 389 -392 FLASHES . , , , 393 -394 ON POINTS IN THE ACTION OF A MAGNETO . . 395 WORKS ORGANISATION 3g6-397 CLUB DOINGS 398 "THE AUTOCAR" SUBSCRIPTION RATES: British Isles , r 6s. Abroad (thin paper edition ), 22s. 8d. per annum. 1 Notes. The Royal Automobile Club. Automobilists in general and the 3,000 odd member~ of the National Club were delighted to hear the annouce­ ment on the 8th that His Majesty had commanded that in futur e th e A.C.G.B.I. be known as the Royal Automobile Club. This gracious command on the part of Britain's first automobilist is a. most timely one. It not only comes as a recognition of the pioneer and persistent work of the Club, but shows that His Majesty fully recogn ises the importance of the auto­ mobile movement and of the great national club which represents it so unselfishly, we had almost said too unselfishly. We are glad, too, that the honour of making this auspicious announcement should have fa llen to the Hon . Arthur Stanley, whose period of chairmanship is unfortunately drawing t o a close. In his two years of offi ce he has carried out his very heavy work as chairman of both the Club and the Union with sig na I success. H e has maintain er! the high traditions of his predecessors in the chair, and we think they will admit that in some respects his work has been of an even more difficult and responsible character than was theirs. Their work in t he main was plain straightforward strenuous fighting; his, to a large extent, has required a lmost constant diplomatic effort and an immVrse sacrifice of time. A Flexibility Competition. The Crystal Palace Automobile Club is holding an open competition for motor flexibility o_n March ~3rd. It is limited to touring cars of a maximum cylmder size of 140 by 150 mm. The idea of the trial is that the competing cars shall start from the Crystal Pala~e, be driven to Bexhill, then undergo a speed tnal on th e Bexhill track; a.fter this they will be sub jected to a slo,,· peed driving test on the top gear, and finally return home to London. Ea.eh car will be officially observed throughout the day's proceedings. Every car which starts from the Crystal Palace on the top speed, and which remains on its top speed throughout the competition , will be awarded 1,000 marks. For every gear change the car will have 10 marks deducted, and a furthe r deduction of 1 mark for every five seconds during which any other than the top gear is used. A non-stop . run going to and returning from Bexhill will secure 200 marks. In the speed tria,1, the ca rs will be timed over a distance of half a mile, and 250 marks will be awarded to the fastest car. A loss of 10 marks will be incurred bv each car for every half-mile an hour it is slower than the fastest. In the slow speed test on top gea r, the cars will be timed over roo yards on ly. and 250 marks will he awarded to the slowest. No provision is made for the admission of steam cars, the competition being " limited to petrol cars with internal combustion engines." This is not another in justice to steam. because we suppose any good steam car could win the competition out of hand. In other words, the flexibility of steam is accepted , and the efforts of many constructors of petrol ca rs of to-day are very largely directed to obtaining an equal flexibility. It should be clearly understood that the competition is a flexibility competition only. It does not infer that the car which wins it is the best all-round car. It simply shows it is the most flexible on the conditions laid down for the competition. For instance, a car with three speeds only and rather a low top gear would probably win, particularly if the engine were of the high speed type. On the other hand , it does not follow because such a car should win that it would be best for all-round purposes. The competition would be much more interesting and much more instructive if the conditions had included a proviso that the gear ratios should be stated and checked. as then with the sizes of wheels we should have had some definite information upon which to judge the merits of the performances of the different cars . It would also have been better if_ th e competition had been divided up into classes. so that the small and medium powered cars would have had a chance in th e spee d test.

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MARCH 16TH, I907

THE AUTOCAR a Journal publisbct > in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall\? propellet > roat > carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No. 595. VoL. XVIII. SATURDAY, MARCH 16TH, 1907.

[PRICE 3D.

TlfE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly.)

Regiat:ered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom.

Entered as second-clas• matter in the New York (N. Y.) Post Office.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES:

:io, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.

CONTENTS.

NOTES .. , , .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 363-364 USEFUL HI NTS AND TIPS : To REMOVE RUST SPOTS-ANOTHER IN­

PAGE

GREDIENT OF "CARBONACEOUS,, DEPOSITS-RUSTED UP JOINTSARTILLERY WHEELS IN THE TROPICS-ON WASHING A CAR-PROTECTION VARNISH FOR BRIGHT PARIS • . • • • • . . 365 j To BRIGHTON AND BACK ON' .-\ 16 H.P. REO (ILLU5TR..\TED) . . 366 THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB • . , • • • • . 367 How TO MAKE VULCANISED TYRE REPAIRS (ILLUSTRATED) 368-371 THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB • • 37r THE 18-24 H . P BRITANNIA CAR (ILLUSTRATED) • • , . • , 372 -374 THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER 375-376 H OODED VAN DAKGERS . • • • • • , • , • • . 376 THE SICILIAN CIRCUIT : A MoUNTAJNOUS Cou~SE (ILLUSTRATED) . . 377 CoN TT NENTAL NOTES AND NEWS • • • • • • • • • • , . 378 SOME FEATURES AND ACCESSORIES AT OLYMPIA (ILLUSTRATED} 379 -382 CORRfi:SPONDENCE • • • • • • • • 383-387 THE PERFECT DISTANCE RECORDER (ILLUSTRATED) . . 388 MAP OF THE !RISH RELIABILITY TRIAL ROUTE . . • • 388 THE MOTOR BOAT SHOW AT OLYMPIA (ILLUSTRATED) 389 -392 FLASHES . , , , 393 -394 ON POINTS IN THE ACTION OF A MAGNETO . . 395 WORKS ORGANISATION 3g6-397 CLUB DOINGS 398

"THE AUTOCAR" SUBSCRIPTION RATES: British Isles , r 6s. Abroad (thin paper edition ), 22s. 8d. per annum.

1 Notes. The Royal Automobile Club. Automobilists in general and the 3,000 odd member~ of the National Club were delighted to hear the annouce­ ment on the 8th that His Majesty had commanded that in futur e th e A.C.G.B.I. be known as the Royal Automobile Club. This gracious command on the part of Britain's first automobilist is a. most timely one. It not only comes as a recognition of the pioneer and persistent work of the Club, but shows that His Majesty fully recogn ises the importance of the auto­ mobile movement and of the great national club which represents it so unselfishly, we had almost said too unselfishly. We are glad, too, that the honour of making this auspicious announcement should have fa llen to the Hon . Arthur Stanley, whose period of chairmanship is unfortunately drawing t o a close. In his two years of offi ce he has carried out his very heavy work as chairman of both the Club and the Union with sig na I success. H e has maintain er! the high traditions of his predecessors in the chair, and we think they will admit that in some respects his work has been of an even more difficult and responsible character than was theirs. Their work in t he main was plain straightforward strenuous fighting; his, to a large extent, has required a lmost constant diplomatic effort and an immVrse sacrifice of time.

A Flexibility Competition. The Crystal Palace Automobile Club is holding an open competition for motor flexibility o_n March ~3rd. It is limited to touring cars of a maximum cylmder size of 140 by 150 mm. The idea of the trial is that the competing cars shall start from the Crystal Pala~e, be driven to Bexhill, then undergo a speed tnal on th e Bexhill track; a.fter this they will be sub jected to a slo,,· peed driving test on the top gear, and finally return home to London. Ea.eh car will be officially observed throughout the day's proceedings. Every car which starts from the Crystal Palace on the top speed, and which remains on its top speed throughout the competition , will be awarded 1,000 marks. For every gear change the car will have 10 marks deducted, and a furthe r deduction of 1 mark for every five seconds during which any other than the top gear is used. A non-stop . run going to and returning from Bexhill will secure 200 marks. In the speed tria,1, the ca rs will be timed over a distance of half a mile, and 250 marks will be awarded to the fastest car. A loss of 10 marks will be incurred bv each car for every half-mile an hour it is slower than the fastest. In the slow speed test on top gea r, the cars will be timed over roo yards on ly. and 250 marks will he awarded to the slowest.

No provision is made for the admission of steam cars, the competition being " limited to petrol cars with internal combustion engines." This is not another in justice to steam. because we suppose any good steam car could win the competition out of hand. In other words, the flexibility of steam is accepted , and the efforts of many constructors of petrol ca rs of to-day are very largely directed to obtaining an equal flexibility. It should be clearly understood that the competition is a flexibility competition only. It does not infer that the car which wins it is the best all-round car. It simply shows it is the most flexible on the conditions laid down for the competition. For instance, a car with three speeds only and rather a low top gear would probably win, particularly if the engine were of the high speed type. On the other hand , it does not follow because such a car should win that it would be best for all-round purposes. The competition would be much more interesting and much more instructive if the conditions had included a proviso that the gear ratios should be stated and checked. as then with the sizes of wheels we should have had some definite information upon which to judge the merits of the performances of the different cars . It would also have been better if_ th e competition had been divided up into classes. so that the small and medium powered cars would have had a chance in th e spee d test.

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