'"'f HE AUTOCAR B 3ournal publtsbet > in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall~ propellet > roat > carriage.
EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
No. 6r2. VoL. XIX.
SATURDAY, J ULY 13TH, 1907 .
[PRI CE 3D .
TflE A UTOCAR. •
(Published Weekly. )
Registered 2.s a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingriom,
Entered as second-class matte r in the New York (N.Y.) Post Offic~.
EDITORIAL OFFICE :
COVENTRY.
PUBLISHING OFFICES :
2 0, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.
CONTENTS.
NOTES THE 15 H.P. ENFIELD (AR (ILLUSTR AT ED) • • RACING AT BROOKLANDS (ILLUSTRATED) CLEANING~ FROM BROOKLANDS (ILLUSTRATED ) • • THE TWENTY-FOUR Houi~s RECORD .• THE R.A.C. DusT TRIALS I N nrn HOUSE OF COM:\IONS . • . . . . THE ROLLS-ROYCE LONG DISTANCE TRIAL • • SO:\IE OPlNIONS OF 8ROOKLAXDS USEFUL H INTS AND TIPS .. POLICE-TIMED ROADS (ILLUSTRATED) . . REVIEW , • . . THE DUNLOP DETACHABLE RIM (ILLUSTRATED) • , OccA SIONAL Goss 1P . Bv '' T1-1E AUTOCRAT" SOUTH HARTING HILL CLIMB • • ECHOES OF THE SCOTTISH TRIALS CORRESPONDENCE T H E 75 H.P. MERCEDES (ILLUSTRATED) SQ:l,I E RECENT L EGAL VICTORIES OF TI-IE MOTOR UNION .• HORSE AND TRAM ACCJDE~TS • • FLASHES .• THE GRANO PRIX \ VE1GELS , • AMERICAN NOTES CLUB DOINGS (ILLUSTRATED) • • THE LUBRICATION O F PETROL £NGINE1; IMPORTS AND EXPORT', • •
PAGE . . 51
52-53 54-58 59-62 . . 62 . . 62 . . 62 . . 62
63-66 . . 67
68-70 . . 70
71 . . 72 . , 73
74-75 76-79 80-82 . . 82 . . 82 83-84 85 -86 . . 86
87-88 89-90 . . 90
'THE AUTOCAR " SUBSCRIPTION RATES :
Uritisb Isles, 16s. Abroad (thin paper edi tion !, l 2• . Sd. por annum.
/ Njtes. A Great Reliabil ity Trial. Recently we outlined th e form which would be taken by th e next great international event to be promoted by th e Royal Automobile Club. The matter has now ta ken definite shape, and it is officially announced that the R.A.C. proposes to hold a 2,000 miles reliability tria l in 1908. It is to begin at the end of June, and will include a hill- climb, petrol consumption tests, and a high speed run on Brooklands track. This 11·ill undoubted ly be a great event in every sense of the word . It will not only be a most searching test, but the great point in its favour is that if properly worked out, as we have no doubt it will be, it will not merely result in a huge expenditure for each competitor, and th en n 2rl it for only one (th e 1rinner), but it 11·ill possess ath·antages for al I worthy competitors.
In the first place it will be sub-divided into classes, as a re all reliability trials, and this will mean there will be a winner in each class. In addition to this , owing to th e various good points which will be brought out , every car will haYe a fair chance of distinguishing itself. For instance, those which fail in speed may excel in reliability. Others may shine on fuel consumption, whil e others which are perhaps extravagant with petrol will make their mark in the hill-climb, and so on. This, by the way, is a point which should be considered . The official announcement refers to a single hill-climb, but it would be much better to ha,·e several, as in th e Scottish trials. The speed tri a l at Brookl ands should be a most interesting finale.
The cars will be under official observation the whole time. Consequently there will be no opportunities for making alterations to them . It will not be possi bl e for competitQrs to have specially low gears for the hill climbs and specially high gears for the speed te >l. Another g reat advantage of the speed test, too, at any rat e so far as the larger cars are concerned, is tilat on the road ey ·-will be driven very much in side th eir maximum capabilities except in th e hill -clirnbs . On th e track, however, they will be racing at their maximum power, and , coming as it will at the end of a long road drive, the final ordeal by speed should be invaluable .
There is already a tendency on the part of those who do not understand the actual facts to belittk: racing on Brooklands. They think beca use it is a specially-prepared course on which it is safe to drive at very high speeds that it is no test of a car. As a matter of fact, when cars al.'e raced upon it it is one of the severest tests to which they can be submitted, because of the fact that there are no checks. From start to finish it is one straightaway rush at the highest
µ ressure. The engine, in fact , is running almost under the same conditions, except in the matter of cooling, as when being raced on a low gea r in climbing a steep hill. What t he severity of t he test is is better realised 11·hen it is seen how some of the finest cars of the day fall out in only a thirty-mile race.
At the same time, the highest awards in each class will not necessarily go to the fleetest car. A ca r may win the speed trial handsomely, and yet, through having failed to earn its full number of marks for reliability, hill-climbing, or consumption, it may not secure the highest award in its class for the reliability tri a l as a whole. In fact, the more the project is considered the more its great possibilities will be realised . With nearly twelve months to wait it is perhaps full early to discuss these possibilities at length, but we have no hesitation in saying that even as brie fly outlined at the moment it bids fair to be the most importan t, interesting , and in many respects the most exciting event that the Club has ever promoted. I t sho ul d be understood that th e reliability trial will not ta ke the place of the Tourist Trophy Race . It is st ill proposed to hold thi s next year, but not necessa rily on the basis of fuel consumption.
