JULY l8n1, 1908,

THE AUTOCAR B 3ournal pubhshet, in the interests of the mechanicall\? propellet, roat, carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No. 665. VoL. XXI.J SATURDA y' JUL y I8TH, 1908.

[P RICE 3D.

The Autocar.

:Published Weekly.)

Register!!d as a newspaper !or transmission in the United Kingdom.

Entered as second-class matt"!r in the New York (N.Y. ) Post Offi ce.

Editorial Office :

COVENTRY.

Publishing Offices :

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

CONTENTS.

NOTES USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS .• GRANDjPRIX ECHOES (ILLUSTRATED) , . ON THE ROAD. BY OWEN }OHS HERTFORDSHIRE A.C. AST0S HILL CLIMB (ILLUSTRATED) • • ROYAL A.C. !\iEET AT HEREFORD (ILLUSTRATED) AERODYNAMICS • • THE NAPIER GRA::-JD PRIX RACER (I LLUSTRATED) THE NEW CLUB PRE'.\IISES FOR THE ROYAL A.C. ! CoRRESPO~DENCE • ,. J I N THE HousE oF Co~n10Ns

ON THE TRACK

PAGE 81 - 82

83 84-93

94 95 96-97 98-99 • • 100· 101

102 . • 103-106

ro7 108

THE NEW FLYING RECORD-GEAR RATIOS I~ THE 2,000 ::VI1LES

TRIAL-A MOTORIST AWARDED COSTS AGAIKST THE POLICEA.~ A.A. BRANCH AT GLASGOW

I09

THE£'5 MOTOR CAR (ILLUSTRATED)

. • II0· III

THE BERESFORD RIM (ILLUSTRATED)

FL . .\SHES • •

OPE'.'l'!:s'G OF THE ROLLS-ROYCE \YORKS AT DERBY..

II I

• • II2-IIJ

114

BOROUGH v. CouSTY POLICE • •

CLuB Do1?-.GS ROAD \\

0

ARXI:--GS , • POLICE TRAPJ:;[AP . • THROUGH TIIE CIHL TERXS

Il4

• • 115-117 . , IIS-120

Il9 120

Subscription Rates :

British I sles I6s . Ahroad (thin paper edition ), 22s . 8d . per annum

Notes. " The Four In ch Race . It does not seem to Le fu 11 \' real ised hmr different a 11 e ,·ent the Four Inch Ra e· 11·ill be from the three Tourist Trophy Races 11·hich ha1·e preceded it. Of course. thi great di fference i. due to the abolition of the fuel limit. Four inch engines have been used in the Tourist Trophy Race before no,r. and not unsu c­ cessfully. but a lways in conjunction 1rith a restricted s upply of petrol. T n the new race. pra~ticalh· e1·ery restriction is remo,·ed except that the engme shal I not exceed 4in. in bore for a four-cylinder engine. nor shall the m1mmum 11·eight of the ca r \\'ithout dri1·er. mechanic. petrol. spares. and so forth be less than 1 , 6 0 0 lbs. This weight minimum is to pre,·ent the use of dangerously light ca rs . These are practi~ally a ll the restrictions. so that the Four I nch Race 1s a ra e indeed. Extra air inlets ,1·il1 only be opened to gi1·e inc rease of speed. not to economise petrol dmrn al I . lope. 1rhich permit of it. The engine 11·ill dri1·e the ca r if it 1rill increa. e the speed. There 1rill be no more coasting dmrnhill to sa 1·e fuel. nor 11·il1 a driYer be afraid to gi1·e full throttle up the mountain. The Tourist Trophy Race, despite its fuel limitation , sti l I shrnred that extraordinarih· high speeds cou ld be made on the Isle of l\lan roads. and it is quest ionable ,rhether the remonil of the fuel limit 11·i 11 ha 1·e a ,·en marked e ffect upon the 1rinning speeds. The Tourist Troplw ca rs \\'e re far too fast for many parts of the course. and the four inch cars ,rill be still faster. Speaking roughly. it may be said that th ey 11·ill han· the same 'peed as the bigger and faster of the T.T. ca rs 1rnuld have had if the\' had been fr ee to use a:; much petrol as they liked. ·

Although th e speeds of the lead in g ca rs in the Four Inch Race maY not be much faster than in the T. T. race. the cars .· as a whole. should be faster no\\' that the fuel limi t is remo1·ed. T.T. car. used to arrive in the I sle of '.\[an ,rith a fine turn of speed . and then lose it gradua ll y as the fuel ,ms cut doll'l1 to get the consumption in. ide the limit. and on ly a fe11· car, could be succes fully adjusted to gi,·e high speed ,rith lrnr petrol consumption. As fu el need no longer b:: > economised. i.t ma,· be said. broadh·. that al l the ca r s ,rill be fast. Where the increase· of speed should be apparent in the race is up the mountain and in accelerating after slmring for the many bends. Indeed . th e r,,ce should lw s:if Pr if the cars a. re rlri1·en 11·ith proper judgment. a. there 11·ill not be the same temptation to take co rners too fast so as to avoid ,rnste of petrol in accek- ration. I n the T.T. races it seemed a; though the limit of speed had been reached for mediums ized ca rs clo1rn the long inclines off the mountain and on other fast pa rts of the cou rse. as the T .T. < 'ars 11·ith the engine stopped anrl the g ar in the neutral coasted fa. ter than the\' could he held to the road. but in tlw Four T nch R ac·e there ,rill be no need for coasting. and this should tend to . teadier running. and possibll· some11·hat higher speed dmrnhill may be mad in consequence. ..\ ('ar is not onh- . teadier ,rith the engine and gears "in ... hut it is alrog ther more controllable.

I t is not onl\' in the remornl of the fuel limit. hmre1·er. that tlie differenrC' ,rill be made. h c > ca usc· tlwre is no st roke limit. That mea ns ,rithin reason there is no limit to cdinclcr ('apacitY. "\"ot onh so. as the fuel limit is ahol islwrl. there ,,·ill lw no . ense i11 pro1·iding abnormally high top speeds 11011· that peopk haxe lea rned to make their engines " go round."

U n(] uestionablv the great interest of the race 11·i ll bC' in th e gradual establishment of some defi nite rule a:; to the adrnntage. of long or . hort stroke engines. This ma1· appear to be establ i. heel in the first race if it should so happen that all the long stroke engines hould . secure the leading places. or vice i•e r.sf/. H mre,·er. there a re man\' other considerations to be dealt ,rith. such as gear r·atios. weight. and so forth. so that it is not li.keh · that am· rul e 11·i ll he established on th P occasion ·of the first race.

As to the sporting side of the competition. ,re ha,·e