MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2981, 19 January 1917, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

IBs Cmjtoh.l

After-War Prospects. It is a matter of common consent that a very great expansion in tho production and iiso of motor-cars will he witnessed alter the war. Outlining tho prospects of what he calls "the .youngest and at present quite the most romantic and astonishingly vigorous branch of engineering," an English motoring expert, Mr. H. Massao Buist, remarks in. tho "Daily Mail" that thero is no need to indulge in irresponsible prophecy. "Instead," ho says, "wo have merely to observe certain factors which obtain to-day and which in combination will predetermine the iinturo of paesenger-car development. The matter" may bo stated thus:— "(a) Tho purchasing power of tlie community, which, class for class, will be much less than it was when war broke out.

"(b) Tho progress of metallurgy in association with tho world increaso of steel: output, and tho resultaut widening of tho scope of the designer. "(c) Tho labour situation and tho general growth of education concerning tho profitableness of concentration of effort.

"There will bo two ways only of causing the private individual to buy a motor carriage after tho war. Either you will produce it at such a price that it will ho an economy for him to acquire it or you will embody it in such a combination of improvements, alike in design and materials, as will make him disgusted with tho finest motor carriages 60 far available in ony class, therefore you will tempt him successfully to part with his money.

Standardising Engines. "It may bo recalled that before tho war manufacturers were wont to employ special steels for making cars solely for competition purposes. There woro, however, a Hundred:- and' ono reasons why they could not standardise engines of high output then, among them being tho fact that tho very special grade steels of which they must be fashioned- w-ero not commercially available. Again, the rank and filo of each factory staff was not educated. to such highly specialised work. But the domands of war have compolled one motor makor after another to produce engines of more or less high output for aviation work. Tho,original British designs that have proved practical are few in mimbor, a> remark which applies equally to tho cases of France or of Germany, for instance; but manufacturers aro nevertheless gaining enormous experience because many who are unable to make high-powered aircraft engines of thoir own designing are producing them from designs evolved elsewhere. Tho .difference botween war and peaco work for engines of high output is this, that in peaco time tho individual manufacturer produces a few examples for competition work under what may bo styled moro or less nursery conditions in that tho cream of his staff of mechanics is in constant attendance on them; whereas in war time engines of high output have to be standardised precisely as do those- of touring cars and issued to the services, whereupon they are placed in' chargo of those who, for tho most part, had novor anything to do with this class of engineering construction before tho war. Hence, experience is EPihg gained on an immense scale.

The Question of Prioe. ■ "There 'remains the question of prico. Tho war has put an amazing premium on increase of steel production. The point that matters in this particular connection is that, alike in tho case of this country and of any of tho big engineering nations, postwar steel production capacity will be .enormously in excess of normal requirements) as distinct from those of tho brief reconstruction rush period. Steel makers will find themselves in" vory keen competition one with another. Those who will succeed in filling thoir order books will bo the firms which will conimercialiso higbor and yet higher grades of steel. Of course, tho way to make: a better motor carriage is not mercy to employ finer materials than hitherto, tho possibilities of these materials must be realised to the full by utilising them with worthy designs. Probably, by concentration _on. one model per factory, and so forth, as far as the lowered-prico cars of ordinary design aro concerned, no radical change will be witnessed for a spell. They will he more completely equippel for less money. But as regards highergrade production, including the matter of power • for weight, we shall sco startlingly . fresh things in car design because the weight problem will be attacked to tho saving of tires and petrol, You will be ablo to maintain a motor carriago more cheaply, as well as find it more flexible, and so forth. Certainly «-e shall sco tho more and moro officient. overhead valve engine standardised for private car practice, with four valves per cylinder, the whole properly silenced. The cylinder castings, as well as the axles the longitudinal frame members of the car, for instance, will be made oFtlio finest grado steels of the latest ''aluminium alloys to save weight. Lightness with commodiousnoss has not been attempted yet. Progress in this direction will lead iis, unconsciously or otherwise, to realise that quality which in our childhood's days we associated with the Damascus blade. Wo must utilise tho elasticity of modern metals more and' more. The automobile industry in Europe must suiter permanently because tho war has enabled tho American industry to develop to an unmatchablo magnitude, i But America has not yet produced engines of really high output in the sense which obtains to-day. Moreover, any engineer who has studied aluminium alloy construction work — take tho girder framework of a Zeppelin—will be aware that, apart from metals, there is the opportunity to employ design and workmanship "in making cars that will bo feather-weights compared with what wo know now. Why have springs weighing over a, huudred-weiglit apiece il you can build a long," light frame to absorb tho shocks ? Of course, tho fear will be that tho price of such a vehicle must bo beyond tho purchasing power of tho public. That is not so, for there remains always ti sufficient proportion of tho public which is ready to buy the new and tho much moro than ordinarily good thing for whatever prico it is necessary to chargo for it. Hitherto, no matter what class of car wo rido in, wo have at least five hundredweight, of machinery for every iudivi- . dual convoyed. _ After tho war wo may I oxpect the best examples to scale two and a half hundredweight of machinery I per person carried as a. start towards seriously attacking the problem of motor-yeliiclo weight. In less than fivo years from tho time peace is concluded wo shall regard the motor carriago of to-day as a. heavy-weight, even as twenty years and a day ago to-day tho law regarded Llio .slow, weak, little motor carriage that pioneered tlio world industry of to-day as a 'locomotive., "

A Light Motor-Cycle. "Motor Cycling" is responsible for lliu announcement limb a remarkable lighl-woight niotor-cj'clo is to bo placed upon tlio English market, which will undoubtedly help to rovolulioniso tho •present trend of design. 'J'lio machino in question is provided with a- twocylinder rotary engine. Tliis typo of power unit has in tlio past been experimented with, but success has not hitherto attended tha designer's efforts. In the present instance, however, it is said that a mileage rmi-

niug into thousands lias boon covered during which tho machine lias been subjected to every .conceivable- test. Tho power produced is oat of all proportion to its capacity, i.e., 350 cc. Notwithstanding that no gear or clutch was Fitted, and direct bolt drive relied upon, thcro was no necessity at all for any form of clutch or gearing, owing to tho fact that tho engine, would lire at speeds so low that they had to: bo observed to bo believed. It is said that onco this machine is availablo ; as it will bo after tho war in quantities running into thousands, it will make ono of tho biggest sensations that tho motor-cycling world has experienced for ;t very long time. It will then, of course, lie provided with a suitable clutch and gearing. Lighting-up time: To-day, 7.23 p.m. Next Friday, 7.18 p.m.