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MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Clutch.")

How Prices Have Farad',

People who tiro looking round for jiew cars find .'the price;), in many eases somewhat astonishing, says the "Daily Mail" (England). To the lajr mind high prices under improved conditions of mass manufacture- in the immense factories which have sprung up during the war are a little hard to. understand. Manufacturers Bay the cost of labour, in the engineering trades has increased 140 per cent., while their share of the .ffiOq.OOO.OOO worth of materials which is being slowly distributed by the Government works out considerably, higher than pre-war prices. Among the few firms to disclose their plans is the Vanxliall, which lists a new. 25-h.p. ,4-cylindor touring car (chassis) at .£B7s—an increase of GO per cent, over the pre-war model' atJiSlo, while..£ll2s .tor the complete car is an. even higher increase. Tlie' Viiuxhall tendencies ..for fast touring'machines, frhich have been developed on the experience gained . in supplying Staff car's for the Army, has resulted in a lowering of the frame. A' notable Vauxhall innovation, is' the 30-98 h.p. "Sporting" model louring car —the only other model—with a guaranteed speed of 100 miles per hour when fitted with a suitable .body. The chassis price, of this, is; " Crossley's are' concentrating on a single model-25-38 h.p,. ohassis,. 'including electric lighting,. at •.£BSO, or with a completely equipped touring body, at 'ifiW. The pre-war Crossley prices for the 20-25 h.p. model, without electric\liglitirig, were ,£SOO chassis, and .£650 complete witif touring body. , As a contrast to' these high prices, Austin factory at Northfield, Birmingham, now employing 20,000, as against 2500,- and capable, if needs be, of turning out an'nually. what amounts to the entire British, output before the war, is concentrating oirthe single, model' 20 h.p. touring car. at •£i00 ; to „Sl'2s complete. The car 1 has been, designed particularly for the owner and 'woman'driver,'and after test 1 } extending over 20,000 miles has been simplified 'in detail. ' The Standard'is producing a 9M h.p. machine at <£275 complete; and the Wolseley three models,' 16-20 h.p.,(teylinder), 04-30 li-;j>; (C-cylin-der), and'-30-10 h.p. (G-cylinder), the prices of which .are^'not yet fixed',' while tlie Humber 10 h.p. and-14 h.p. cai's are also unpriced.- The new price of the' Ford toui'ing car is ,£254 10s., complete, ,\ris against 103. before'the war, or 'J6250; "delivered at the Manchester, works, while the .post-war- Studebaker -'4" is 'listed' at;£33s,'and (he "6" at =£415 complete. ,- Some' New' Ideas, A 5-cylinder/air-cooled radial engine,fitted with a chassis; that contains startling departures from, the accepted prac-tice,-will be shortly introduced to motorists (says an exchange). The cylinders, Are set star-fashion i'oimd a fixed crank' ohafmber, and an ingenious valve-gear design, eoupletl tfith a novel combustion chamber,■ and an' improved lubrication system are leading features. A tiipular 'frame, with the gear box midway lie-- ' tween engine' and back axle, and engine and gear Ix>x combined, are also designs intended for the light car chassis and air-cooled radial engine, but as-yet these new ideas are only experimental, ai)d> it' : will bo by actual road tests that they may Tie"compaifd with the vehicles built along the moreusual lines. ,- British Magnetos,. • ' Quite recently (says an' English paper)- : it. was stated by a responsible Minister of theXrown that' our position in 1914 in regard to the'production of magnetos was' ' very grave, but, thanks to a display" of' "grit in the face of almost insuperablo difficulties, of resource and.of patriotism as fino in its.way as that shown by our fignting forces, the British magneto position has been established and made unassailable. Instead of one firm producing only 1140 magnetos in a year, as was

the case in IBH, we now have-14 firiyis producing 128)687 a-'year/and the quality is the highest in the world.. It is lighter in weight and more reliable in service than the Bosch or the latest examples found in captured German aeroplanes. "It is not only qn the field that wo have beaten the I3osche." Hero and there. Motorists who drive much in the city gtreeta find that, .leisure in 1 the traffic aj ; ways pays.. With such a machine as the motor,- which can be accelerated or retarded with such ease and celerity, a 6econd or two lost in waitifig -for tho slower units to move aside is a mere nothing, and can oasilyi.be picked up on a clearer-stretch of "roadway if desired. ; After five montlis experimental work by. members of tho research divisions of

tho American -Military General Enginoer,ing Depot, "Liberty" fuel ha? been invented,' which is claimed to be a perfect petrol substitute. Kerosene is the Wse. of., tho .now : -product. -It is stated, that -it' is. odomrless,..tasteless, and'non-coiTO-sfive. Test 3 for corrosion were, made in .a motor-cycle which- covered .23,000' miles. Other claims are ;.thaf it. leaves, less car-' l»n residue,' requires less air to form an explosive and *as : the force of the explosion is 30' per cent, greater than with petrol, correspondingly greater horse-power is''obtained.

During the several years leading up to the outbreak of hostilities, France .had always decided her automobile-competi-tions .on. the highways, but .it would seem that the motorists there, or the promoters). are- leaf oiit'.of the lists of' America, and will introduce racing on speedways.- As a. matter of fact,- the : first, motordrome... is. already under, .construction -in Stra_sburg (Alsace-Lorraine), ■three thousand men.being engaged on the work. It is intended to'inaugurate motor racing on a very large scale, 'and ..to,at-tract-.competitors'.'from ' Apierica ,and other .parts. . , , ! v .

The question that is often asked roktsinfr to petrol..consumption . is," "Wliy should there be a greater .consumption 'of ■pbtrol ■ whentravelling'?over ;v. .given' stretch at.CO jniles p'6r.' hj'uv.th'aii .there is'at 20 miles' per hour? The answer is ..practically. summed up in •• the .words wind resistance. Th,ero are other factors, "."but tjiis is .'the : most important,; and resolves itself iiito the fact, that at twice a.given. speed the y/intf resistance,is f.ortr times much.. Few motorists have any conception of, the enormoiis piw'er'developed by the big powered oeropfane.engine.,An experimental test with one of the 150 h.p. "Liberty" areo.. engines, mounted on a heavy .'solid rubborrtyred truclt, conveys an idea of the driving ••power 'behind an aeroulahe' pro: peller. The truck was propelled at speeds Of over 40 miles per hour, through the snow, by means of this form of (irive. On one occasion the brakes were set In lock; the wheels, "and yet the' truck was .moved bodily forward, 1 with its wheels eliding along tlui ground, .by the powerful tnruiit of. the propeller..-

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190328.2.119

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 157, 28 March 1919, Page 11

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,074

MOTORS & MOTORING Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 157, 28 March 1919, Page 11

MOTORS & MOTORING Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 157, 28 March 1919, Page 11

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