THE FAMILY BUS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 16, 19 January 1924, Page 23

THE FAMILY BUS

Whilst the light and small cars were unquestionably popular at the Olympia Motor Show, aays "The Manchester Guardian," the signs of the retnrn to favour of ths medium-power type wer« clear. Especially was this evident in the case of the. 14-h.p. models or those of a power thereabouts. This is the family bus model, to use the free term familiar in motoring circles. It is a car cheap in price—broadly, it runs from £360 upwards, according to finish and equipment—and its special quality is that with this power it can take any hill or ordinary gradient on top gear"; that is, a hill on which a 12 h.p. would either labour or would have to take on indirect gear. This hill-climbing capacity means power which1 is useful in another direction —that of keeping up a good arerage touring speed without haying to race to make up for time lost in getting through town traffic. And agood average touring speed is what the modern owner desires. The family bus meets many requirements. In the first place, it cannot be considered dear to buy, it gives accommodation for four or five passengers comfortably, it has, in varying degrees, luggage-carrying capacity, and its sweet running and its strong pulling powers always will attract. Many of these things the smaller car will give, of course, but that sense of a powerful engine, tine that runs well and can run fast yet be within ii,s full capacity, always will appeal to the man at ths wheel who has any feeling for what tho car is doing and can, do. It is a common experience in - the motoring world that the man who begins with a small car develops t desire for a little more power, and as his means permit indulges it sooner or later. In one sense the return to favour of the medium-power machine, though not yet approaching the popularity it enjoyed in pre-war days, is some indication of tho consolidation of the motor industry. It looks as if there are going to be three solid bodies of. motor-owners—tEo smallcar user, the family bus man, and the owner of the high-class medium-power car of up to 20 h,p. There^will always be the light-car man, the sporting-typo owner, "and the possessors of the big, luxurious; expensive cars, but these three solid bodies will be in the majority and will be the mainstay of the trade. On that support the industry will proceed to build up again an export trade. In point of fact, attempts to recaptur^ that trade have alroady begun, and many of ths new or redesigned cars of about 14 h.p. have deliberately been designed to enter overseas markets. They have a good track, plenty of clearance, simplicity of design has been aimed at, robustness of construction, and cheap running, and these aro things, which count. .Not least, efforts are being made to build up that service which for overseas trade is perhaps most important of all. ; '