ROADS AND MOTORS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 59, 7 September 1926, Page 24

ROADS AND MOTORS

BRITISH CAR ADVANTAGES

MEETING DOMINION CONDITIONS

IMPORTANCE OF FUEL ECONOMY.

(Written for the Evening Post) By Brigadier-General Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, K.C.1.E., C.5.1., V.D., Adviser on Mechanical Transport Services to the Government of-India, 1915-1919.

The silly and mendacious rumour that England is down and out —a rumour that has been spread deliberately by interested parties and competitors in many places all over the world—is, of course, entirely untrue. There has never been a time when Great Britain has been more sound at the heart and when the manufactures of Great Britain were better, and gave the purchaser better value for money. In the motor-car trade especially, whether one takes the most wonderful and rather expensive type of car like the RollsEoyce, or the good and yet cheap car like the Morris Oxford or Cowley, anything that the buyer can reasonably want can be obtained. I am sure that New Zealand as a whole would rather buy a British-made motor vehicle than one made in any other country, and I can

assure them, quite impartially, not being interested financially in any motor manufacturing or trading concern in the British Isles, that whether from the point of view of engineering, of comfort, or cf economy in running, the British built car is the finest car in the world to-day.

lon. The average small British car today covers 25 to 35 miles on a gallon, and some are even more economical. As regards British commercial vehicles, I they hold to-day, as they have always done, the first rank among the heavy types. The motor buses and motor coaches to be seen running on the roads in England are without doubt the best of their type, both in comfort, efficiency, and economy. The motor-bus service in London, for instance—the best form of transport which exists in any city in the whole world—is. the admiration and envy of foreigners. Often one hears overseas students of transport declare their determination that on returning they will endeavour to induce their local authorities to scrap their tramways and institute a similar service of free-wheeled vehicles. I have been asked to write this article for "The Evening Post," and I do so with all the greater pleasure because I had experience of many gallant New Zealanders during the war near my home at Beaulieu in the New Forest, when they came over from their hospital at Brockenhurst, and remember that half a battalion was under my command for a short time when we left Southampton for Egypt in December, 1924, on board the troopship Dunera. I know that they are keen judges of motor vehicles, and that the proportion of motor vehicles to the.! population in New Zealand stands third in the world. In 1925, lam informed, the total imports of motor vehicles, tires, and accessories exceeded £5,500,000, which shows how much interest has been taken by New Zealanders in motor road transport. In conclusion, may 1 say that the two greatest aids to the prosperity of ,\ country are gopd roads and efficient transport, and that New Zealanders will bo wise if they encourage in every way the proper development of their country on these lines. For this purpose British I cars are best.

DISADVANTAGES REMOVED.

In former years criticisms may have been made against British-built cars on the ground that they had not enough clearance underneath, a feature which, as a matter of fact, was common to most European cars, and that they were therefore unsuitable for the rough and rutty roads which exist in some of the Dominions. Moderately low clearance is, of course, no disadvantage in countries where roads are good, and such cars are sold in large numbers in Europe. But long ago British makers realised that a clearance of from 9 inches to 10 inches was the minimum that could be used with advantage on a large number of the roads all over the British Dominions, and nowadays there is no fear of trouble on this score. The spare-part difficulty was one which sometimes deterred buyers overseas, as also the delicate character in some cases of the carburetter adjustment, which was only able to vapourise efficiently the higher grades of petrol. But the average British carburetter is now a very adaptable and flexible apparatus for producing a good mixture of gas, and ordinary brands of motor spirit can now be used without trouble. Every British car of note nowadays is fitted with a self-starter, efficient headlights, luggage rack, hood, windscreen, and all the other accessories which at one time had to be bought separately but are now included with the vehicle.

GEARS AND GRADIENTS.

Aa regards gradients, in New Zealand, both in the North and South Islands, I am informed that there are roads with long stretches uphill, and occasionally very steep pitches are to be found. But these conditions" are not more trying than those which exist in many places not only in Great Britain but in the Alps, the Pyrenees, and other European mountainous countries. The modern British car surmounts these gradients perfectly, and there is no reason why it should not do so in New Zealand or anywhere else. It has been said in comparing British and Continental makes that gear changing is more necessary on British cars than on foreign cars. But if the buyer or user will only reflect for a moment he will see that, if a car can surmount practically any gradient on the top gear, it is obviously geared much too low for average running on the level, and that at average gpeed an undue amount of wear and tear on the moving parts is involved, besides the unnecessary vibration caused in the engine, and extra petrol consumption. Gears are meant to be used and not to be carried about and never used, and it is better to have a comfortable top gear on which running can be smooth and economical and then to change down to the third or second gear when severe gradients are met.

FUEL OPERATION COST.

There is one point which I would bring especially to the notice of intending buyers, that is the much greater cheapness in operation of the British-made cars, and her superior lasting qualities. In countries like the U.S.A., where gasoline, as it is called, varies from 4d to 8d a gallon, economy in petrol consumption is a matter of detail, but in Great Britain and the Dominions, where petrol is two or three times this cost, it is important that the engine should be economical in fuel, and that every gallon of petrol should be made to yield its maximum results in power. To give an illustration: Three years ago a Ford van, which I happened to possess at that time, was actually covering fewer miles per gallon of petrol than my Rolls-Royce, the latter averaging about 18£ miles, while the Ford was only averaging 15 to 18 miles to the gal-