TO MAKE GEARS OBSOLETE.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 255, 27 September 1928, Page 7

TO MAKE GEARS OBSOLETE.

| NEW INVENTION REVEALED. A well-known English motor expert, writing last month, revealed the existence of an invention which may revolutionise present motor construction. He writes:— “ A few days ago I ran into Mr. George Constantinesco, and went with him to his office where I spent an interesting time while he explained his various inventions. Constantinesco is known to all war-time aircraft pilots as the inventor of the C.C. gear which enabled machineguns to fire through the propellor while it was rotating at speeds up to 2000 revolutions a minute. He next came to the fore with a novel hydraulic wave transmission which is much used for working rock drills, concrete breakers and other similar devices.

“ His master stroke, however, was the ‘ torque converter,’ which takes the place of the clutch and gearbox of a car. Some three years ago he showed me a car which was only fitted with three controls—the steering wheel, brake and accelerator. It had no clutch or gear lever, as the torque converter automatically varied the gear ratio to suit the condition of the road. The reason why this sensational car was never marketed was made clear to me by its inventor. A syndicate paid him a handsome figure for a two-year option on the patent. “ It is not unlikely, however, that we shall see it take concrete form within a few months, and if its inventor tackles production problems on the Ford or Morris method we 1 shall see something rather startling, j since the foolproofness of the device will give it a wide appeal, and the I car is essentially one that lends itj self to cheap production.” We may yet hear much more about the Constantinesco gearless car.