GARAGE GOSSIP

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 402, 10 July 1928, Page 6

GARAGE GOSSIP

Observe the rules of the road. Don’t apply your brakes suddenly on a greasy road. * * * The worst of youth is that it's always in such a frightful hurry. A tyre pressure gauge is a good investment. Correct inflation prevents undue tyre wear and increases comfort. There's a happy medium in most things, and certainly in horn blowing. At an Irish auction two cars—driven away by their purchasers—fetched Is 3d each, while a wheelbarrow realised 9s 6d. Do not drive in the middle of the road —there is no such thing as “my half of the road.” Motor-cars have displaced the horses and the coaches, but they have not killed romance. * * * Let your engine warm up, so that 1 the oil can circulate freely before starting off, especially in cold weather. * * * Change down early on hills; there is nothing gained by hanging on top gear, and you may do your car much harm. * * * Mr. G. A. McEnnis, who has for some time been in charge of Adams, Ltd., Auckland Studebaker. agents, is resigning to take up another position. In future the sales will be under Mr. Taylor and the office organisation under Mr. George.

A beautiful 33-100 h.p. MercedesBenz super sports car attracted a lot of attention at Melbourne’s recent Motor Show. Its overhead camshaft engine is supercharged, and develops 180 h.p. at 2.500 revs. Guaranteed speed is 100 m.p.h. and the price £2OOO. * * * Auckland racing motorists will learn with regret of the death in London of Mr. Geoff. Meredith, a well-known Australian racing man who competed at Muriwai last year. * * * The late Mr. Meredith went to England. earlier this year with a team of crack motor-cyclists to open up a chain of dirt track speedways, but died of pneumonia after a short illness. * * * Averaging 40 m.p.h. for 144 hourc, and covering 5,671 miles in six days and nights—such was the recent performance of an 8 h.p. Singer Junior in France, which excited no little comment in British and Continental motoring circles. * * * Factory figures show how the demand for Morris products has grown in recent years. In 1920, 357 Morris cars were built. In 1921 the figure rose to 1927. The next year production was 5,166, and in 1923 reached 17,286. The figures for the next three years were: 1924, 27,551; 1925, 47,717; 1926, 90,000. Week in and week out, 2,000 cars emerge from the Cowley works, or nearly a car a minute from the number of working hours. Inflate your tyres every week to the minimum pressure recommended for your size tyre, and make certain that the pressure does not drop more than three pounds below that minimum before re-inflation, states an article in the “Goodyear News.” If the tyres are allowed to drop more than this amount, even for a comparatively short time, rapid tread wear and fabric breaks are sure to result. Steering will be more difficult, and “shimmy” difficulty is more likely to occur.

LOST PROPERTY SERVICE HELP FOR SYDNEY MOTORISTS The frequency with which motorists’ property is lost justifies the National Roads and Motorists’ Association, of Sydney, in the provision of yet another service to its 45,000 members. In recent weeks valuables ranging from spare parts to wallets containing money have been recovered by the association and returned to their owners. In order to make this particular service more comprehensive, the association has introduced what is known internally as the “brass tag” system. This consists of the issue to members at a nominal cost of small brass tags, each of which bears the words, “Finder please return to or notify N.R.M.A. offices, 26 Grosvenor Street, Sydney, quoting this number.” Each tag (which may be attached conveniently to any article or part likely to be lost) bears a special number corresponding to that opposite the name of the motorist to whom it is issued, as recorded in a special register in the N.R.M.A. touring department. Immediately the finder quotes the number, the identity of the owner of the lost property is established.

TALKS FROM IYA MR. G. CAMPBELL RESIGNS Most owners of radio sets who are interested in motors ancf motoring have got into the habit of tuning in on

IYA at 7.20 every Friday evening to hear Mr. George Campbell give his weekly talk on “Motoring.” After two years of regular service in this capacity, Mr. Campbell has now resigned, and there will be many who will miss his interesting chat. Mr. Campbell has an unusually long and varied experience of motoring, and, in fact, until a few months ago his 20 minutes were devoted to an account of an adventurous trip by motor thrmiffh Rnrnnp hpfnrp tho Txm v