ITEMS OF INTEREST
ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
The Phoenix Park Races.
THE entries received up to date for the Grand Prix races . at Phoenix Park are sufficient to ensure that in most of the classes, at any rate, there will be keen struggles for supremacy.
In the 750 c.c. class whole fleets of small cars have been.entered, the makes represented being, of course, M.G. and Austin.
Particular interest, too, attaches to the 1100 c.c: class, where there will be a duel between Great Britain and Italy. The former country is represented by Rileys and the latter by Maseratis. These cars, an example of which was seen in the Double-Twelve, are super-charged straight eights, while the Rileys will be =supercharged four-cylinders of the Brooklands type as supplied to the public.
Motorists’ Sight Test.
Records of Long Ago.
THE Automobile Association has received complaints from motorists, that various Benches of Magistrates are declining to hear appeals against the refusal of Licensing Authorities, to renew the driving licences of persons linable to read a number plate at twentyfive yards.
The Automobile Association contends that under Section 5 (5) of the Road Traffic Act, motorists have a general right of appeal against refusals to grant or renew driving licences.
The present position is that whilst some Courts are hearing these appeals, others are refusing.
The Association has obtained Counsel’s opinion that the motorist is entitled to the right of appeal, and has therefore decided to take a test case to the High Court.
NOW that there is no longer a definite speed limit, it is within the bounds of possibility that some enterprising trader will organise, for publicity purposes, attacks on the road records of preWar years. Such attempts would obviously be unpopular ; they would invoke the active dislike of the police, and no manufacturer of repute would lend his assistance to them. But they may occur; and a glance at the performances of long ago is therefore interesting.
Harking back just 20 years, for instance, we find that Mr. A. E. Catt on a singlegeared Triumph rode 2,557 miles in six consecutive days, thus averaging 416 miles a day. Shortly afterwards, choosing an easier course, Mr. Guzzell drove a similar model 2;801 miles in six days—an average of 467. Perhaps the most strenuous of all these old-time efforts, however, was the Land’s End—John o’Groats record which was established by Mr. Ivan B. Hart-Davies, also On a Triumph, during 1911 in 29 hr. 12 min. Enthusiasts to-day with their powerful engines, all-chain transmission,
three-speed gear-boxes and large tyres would have their work cut out to beat this and the other endurance records established by these belt-driven, singlegeared pioneers of two decades ago.
Alvis and Handicap Events.
THE rum.our that Alvis cars will not take part in this year’s Tourist Trophy race has been confirmed by Mr. T. G. John, Managing Director of the company.
The only reason that the Alvis will not be represented is that the event is of the handicap type. The manufacturers believe that to arrive at a handicap which is fair to cars of such widely differing engine capacities as 750 and 8,000 c.c. is an almost impossible feat and that as things are at present, drivers are required to “beat the handicapper” rather than their competitors. In view of this they do not consider that the expense of the race is justified.
A New Appointment.
THEappointment of Mr. H. C. M. Stevens as Designer and Production Engineer to the Singer Co., has just been officially announced.
Mr. Stevens has had unique and wide experience in his engineering career, gained in the service of eminent national and international concerns, and has been closely associated with many of the industry’s historical achievements.
He was senior draughtsman on internal combustion engines for the famous Italian submarines of 1906-7, and designer of the Thames 60 h.p. car which in 1911 took the world records up to 12 hours. He has been chief designer and engineer to the Sunbeam Company and during his service with them he designed all the machinery for the British airships R.33 to R.38. He was later appointed chief engineer to the allied Sunbeam and Talbot concerns, and subsequently held appointments as consulting engineer and chief engineer to the Olds Motor Works, of Michigan, U.S.A.
Returning to Europe he set up as a consulting engineer in France, where among other important duties he was attached as consulting engineer to the Citroen Company and was concerned with the design and production of the present model Citroen cars.
More Montihery Records.
moNTLHERY was the scene of another noteworthy performance of a British car some weeks ago when G. E. T. Eyston, E. A. D. Eldridge and P. Brewster, set out with a Singer saloon in an attempt to obtain long distance records. They were eminently successful in that they secured the twodays record at 63 m.p.h., the three-days record at 62.6 m.p.h., and the four-days record at 62.5 m.p.h. In five and a half days continuous running they covered 8,245 miles. The car was a standard saloon with a “Kaye Don” chassis, and the attempt was conducted under the auspices of the French Sporting COM
Weather conditions throughout the whole of the days were extremely bad. In the early stages the drivers were hampered by hail, thunder and lightning. Then came torrential rain, and the track, which is situated on the heights of a plateau, 20 mi!es from Paris, was swept by hurricanes. The surface was waterlogged and at times the car could scarcely be seen for the clouds of spray which surrounded it..
Conditions improved slightly on the fourth and, fifth days, but half way through the sixth day a dense fog descended. This was shortly after midnight, and it was totally impossible for the drivers to make any headway. The test was therefore -abandoned.
Had it not been for this, it is probable that further records would have been secured.
A Legal Guide for Motorists.
IN view of the many changes in Motor Law resulting from the passage of the Road. Traffic Act, and the various new Regulations, the Automobile Association has compiled a sixty-page book alphabetically summarising the Law as it affects the owners of private motorcars and motorcycles.
In addition to the Road Traffic Act, the book is a handy guide on such matters as taxation, petrol storage, what to do when accidents occur, etc.
The book is free to A.A. members upon application, and, copies may be purchased by the general public at 2s. 64.
Traffic Cops and Crashes.
RucENT court eases have revealed that there is an alarming number of accidents to the new mobile police, but we have still a long way to go before we get to the state of Paris, where traffic policemen are almost mown down!
During the past 12 mouths 800 or 900 policemen have been injured and 2 killed in Paris. This is not, a Paris authority says, the result of intentional design, for even a Paris motorist would hesitate to run down a policeman.
The cause is skidding. The smooth asphalt roads of Paris look very beautiful in the sun, but in wet weather they become like skating rinks.
Change of Addrev.
TIM offices and service department of Messrs. S. Smith & Sons (M.A.), Ltd., formerly at 122, Alma Street and 175, Clifton Road., Birmingham, have now been removed to much larger premises at 26-33, Cox Street, St. Pauls, Birmingham.