Test of a TF M.G. Midget
In spite of the “Bishop Ban” Motor Sport has been able to conduct a test of a TF M.G. Midget, the car being provided for this purpose by Victory Industries (Surrey) Ltd. (As regular readers know this is a ban imposed by Mr R.A. Bishop, Publicity Manager of the Nuffield Organisation, whereby Motor Sport is barred from testing Nuffield products; it was but recently renewed.) The car concerned was a cream two-seater which came with aeroscreens replacing the usual full-width windscreen.
It displays excellent acceleration, picking up speed smoothly to a maximum speed equivalent to 90 m.p.h., when the engine hums contentedly and seemed quite unstressed and willing to cruise at this speed for as long as conditions permitted. Reverse gear is particularly easy to select and we were profoundly impressed by the excellent finish of the body. The central instrument panel contains the usual hexagonal M.G. instruments and is flanked by two cubbyholes. The luggage space behind the two red bucket-seats has a plastic cover which had a tendency to work loose. The car is prudently fitted with bumpers front and back. The steering is rack-and-pinion, via a three-spoke sprung wheel, and the turning circle is approximately 22 in. This M.G. holds a very accurate course round bends, with a very mild understeer tendency.
It is only fair to state that the car tested was somewhat nonstandard, inasmuch as it had a rigid front axle and an air-cooled engine at the back. Further details relating to it can he gleaned from the accompanying table;
Engine; 3/6 volt Mighty Midget
Gear Ratios; 7 to 1 reduction
Tyres; .03 in.-.09 in. Dunlop on disc wheels
Weight; 15 oz. (without occupants, but ready to run)
Steering ratio; half-a-turn, lock to lock
Fuel capacity; Three 1.5 volt 2 in. by 1 in unit cells. Range, several hours
Wheelbase; 5 1/2 in.
Track; 2 13/16 in
Dimensions; 9 in. by 3 1/2 in.(wide) by 2 1/2 in.
Price; £1 14s (£1 19s 6d with p.t.)
Makers; Victory Industries (sales) Ltd., Barfex Works, Worplesdon Rd., Guildford, Surrey
Postcript : As readers will now have realised, the TF M.G. Midget we tested is a very fine 1/16-in. scale model, made by Victory Industries Ltd. in collaboration with the Nuffield Organisation.
We are delighted to publicise such excellent car models of British manufacture. These Victory models use the well-tried Mighty Midget self-starting, reversing electric motor, which is only 1 13/16 in. high and has a countershaft speed of 650-1,000 r.p.m. It has replacement brushes fitted with terminals, and is fed from three small batteries concealed under the seats and in the luggage space. Consumption is less than that of a small flash-bulb, giving a range of several hours’ duration. In the case of the M.G., which is a very accurate and realistic replica complete with lamps, door handles, fuel filler, etc., the motor is switched on and reversed by turning the spare wheel.
Other Victory model cars include Triumph TR2, Austin A40 Somerset saloon and Vauxhall Velox saloon. The M.G. and Triumph sports models are geared to run at a scale 90 m.p.h. and are both to 1/16-in. scale, the Austin and Vauxhall saloons to 1/18-in. scale (respectively 9 1/2 in. and 9 5/8 in. long) and run at a scale 70 and 75 m.p.h., respectively. A pleasing touch is the use of Dunlop tyres on the M.G., Triumph and Austin models, and Goodyear or Firestone on the Vauxhalls.
Each model has true Akerman steering, which enables it to hold a circular course without being tethered, and body and chassis built as separate units. All are tested before delivery, various colours are available, and each car has the official blessing of the manufacturer of the equivalent full-size vehicle. The models arrive in cardboard crates. The price of each is 39s. 6d. inclusive of 5s. 6d. p.t., postage Is. 6d. extra. Spare motors cost 14s. 6d. post free, including p.t. The Vauxhall model is made of High Acetyl plastic and runs for up to two hours; 30,000 have been sold and 70 per cent, of all Victory models are exported.
These splendid working models put Victory Industries in the forefront as manufacturers of model cars of this kind. We hope they will add racing-car models and perhaps an early electric sedan to their range in the near future. Meanwhile, no Motor Sport reader can afford not to acquire his M.G. TF or Triumph TR2 Victory model right away !—W. B.
New Safety Tape
From America comes “Scotchlite” reflective sheeting and fabrics, of which “Lite-a-Bumper” tape should do much to increase the safety-factor of night motoring. Visible with neon intensity when headlamp beams strike it at night, it is said, up to distances of half a mile, “Lite-a-Bumper” tape shows the full width of a vehicle if stuck to bumpers or extremities. It is claimed to catch the eye 70 per cent. sooner than tail-lamps alone, and Bristol’s Chief Constable has ordered all his motor-cycle police to use it on their helmets. It is being tested on road signs in various localities, being 200 times brighter than white paint after dark.
Waterproof and colour-fast, the tape “stays put” once it is stuck on, claim its sponsors, and it seems something which rally competitors and organisers might investigate. The price is 6s. 9d. per 24 in. by 1 in. roll, in either silver or red. The manufacturers are Minnisota Mining & Manufacturing Co., 161, Strand, London, W.C.2.
24-Hour Fuel-Economy Run
At Goodwood on March 16th/17th, from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m., National Benzole ran a 24-hour fuel-economy demonstration, with two Ford Anglias, one standard, the other with a Handa overdrive giving a top-gear ratio of 3.3 to 1. The drivers were Andrews, Boddy, Boshier, Cuff-Miller, Cutler, the Earl of Kimberley, Easton and Waring, taking two-hour spells. With pit-stops for replenishment the standard Anglia averaged 41.7 m.p.h. (1,000.8 miles) and 39.88 m.p.g., the overdrive Anglia 46.5 m.p.h. (1,116 miles) and 40.58 m.p.g. Both cars naturally consumed National Benzole and were in the highest gear ratio throughout, except for restarting from rest, the corners being taken as fast as possible to maintain a constant throttle opening.