VOISIN TAKES 24-HOUR RECORD AT MONTLHERY

VOISIN TAKES 24-HOUR RECORD AT MONTLHERY.

THE 24-hour record is one of the most coveted in. the racing world, but when the big 45 h.p. Renault annexed it at 108.53 m.p.h. in July, 1926, it was thought that this figure would stand for some time. Now however it has been surpassed by a Voisin car, driven in turn by Morel, Kiriloff and Marchand, which raised the figure to 114.2 m.p.h.

In the course of the 24-hour run, a number of other world’s records were also taken, and after the two rounds of the clock, the car was kept going for another 3!;, hours, in order to capture the records for 3,000 miles and 5,000 kilometres. The full list of records is as follows, the figures in brackets representing the speed of the old records, held by the Renault.

Thus it will be seen that the average speed of the Voisin actually increased right up to the 24th hour, which is a wonderful tribute to the endurance of both car and drivers.

The machine used in these records was a special eightcylinder sleeve-valve racing car. The engine, which has a bore and stroke of 95 x 140 rams., giving a capacity of 7,938 c.c., really consists of two standard 4-cylinder Voisin engines placed end to end. This engine is offset about 4 inches in the frame in order to make for greater stability when running on the banking of the track, and the car is very carefully streamlined.

Delco ignition is used for the engine, and two Zenith carburettors are employed, which draw their air through a large Y-shaped air-intake from a Tecalemit air-filter. Both axles are mounted above the frame, and the centre of gravity is thus brought very low.

VELOCETTE RE -INTRODUCE A TWOSTROKE.

Although last year Veloce, Ltd., concentrated on their extremely successful overhead camshaft machines, they have now re-designed their two-stroke and have named it the model “U.” This machine has a bore and stroke of 63 x 80 m.m. with a cubic capacity of 249 c.c. as on. past Velocette two-strokes, and it embodies the automatic lubrication which has already proved so successful. The specification includes a saddle tank, loop frame with straight top tube, Velocette threespeed gear-box, Webb forks, 6in, internal expanding brakes and 25 x 3in. tyres. The price has been fixed at £36.

VILLIERS PRODUCTIONS IN 1928.

Engines, lighting sets and carburettors were shown on the Villiers stand. The engines are of the two-stroke type and all except one are single cylinders, the twin cylinder beini the 344 c.c. engine which is fitted to the Francis-Barnett machine. The singles vary from 122 to 342 c.c., and are made in touring, sports and supersports types. An engine which will undoubtedly attract a large amount of attention is the twin-port 172 c.c. super-sports type which was fitted to many machines at the Show.

The well-known Villiers carburettors were shown in all the types and sizes in which they are manufactured, an item of interest being a neat air cleaner which does not employ filters. For some time past the company has been making a very excellent little lighting set, the flywheel magneto supplying current direct to the lamp. This was cheap, simple and thus quite satisfatcory, except that it did not supply a light when the engine was not running, unless a switch-over battery was carried. After various experiments and continual tests, the Villiers people have now introduced a set in which a six volt, accumulator is charged from the magneto. The charging rate is low—about .7 amp., but it is sufficient for all ordinary requirements, and the set certainly coristitutes the cheapest and one of the most reliable known.