Give the British Manufacturer a Chance !

Give the British Manufacturer a Chance ! (continued)

IN last month’s issue of MOTOR SPORT, we lamented improve the ” breed ” of their cars by competing the fact that British manufacturers who wish to

in races should be forced, by the lack of a circuit in England, to incur the heavy expense of transporting a team of cars, with their personnel, to Ireland or the Continent.

The recent Alpine Trial provided a striking example of another way in which the British manufacturer is handicapped—in this case by being debarred from testing his cars in severe reliability trials. Many years ago there used to be held the annual Six Days’ Trial, in which manufacturers’ teams of sports and touring cars competed over a difficult mountainous course in Great Britain. This trial was undoubtedly of great benefit to all concerned, both to the manu as a means prov ing to the public the road

worthiness of their products, and to prospective buyers as a criterion of cars’ performances.

But now the Six Days’ Trial is no more, and any British manufacturer who is a member of the S.M.M.T. (the organisers of the annual Motor Show at Olympia) is forbidden by that Society to enter cars for reliability trials. All the more credit is therefore due to such manufacturers as Talbot, M.G., Riley, Frazer Nash, Alvis, Invicta and others who, realising that progress in design cannot be obtained without active participation

in trials, have gone to considerable expense to compete in such events abroad. Of the value’of reliability trials no one can have any doubt. It is safe to say that the automobile prestige of a nation is largely judged by the behaviour of its cars in competitions, and no single factor in recent years has done more to uphold Britain’s honour in the motor in the recent Alpine Trial. After a journey of 700 miles ing world than the magnificent performance of our cars

to the scene of the event, the British contingent gave an extraordinarily consistent and faultless display over the most difficult roads in Europe. Not only was the scheduled daily mileage over 200, but the routes included the arduous climb and descent of Alpine Passes of considerable length, many thousands of feet above sea level. This impressive performance carries more than ordinary weight, for, besides increasing our prestige on the Continent, it is an

irrefutable answer to those who have accused British cars of being unsuitable for mountainous countries and rough roads—and therefore of being inadequate for use in distant parts of the Empire, where roads are often unmade, and motor vehicles have to maintain their tune under the most strenuous conditions.

We are certain that a revival of the Six Days’ Trial in Great Britain would be welcomed by manufacand the general alike.

When will the S.M.M.T. ban be lifted ?