What Do You Know About Car?

What Do You Know About Cars ?

Report on Problem No. 6.

THE series of questions dealing with motor-racing history proved to be beyond the capabilities of any of our readers. Of course the trouble was that most of the subjects were of pre-war date, and the best of memories are apt to be rather vague over events which happened 20 or 30 years ago. Reference works of motor-racing during that period are few and far between, so that altogether last month’s problem was not a success. No correct solution was received, and accordingly the prize of one guinea is being held over. As a matter of interest the answers to the questions were as follow : 1, The winner of the first race ever held on Brooklands Track was Mr. H. C. Tryon, who, driving Mr. S. F. Edge’s 40 h.p. Napier, won the first heat of the Marcel Renault Memorial Plate, on July 6th, 1907. 2, The driver and car who covered a lap of Brooklands Track at over 120 m.p.h. in the year 1908 was Felice Nazzaro, driving the 4 cylind.er 90 h.p. Fiat “Mephistopheles,” who covered a lap at 121.64 m.p.h. during a match race with Newton’s Napier “Samson.” This record stood for 14 years. 3, The first big International race in which women drivers competed was the Paris-Madrid race of 1903, when Mme. du Gast, on a 30 h.p. De Dietrich, finished 83rd in the general classificatio’n (cars and motor-cycles) when the race was stopped at Bordeaux. 4, The first big race in which cars were fitted with pneumatic tyres was the Paris-MarseillesParis race on October 3rd, 1896. 5, The longest car race ever held was an event organised by the French journal “Le Matin ” on February 12th, 1908, when 5 cars set out from New York for Paris ; the route lay by road across America, then by ship to Japan, across Japan, and then by sea to Vladivostok, and so across Siberia to Paris. The first to arrive was a

The A.A. Annual Meeting.

The twenty-eighth Annual Meeting of the Automobile Association was held on July 19th at the Savoy Hotel. Mr. Charles McWhirter, Chairman of the Committee of the Association presided.

Mr. McWhirter stated that the outstanding feature of the year under review was the honour of knighthood which His Majesty the King had graciously conferred upon the Secretary of the A.A., and heartily congratulated Sir Stenson Cooke. In reviewing the membership of the Association, Mr. McWhirter said that considering the financial and industrial depression which undoubtedly had existed to some extent, and which was talked about to a far greater extent, there was every cause for satisfaction with the progress which had been made during the year. The actual increase in membership amounted to no less than 22,752, this increase being in excess of that for any year since 1926. The actual membership to date was 492,587, and it was anticipated that the much desired half-million would be attained during the present season. A further point of interest, parti

German Protos car, but this was disqualified for having taken the train across part of the United States and also for having missed out Japan entirely. The ultimate winner was an American car, a Thomas Flyer, driven by George Schuster and George Muller, who’ reached Paris at the end of July, after a trip of some 20,000 miles. 6, The first big International race won by an English driver on an English car was in the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup, from Paris to Innsbruck, which was won by Mr. S. F. Edge on a 40 h.p. Napier, covering the 386 miles at an average speed of 36.1 m.p.h.

Rules for Problem No. 7.

1. Cut out the coupon on the inside back cover, fill in your name and address

cularly as there were two ladies present at the Meeting, was the fact that the A.A. now had 80,000 lady members in their own right, a really extraordipary figure.

In dealing with the Accounts and Balance Sheet, Mr. McWhirter referred to the eminently satisfactory financial position of the Association. Subscriptions and entrance fees for the year under review, he said, totalled £819,650, whilst the expenditure on direct service to members on the road came to no less than £633,845.

The proceedings were terminated by a unanimous vote of thanks to the Chairman.

Charles Faroux Honoured.

The name of Charles Faroux is well known among British motorists as the leading motor-journalist in France. He is President of the Association of sporting journalists and is Motoring Editor of the daily sporting paper ” L’Auto.”

This splendid record has now received public recognition in the award to Charles Faroux of the distinction of officer de la Legion d’honneur. We tender our congratulations to M. Faroux.

and solution in block letters, and send to us in a sealed envelope, marked “Competition.”

2. Any alterations will automatically disqualify the entrant.

3. The Editor’s decision is final. 4. Entries must reach this office, 39, Victoria Street, London, S.W.1, not

later than first post, September 15th and a prize of one guinea will be given to the sender of the first correct solution opened on that day.

5. More than one coupon may be included in one envelope.

6. No letter must be sent with the coupon.

7. The result will be published in our October issue.

Austin Records at Brooklands. L. P. Driscoll driving an Austin Seven

at Brooklands on August 14th obtained the following Class H records : 50 kilos, 101.52 m.p.h. ; 50 miles, 102.23 m.p.h. and 100 kilos, 102.26 m.p.h. These records were previously held by G. E. T. Eyston (M.G. Midget) at speeds of 98.71 m.p.h., 99.83 m.p.h. and 100.31 m.p.h. respectively.

In taking these three records the “allM.G.” list of records in Class H is now broken, so presumably we shall have another attempt in the near future by the Abingdon concern to raise them still higher.

Safety First. In recent has become

In recent years safety-glass has become the rule rather than the exception as part of car’s equipment. Triplex was of course the pioneer in this direction, and this experience is reflected in the fact that Triplex glass is now fitted as standard to the following makes : Austin, Armstrong Siddeley, B.S.A., Daimler 15 h.p. and 20 h.p., Frazer Nash, Hillman, Humber, Invicta, Lanchester, M.G., Morris, Riley, Wolseley.