THE REVISED MULTI-UNION
THE REVISED MULTI-UNION
IT is typical of Chris Staniland’s thorough approach to motor-racing that the Multi-Union should make a sensational appearance and then be laid up at once for further modifications. At the last B.A.R.C. Autumn Meeting the Multi-Union won an outer-circuit long handicap at 138.26 m.p.h. and was second in the Mountain Championship, and at the Dunlop Jubilee Brooklands Meeting it won a long outer-circuit handicap at 127.77 m.p.h. In these two winning races the Multi-Union did its best laps respectively at 141.49 m.p.h. and 183.88 m.p.h. On September 10th last year it took the 3-litre Lap Record
at 141.45 m.p.h. Notwithstanding, it was then quite considerably modified.
The blower ports have now been enlarged, a new and longer induction manifold is now used, and the Weber carburetters replaced by Solex carburetters of the twin-mixing-chamber type. New Lockheed braking is employed, with larger drums and no air apatures, the surface area being increased to something like three times the former extent. The braking ratio can be varied from 50/50 to 75/25 front-rear from the cockpit. All this suggests more racing over road
and artificial road circuits—Staniland, of course, won at Phcenix Park last year. The old Alfa frame with half elliptic suspension has given way to Tecrianto independent, further modified by Milledge, our Shakespearian drawingboard wizard, who also has entirely rearranged the steering layout. At the back suspension of the rigid axle is by coil springs, and there is a locating radius arm. Armstrong dampers are fitted, adjustable from the cockpit by means of Bowden controls. The fuel tank in the tail has been altered and the oil tank taken forward beside the cockpit on the near side, which has enabled a lower tail of better formation to be used. The cockpit-opening of the quick action filler caps is retained—which, again, points to long-distance racing, we hope including the Donington G.P. A new V-section radiator is used with an oil-cooler below, and the whole car is lower than before. A new remote control brings the gearlever to the off side of the cockpit and the lowered steering column carries a detachable wheel, in true Formula fashion. The hydraulically controlled carburetter throttles are retained. The whole machine, like its very able pilot, is
beautifully turned out, and we wish the revised Multi-Union every future success. At Brooklands on August Bank Holiday Staniland, and J. B. Emmott the entrant, experienced extreme disappointment, as the car developed chronic misfiring attacks. It was very reluctant to start, when towed out for its scheduled attack on the Lap Record, and very soon started mis-firing very seriously. We feel sure, from its form in practice for this meeting, that it will have compensated for this before the end of the year and will probably easily lift the Brooklands Lap Record above the existing speed of 148.44 m.p.h., standing to the credit of John Cobb’s Napier-R ailton.
THE BROOKLANDS CAMPBELL CIRCUIT LAP RECORD
Raymond Mays took out his 2-litre E.R.A. on August 8th and established a new lap record for the Brooklands Campbell circuit. He lapped in 1 min. 44.91 secs., or 77.79 m.p.h. It seems that he was flagged in by error and actually shut off before completing the timed flying lap. He beat the old record, held by Arthur Dobson’s E.R.A., by 1.85 m.p.h.