Motors and Motoring
1928 Cars and Their Prices—I. Representative British Models Ir is proposed in these first two fortnightly-articles to review briefly a few representative makes and rn_odell-of car as illus- trating the value in -the wide range of p_rOductions which the British manufactifier Offers for 1928..
To-day the small car, which is capable of hard and faithful service, and which is extremely economical to run, cannot be ignored, as being a type the utility of which is confined solely to owner-drivers and those who cannot or do not wish to spend much either upon the purchase of their car or upon its Maintenance. There is no doubt that a tendency is developing in this country, though at present but fractional to that pertaining in America, towards what has been called the two- car-per-family scheme.: Thus we see the light car being used as an auxiliary, and one has but to be on any main road for a short time to realize that these machines are being more and more used by women as women's cars. I do not, therefore, in these reviews, intend to deal only with the larger and more expensive makes and models of British car, but rather to start at the humblest end of the scale. Here pride of place Must be given to the 7 h.p. Austin. This little machine is designed on orthodox and good-class lines, and efficiently fulfils the purpose for which it was planned. The price of the touring model is £135, and that of the saloon, which is built for two adults and two to three children—similar to the open car- ts £150. A purchaser has the satisfaction of buying a well- tried production, for, with the exception of a certain number of comparatively minor ithprovements, the construction has Undergone but little change during the last two or three years. At the same time, it is not out of date. A four-cylinder water- cooled engine, with forced lubrication, three-speed centrally controlled gear-box, and an ordinary helical bevel-driven rear a)de, are employed. The latter part of the propellor shaft is enclosed in a torque tube, which follows good practice. A transverse spring in front, and quarter elliptical springs at the back, insulate the frame from the axles. A hand lever works brakes on the front wheels, and a pedal those at the rear. Reinforced balloon tyres, of 16 by 34 ins., are standard, and the wheel base and track measure 6 ft. 3 ins. and 3 ft. 4 ins. The Austin Seven has plenty of speed, and with its light weight takes but a short distance to run up to thirty-five miles an hour or so, while, in view of its small size, it holds the road remarkably well at higher rates. Another example of a useful auxiliary is the smallest Singer model, known as the Singer ..Tunior. This 7/8 machine sells as a two- or- four-seater at 440, and the new saloon model at £165. Here, too, the general line of the construction is sound. The wheel base and tack are 7 ft. 6 ins. and 3 ft. 8 ins. Although the engine is 13ut of 56 and 86 mm., as much as 164 h.p. is stated to be given Off at its maximum speed. The four-cylinder engine has the camshaft overhead. There are three speeds, with a central change lever, and an open propellor -shaft takes the drive to a second shaft which is enclosed in a torque tube. F,our-wheel braking is provided, and the . springing is half elliptical in front and quarter behind. These types of light car are, of course, inexpensive in tax and insurance, they will do their forty miles an hour without undue pushing, and under reasonable road conditions the average number of miles to a gallon of fuel should exceed this figure. The Singer Saloon hi finished in fabric, it has adjustable front seats with hinged backs, and there are four movable windows.
In the 9 to 10 h.p. class there, is a good width of choice, fir into it a number of makes such as Clyno, Riley, Standard, Humber, and Rover come. I have not yet tried the Riley, but the construction should give satisfactory_ results, and it speaks well -iiiirthe design that the chassis remains for 1928 ranch the same -as last year,' when it was first brought out. Here the four-Olinder engine, with valves in the head worked by push rods, Teas a-bore and stroke of 60 and 95 mm. The generator is placed on, the front end of the crankshaft, which is a practice somewhat favoured on the Continent, and which, of course, saves space under the bonnet. The cone clutch is used, and a remarkable feature for a car of this size is that a Nur-speed gear-box is provided. The designer has aimed at niaking the third speed as quiet as top, which is a good point. TOrque is taken by a tube which encloses the propellor shaft, there is four-wheel braking, and half-elliptical suspension. A four-seated, four-door, fabric-covered saloon, with adjustable front seats, sells at £285 complete. There is a model which costs £20 less, while a four-door special sports four-seater, also fabric-covered, is priced at £298. For those who want exceptional speed capacity there is a Brookiands Nine, which is'listed as a two-seater at £395. Here the wheel base is 7 ft.
8 Di=5-4§,- 0,4441L4-1-#0-.19 track in all cases ts.8 ft. H ins. The 11•9 Morris-Cowley is too well known -to 'need detailed description - here, but it is interesting, as indicating the progress made, by. this firm, to note that in 4920 the two-seater Morris-Cowley', upholstered in pegamoid, cost 1465. To-day the four-door four-seater, with six lainps, tipping and adjustable front seats, and access sories which are too numerous to mention, is priced complete at £170. The four-door saloon, at £185, is of course one of the best values offered in Europe. An example of a Twelve is the Clyno. The 12/35 h.p. four-door four-seater costs £220, and the four-door saloon, which is covered with fabric., is £250. Here the four-cylinder engine has the valves at the side, and there are three bearings for the crankshaft. Rear unit con- struction, by which gear-box, propellor shaft in torque tube, and rear axle are assembled as a unit, enables the clutch to be readily got at, while it still preserves the advantage of the two-main-unit system of assembly. Half - elliptical springs are fitted in front, and single cantilevers at the back. Lined shoes expand in 12 in. diameter drums on the four road wheels, and the action of the braking is compensating. There are three forward speeds. Wheel base and track measure 9 feet and 4 feet. The equipment has always been on the generous side with these cars.
We come now to the class of 14 nominal or taxable horse. power, and in it we get the first of the five-seaters. The Hillman, made at Coventry, is a good example of a straight- forArd four-cylinder car which is simple to drive and to look after. It has four forward speeds, which are controlled by an off-side lever, and an asset is the provision of six brakes, the hand lever working independent shoes at the back. For 1928 the wheel base has been increased to 9 ft. 6 ins, without a lengthening of the over-all dimensions, and there have been a number of modifications which should result in the latest model being an improvement on its predecessors. This chassis costs £230. The ordinary four-door saloon is £325, while, in addition to other models, a four-door safety saloon is made, and in this such additions as Triplex glass throughout; vacuum servo assistance for the braking, dipping headlamps and so forth are included in the figure of £375. The Hilhnan is a sound make, and one which represents good value. A new 14/40 four-cylinder model, bearing a well-known name, is the Bean. This chassis is listed at £245, and the tourer, the four- door five-seated saloon, and the five-seated sun saloon are priced respectively at £325, £395 and £395. It may be explained here that sun saloon coachwork is planned so that a whole or part of the roof can be slid back, thus, in effect, providing a double-purpose car. This engine is of rather larger capacity, with its bore and stroke of 75 and 180 mm., being of 2,297 c.c. The engine has the valves at the side, the water circulates naturally, the lubrication is under pressure, and ignition is by battery and coil. The single plate dry clutch is separate from the gear-box, and the latter has four forward speeds, which are changed by a lever on the off-side. The forward universal joint to the propellor shaft is of the metal kind, and is oiled from the gear-box, which saves trouble. Torque is taken by a tube surrounding the propellor shaft, In addition to the well-known 12/50 h.p. four-cylinder Alvis, which has always had a good speed capacity, there is the new six-cylinder 14/75 h.p. model which sells as a sports saloon at £695. The 4/5 seater tourer is £595. There are a number of good points in the design. The four speeds are changed by a side leVer, and six air-cooled brakes are provided.- The sports chassis, which costs £550, has a guaranteed speed of eighty miles an hour. The fabric saloon, and the ,fabric sports saloon, with Alvists, coachwork, sell at £695 each. In this system the floor members are part of the chassis frame itself, and the flexible upper framework of the body is -mounted upon the main.frame so that it can flex evenly all over to the move- ment of the chassis. There are several advantages with this construction, which is progressive. The 14/40 h.p. fours cylinder Swift is planned on orthodox lines, and as a 4/5 seated fabric saloon sells at £395, the chassis being £260. Here engine dimensions of 72 and 120 mm. are employed, and there are side valves, forced lubrication, and natural cooling. A four-speed gear-box has wisely been included, and the change speed is on the off side. Four-wheel braking, and half elliptical suspension, are features of note, while the wheel base and track are 9 ft. 6 ins. and 4 ft. 4 ins. This Coventry firm also make a 10 hi). three-speed car, which as a four-seated tourer and fabric saloon sells at £220 and 1260 respectively.
Larger classes of car will be dealt with in a subsequent review.
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