Motors and Motoring
British Cars Overseas.—The Square " Engine
THE export of motor vehicles of all kinds, both for private and commercial purposes, is vital to the future welfare of British motor industry ; in fact, it is no exaggeration to say that
it is of grave importance to the Empire as a whole. The recent controversy on the advantages and disadvantages of horse.
power and petrol taxation of motor vehicles in this country has opened uP the whole subject of export. There are good arguments which can be put forward to support the various policies, but in some cases the drawbacks, in my opinion, outweigh the benefits, and there are one or two points which seem to me worthy of consideration and which have nrd been made apparent. I entirely agree with the argument which Sir Robert Home adduced recently as to the psycho- logical effect of the nationality of the motor car oversea.
The potential development of trade, not only in motors:but in a great many other directions, overseas; is little short of immense, and British expansion there should assuredly be undertaken by British means so far as is practicable. If, for instance, a country or part of a country is being exploited with the help, say, of American motors, both private and industrial, it is reasonable to suggest that the minds of many are favourably turned towards productions other than motors emanating from the United States. It is probable that there is special force in this as regards native populations. I do, not agree, however, with Sir Robert Horne's statement that the latest types of the average British car arc unsuitable as to power, track, ground clearance, and so forth. A comparison of British and American specifications is capable of settling such points, and therefore I need not go into much detail. The fallacy that the British engine is underpowered in Com- parison with the American one has largely arisen, both here and oversea, owing to the fact that the Treasury rating of horse power" for taxation purposes bears little relation to the horse power developed in a British engine. This is because the stroke or travel of the piston is not taken into account. Thus we get a power unit made here which is called a 11 h.p. model, but which actually gives on the brake 40 or more h.p., and the equivalent to an American engine which is called a 20 and is of bigger size. Again, practically every medium and large size car made in England to-day is supplied with a 4 ft. 8 in. track, which is the standard one required oversca. The same applies to ground clearance, the average being not less than 9 in. and often 10 in., which is more than is provided with
some American makes.' ' '
It has been said by many that our horse-power tax is responsible for the lack of progress in the use of British cars oversea. There is much truth in this statement, but in may opinion the damage is done and was caused not by a horse- power tax as such but by the rating on a formula long out of date, which for some time past has given no real indication of the power developed in an engine. Would our industry be able to sell more cars in the Dominions, Colonies, and Pro- tectorates were the horse-power tax -removed in -order to encourage, as has been advocated, the construction of chassis with " square " engines and lower gearing ? I doubt it. The American has developed in a quarter of a century a vast home market—largely by reason of low taxation per vehicle unit and reliance on turnover—with the result that he can ' afford to export at cost, or even below should he wish to do so. It is easy, therefore, for him to exploit new markets. Because of the size of his factory outputs—to which we could never attain here—he can afford relatively high value for the class of production. Could we, at this stage, compete successfully, or even at all, with similar types of vehicle ? Moreover, what would happen to the home industry during the period of transition, which would necessarily' prove lengthy ? To attempt to fight the American on his own ground would, in my opinion, be the beginning• of the. end when this country's motor-car producing trade would vanish into thin air with the consequent extensive unemployment.
Our only chance would seena to lie in building something
different which can be run more economically. British makers have specialized for sometime now in the high efficiency machine and investment value is beginning to count. What is needed for increased sales is better service and more and continuous propaganda. The - American' has drilled into the Colonial 'motorist that a large skiw-ruiMing engine is what is required and that gear-changing is wrong. it is up to our Industry to teach the other lesson and to-day, with the in- creasing desire for economy in maintenance, it could be taught. A point which .seems to be overlooked by those who urge a change-oVer, which is fundamental and which would take a considerable time to bring about—time during which the American would merely consolidate further, as he did during the War—is that the so-called terrors of the gear-box will not, in all probability, remain terrors much longer. If gear-changing is made skill-less and effortless—by the pro- vision of a free-wheel or such-like device the British car, as it in to-day, will, I am convinced, prove to be constructed on the best lines for competition with American production. A petrol tax here; in almost any form, will in the end not only be favourable to the wider employinent of home-produced spirit and spirit derived from coal—a development which holds great possibilities for this countiybut also to British motor factpry outputs and unfavourable to transatlantic importa- tions. This is because our designs are on more efficient and economical lines than those generally employed in the United States, where fuel is cheap, and taxation per vehicle unit is low.
must be remembered that, important as fuel economy from sn owner's maintenance standpoint is in Great Britain, it is far more so oversea, where petrol may be anything from half-a crown to six shillings a gallon. The Budget has left the horse- power tax untouched, but it is sincerely to be hoped that should it be removed at any time British makers will not cast aside their policy of efficiency for that of the " square " engine. If tleir do., they will lose much of their home market and will never be able to rival the United States in the British Empire oversea. In the course of the year I inspect and test about a hundred different makes of car:and commercial vehicles of all nationalities and varying from 7 h.p. touring cars to 12-ton six-Wheelers, and there is evidence that American designers are beginning to build on far more Enropean lineS than they 41 four or five years ago. Surely this is significant.
YOUR MOTORING CORRESPONDENT.'
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