Motors and Motoring The 16 h.p. Six-Cylinder Sunbeam IT is

proposed in these fortnightly articles on motors and motoring to publish, from time to time, critical reviews of

cars. In these reports it is intended to describe briefly and simply the general construction, taking into consideration the important matter of purchase price, to comment on the road behaviour of the car submitted for test, and to criticize both the design and running from the point of view of the average owner. The route chosen for these trials is one which the writer has used for test purposes for a number of years, and with which, therefore, he is fully familiar. In the route is included the famous Westerham Hill, with its gradient of about 1 in 9 to 6.

The 16 h.p. six-cylinder " Sunbeam " saloon is a useful type of car, because it has ample power for ordinary purposes ; it runs smoothly, will carry its five persons comfortably, and is generally planned on simple lines. The particular model submitted for test over the Spectator trial run was the four- door coach-built saloon. Here there are six wide windows, the four glasses in the doors being movable by winders. The front seats are of the half-bucket pattern and are adjustable. Owing to the genercus measurements of the wheel-base and track, namely 10 ft. 6f in. and 4 ft. 7 in. respectively, the hod/ affords an unusual amount of room -for its type. The seats are broad and the squabs are of sufficient height to be of proper support to the shoulders, while the angles of both are well suited to the average person. The front cushions are rather in the way of entrance by the forward doorways, and I should prefer that the interior door handles were set the other way, namely, towards the back in the after doors and forwards in the front doors. There is a roof ventilator ; tools are neatly carried in a cupboard in the scuttle with a door under the bonnet ; the electrical cut-out is also handy ; there is a, one-piece adjustable windscreen—a fitting which is not always a blessing but 6n most occasions does give clear vision —and there is a folding luggage grid at the back which is designed to carry up to 100 lb. The running boards are wide, and there are no valances; the spare wheel, with its 41 in. for 21-in rirn-medium pressure tyre, is carried forward of the driver's door, and the headlamps are on ball joints. The complete car, which has a maximum height from the ground of 5 ft. 9 in., sells at £695, which is the same price as the four-door foUr-light 16 14: " Weymann " saloon.

THE ENGINE.

The engine's six cylinders have a bore and stroke of 67-5 and 95 mm., which give a capacity of 2,041:1 c.c., or just over two litres. The valves are set vertically in the centre of the detachable head, and the rockers are worked' by push-rods. The valves rightly have double springs, and the designer has wisely arranged that the forced lubrication which is supplied to the rocker bearings is led to the ball-and-cup connexions between the rockers and push-rods. Oiling at these points unditubtedly conduces to quiet running. Alteration of clearance is by the ordinary simple method of a hardened screw and lock-nut. The sparking-plugs are set in the near side of the head, and can be easily withdrawn with a box spanner. On this side, under the bonnet also, there is an internal water pump forward of the timing case, and aft of the latter the gene- rator. The pump has a spring-loaded gland inside, but should it leak at any time the water is saved from passing through the crankcase by an external drain. 'here is a tap to empty the pump casing. Timing . is by gear. The generator is con- veniently held by a strap, and driven vertically from the back- end of the unit are the make-and-break and the distributor. These can be quickly inspected. Just aft is the coil, which is accessible and in a reasonably cool position. For the colonies' a cobling fah can be fitted inunediately behind the radiator. This last part. is of honeycomb pattern and of Vee shape. It is carried in swivel metal-lined trunnions which would be better for oil cups. There is a plug to run the water out of the radiator, but it is get-at-able and is offset.

The oil filler, with gauze inside, is mounted in the cover which eacloses the valve mechanism. On the off side of the . -

engine, under the bonnet, there is a graduated rod to gauge the level of the oil in the sump. To reach the main oil filter or to empty the base one must get under the car—clearly there is room for improvement here. The inlet manifold is always an important part of a ear, but especially is this the case with six- and eight-cylindered engines. On this Sunbeam, a three-branch manifold is used and this is of rounded section with small buffer ends, and the branches near the ports are squared. The carburettor main jet is somewhat awkward to remove, but it has a separate gauze, and therefore choking of the jet should be a rare occurrence. There is an autovac tank on the dash on the near side, and the main tank at the back holds twelve gallons, has the filler to the side, a deep gauze inset, and a dipstick to gauge the level. The exhaust manifold is ribbed, and although the brass nuts holding the manifolds are small and rather obscured, the head can be lifted without having to detach the manifolds after the forward exhaust pipe connexion has been broken and the carburettor dropped.

FOUR FORWARD SPEEDS.

Engine, single plate dry clutch, and 4 forward speed off-side- dhanged gear-box are assembled as a unit which is supported in the chassis at four points, a banjo-shaped cross-member attached to the fly-wheel housing forming the two back points.

Steering isby worm and nut. The clutch cannot be adjusted but the travel of the pedal can be regulated. The bearings are stated not to require lubrication. There are oil-holes for the pedal-shaft bearings. The speed lever works in a visible gate which is free of the frame, and has a stop for reverse. A change from former Sunbeam practice is that top-gear position is on the outside of the gate. The whole of the gear-box lid can be removed without trouble and there is a level filler on the proper or near side. The starter is built in to the dutch housing face on the off side. Should the pinion stick at any time, the starter must be slacked off. The propeller shaft is enclosed in the torque tube, which has a spherical joint at the forward end. For this there is a grease nipple, while the universal joint inside is oiled from the gear-box. The central bearing for the shaft undoubtedly conduces to smooth trans- mission running. Final drive is by spiral bevel in a half- floating back axle. The case is of banjo shape, which allows access and withdrawal of the gears with the least trouble. There is a level filler. The springs in front are half elliptical, are flat-set, which I like, and are held out of centre. Shock absorbers are fitted, and so are stops behind the back_ shackles. At the rear, suspension is cantilever. These springs are also without camber and are under the frame line. They are shackled in front---the grease valves are fully get-at-able—can swivel at their centres, and are anchored at the rear.

The chassis of this car has four brakes, a pedal applying all four -without compensation, and an off-side pull-up hand lever works the back brakes only. There is a primary adjustment by turnbuckle for the four brakes, individual wear in the front brakes can be taken up easily by spanner at the front end of the cables ; and adjustment of the back brakes, which arc applied by a single fin. diameter guided rod which is kept near the torque tube, is by altering the arms which are on the splines. The forward brakes are of the Perrot two-shoe semi-servo type, which have anchorage for the operating spindles to the frame. The front axle has rounded ends, the better to withstand the torsional stress of forward braking, and jacking pads are cast on the axle.

ROAD PERFORMANCE.

This 2-litre saloon will do about thirty, forty, and sixty or so on second,. third, and top, before valve clatter arises. The engine is silky in its 'running and well disciplined. The balance is good and one can push it, both at low speed under load and at high rate, without it becoming fussed. It runs reasonably quietly-. up to the rates mentioned and kept cool throughout the trial. .. Westerham Hill was enshrouded in fog on the day of the test and therefore it was not possible, with safety, to make a flying climb. Starting, however,

at the bottom on second gear, with two persons in the salbon and wet road surface, a speed of twenty-six miles an hour was soon reached, and this was fully maintained throughout the test. The clutch would not take up the drive at the foot with a standing start on third, but the action normally was progressive and light. The gear change can be passed as satisfactory.

The steering should _be. made to act more_steudil. y over rough surfaCe, -but was never heavy, while the width of lock is utieful.. I liked the suspension, and the brakes were strong without .caliing for undue physical force, even, and well graded. This sixteen h.p. Saloon. is well suited for

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general touring _purposes and climbs. well ,. the sharp rise , from Sluirtlands- up into Bromley High:Stieet, for instance, NVELS defeated Without trouble on top. The car is pleasing and non fatiguing to 'dirive. The 5-seated tourer costs £550, and the price of the Chassis is 2425. _ Ground clearance is given at 7/ inelies' and the gear ratios are 6.5, 9.65, 12;57, and 21.72 to 'one.

YOUR MOTORING CORRESPONDENT.