IF ever proof were needed that there is no real
advantage in having a six-cvlindered engine in a medium-powered ear rather than a Four, it is supplied by the performance of two 12-h.p. moderate-priced cars I have recently been driving. The arguments for and against the two types are familiar. For the Six it is claimed that you get a smoother action, some- times a little less noise ; for the Four, that capacity for capacity it is more efficient, that it is easier to keep in running order; and that it is. a little more economical. Generally speaking I have until recently found these claims justifiable. I am certainly a strong believer in the Four, chiefly because there is 50 per cent. more of it in a Six and because I have found it, size for size*, more efficient and on the whole more economical. Above a certain price I agreed that a good Six ran a little more smoothly (though a bad example was often far rougher than a. Four), and, in exceptional eases, had a shade more flexibility, a little more pull on. top gear at low speeds. To a large extent these differences have disappeared in the latest examples of each type.. .
The simplicity of the Four remains,. of course, and if you paY enough tor it, the slight incr. ease of flexibility in the Six, but I believe in practically. every other respect-there is no real advantage in either type: The very slight periodic-vibra- tion sometimes-to be found in-a -Four but-absent froma Woad Si,.. has now been abolished by "floating engine -mounting, and it is often quite impossible to tell from the feel of a Modem engine whether it has four or six cylinders. The efficiency of the light Six has been noticeably improved,-and there is nothing to choose between them mit that -score. Both are usually equally quiet in action. Apart- from the possible Slight increase in petrol consumption shown by the Six there is no practical advantage in either type.
The two cars I have tested, the 1i-litre (11.9 h.p.) Riley and. the 12-h.p. -Lancia-, are excellent illustrations of the point. One is of the new species of well-mannered " sports" car,
silent, swift and comfortable ; the other a very lively all- purpose car, as suitable for the work of the family ctir as for that of the long-distance tourer. Either might 'equally well have been given .six-cylinder engines and been in the fashion of a year or two ago. In neither was there any special point that I can See in choosing the Four, except, as seems likely, for the sake of simplicity and perhaps in cheapness Of design and build. In both the choice is obviously the right one. They are two of the most attractive small cars I have driven for a long time. ' Ekh has its minor drawbacks, largely a matter of individual taste, but each- struck Me as a thoroughly successful design.- They have the quality peculiar to well-bred cars of doing their job lightly, easily and with unobtrusive reSerVe OP power: You forget how' big 'OF hint Small their
. ,• - - - engines are in the: satisfaction of driving firtt-elast efficiency. The Riley is an .entirely new model, not .exactly an inter- mediate -between the famous Four and the 12-h.p.
-and 15-h:p.•-Sixes,iait rather; as I gather, an alternative to the latter. In more ways than one-I-regard'it; so`far as Could be judged from a necessarily Short lest, AS the best Riley yet . made. 'it has -SOnie- intereStirig -features, siiCh -;cylinders
cast in one with the top half -Of- theTerankcaie, 'for rigidity ; machined combustion-chambers; for inereased tflIciettcy ; and a clutch that is,•attomatictilly■ disengaged whew the engine
speed fails belOw,frkifrevolutions *nide. The last has been adopted in combination with the pre-selective Wilson gear- box and is an undoubted success. The engagement of each gear is taken up with a shocklessne,ss that reminds one of the action of the fluid flywheel— With this transmission_ gear- changing is naturally extremelY quiek. I am not a fanatical admirer myself of the type, though I admit its many advent- ages, but I 'certainly enjoyed Using it on the-132eY-
1 itself is unusually quiet in aCtion at high , speeds. The box The outstanding features-of the Riley 11--Iitre are its admir- able manners and its liveliness. It is one of the quietest high-efficiency engines I know, and one of the smoothest, regardless of the number of cylinders. It will do about 66 miles an hour if called upon, it climbs hills energetically and at good speed, and its acceleration is inspiriting. The Girling brakes are very powerful and agreeable to use, the steering is light and firm, and the suspension and road- holding are quite first-class. The tax is 19, and it is sold with two types of bodywork, the " Kestrel " streamlined saloon, at finished. and the "Falcon" " saloon, at 1335. It is beautifully
!th
The Lancia, though also of new design, is distinguished by
the familiar independent. front-wheel suspension introduced by the firm 12 years ago, and so far without imitators, and by the short V-set 4-cylinder engine. The latter has a cubic capacity of 1,196 c.c. its almost " square " dimensions (69.85 by 78 mm.) giving it a tax-rating of 19 15s.-, and is suspended on laminated springs and shock-absorbers which effectively. damp out every trace of vibration. Apart from its famous suspension which enables it to be driven over broken surfaces at speeds impossible with ordinary springs, its chief features are these. It has an extremely lively performance, due in part to its sensibly reduced weight of 16 cwt. It will do 70 miles an hour on top, and well over 50 on third, and its hill-climbing is brilliant. The steering is very high- geared and direct, and at the same time feather-light. No other system I know gives one fuller control of the car in all circumstances. The gear-change is very easy and quick between second, third and top, and third is practically silent. The ratios are high, 7.2 and 9.9 to 1 on third and second, yet the acceleration is out of the ordinary. The drive is absolutely noiseless on the over-run. It has, like all Lancias, a very useful lock.: On the road its behaviour gives you that Often-quoteit and seldom felt " big car" sensation, which to me means, among other things, freedom from- fatigue on long distances, and absence of fuss. The body, which is a pillarles's four-door saloon, is roomy enough in front but ,rather small behind. The finish is plain but respectable. It is a:car of great char- acter and obvious sturdiness of build;- and it is' a pity the value of sterling -has brought the price up to 1390.
JOHN PRIOLEAU.
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