Motors and Motoring.—II.-1929 Cars and their Prices IN the Spectator
of September 15th I dealt with some of the motor car manufacturers', programmes for 1929, and here, and in a subsequent article, it is proposed to give details of the models and prices of further makes, both British and foreign.
The two Rolls-Royce chassis have not been altered in any material way for the coming season, nor have the prices been changed. It is the policy of the firm to add little refinements to the mechanism, as and when such improvements can be made. The 20 h.p. chassis sells at £1,185, and the 40/50 at £1,850 or. £1,900 with the extra long wheel-base. It may be recalled that both the engines have six cylinders, with overhead valves worked by push rods, and in both cases there is a crankshaft bearing each side of every crank. The gear- boxes have four forward speeds, and the Rolls-Royce six- brake system is incorporated in both machines. The wheel- base and track of the Twenty are 10 ft. 9 in. and 4 ft. 8 in., and those of the 40/50 12 ft. and 4 ft. 10 ins., the longer wheel- base being 6-1 in. more. The company in addition of course to the exhibits to be shown at Olympia from October 11th to 20th, are showing in Paris from October 4th to the 14th. It is almost needless to add that these two cars represent the highest class of motor production, not only in Great Britain, but in the world.
In the Fiat range -of 1929 cars there is a new six-cylinder model of 17/50 h.p.-. This chassis, with its 9 ft. 6 in. wheel- base and 4 ft. 7 in. track, is moderately priced at £295. The five-seated tourer costs £340, and the five-seated saloon, which has four doors and cellulose finish in duotone—like the two- seater, five-seated tourer, and the coupe-1425. The general design is clean and the engine has a capacity of 2,244 c.c. The crankshaft is carried in seven bearings and has a vibration damper in front. The valves are side by side, and the camshaft and dynamo are driven by a chain, which can be adjusted externally. There is a hot-spot for the mixture, and ignition Ls by battery and coil, with partly automatic and partly hand control. Both water and oil circulations are forced and there is an oil purifier on the dash. A single-plate clutch passes the power to a four-speed gear-box with central control. The propellor shaft is of the open type. The four-wheel brakes are of the customary Fiat design and are partly self-energizing. The chassis suspension is half elliptical. This model gives a body space of 7 ft. 11 in. English coach work is employed on the 2/3-seater, the five-seated tourer and the drop-head coupe. The other three models are of 9, 12, and 26.8 nominal horsepower. The first two have 4-cylinder engines and the last six cylinders. . The 9 h.p. chassis is listed at £160, and prices for the complete cars run up to £240 for the four-door Wey- mann saloon. The wheelbase and track of this, the smallest- member of the Fiat family, are 8 ft. 41 in. and 3 ft. 111 in. This Nine engine has an overhead camshaft and ignition is by magneto. The oiling is forced throughout. There are three forward speeds and these are changed by a centrally- placed lever. A pedal controls the four-wheel brakes and a central hand lever the back brakes. The half-elliptical springs are splayed and have snubber leaves. The Twelve is of 1,460 c.c. The crankshaft is carried, in three bearings, the valves are on the near side, and the tappets are readily acces-_ sible. Pumps are fitted to help the circulation of both the water and the oil. A multiple steel disc clutch-is used and the gear-box has four forward speeds with an off-side control lever. The whole of the differential and the cardan shaft can be withdrawn from the rear end of the axle casing. This chassis has six brakes. The springs are half elliptical front and back, those at the rear being underhung. The wheel-base and track of the Twelve chassis are 9 ft. 01 in. and 4 ft. 71in. As an example of price the chassis costs £195 and the four-door five-seated tourer £265. Lastly there is the 26.8 h.p. model which is made in two lengths of wheel-base and width of track. The short chassis, with wire wheels, costs £595, and the long (11 ft. 91- in. and 4 ft. 91in.) £575. With its six cylinders of 85 and 140 mm. this engine has a capacity of 4,766 c.c., and is therefore fully up 'to heavy work. A new production of exceptional interest, coming as it does from one of the oldest motor manufacturing firms in the world, and one whose cars have always been of the highest grade, is the Straight Eight 30 h:p. Lanchester. The Company still make their well-known 40 and 21 h.p. cars, and these have undergone but little change for the new season. The general layout of the new Thirty follows those incorporated in the other machines. The eight cylinders have dimensions of 78.7 and 114 mm. The valves are slightly inclined and are Worked in the head by rocker arms below a centrally-placed Camshaft which has seven bearings and is worm-driven by a vertical shaft at the back of the cylinder block. The eight throws of the crankshaft are supported by a bearing between each pair and ten bearings in all are used. The pistons have die-cast aluminium crowns with steel skirts, and there are four rings to each piston.- The-connecting rods are of steel.
Ignition- is by coil and magneto and a distributor for the former is above the valve cover and rotated by the camshaft, through a spiral gear. The water circulation, like that of the oil, is forced, and a thermostat governs the temperature of the water. The engine is supported in the chassis by, bearer brackets cast integral with the crankcase and the gear-box.. The latter has four forward speeds and the gears are controlled by an off-side fever. An enclosed propellor shaft delivers the power to a Lanchester worm-driven rear axle. The chassis has four brakes which are all operated by pedal while the rear ones can be applied by hand through independent linkage. The steering gear comprised a right and left thread engaging with two half- sleeves which bear on rollers equidistant from
the axis of the rocking trunnion. Forward the springs are half-elliptical, while the well-known Lanchester cantilever, suspension is fitted at the back. This long chassis has a wheel--; base of 11 ft. 101 in., the track is 4 ft. 8 in., and the body' length from the dash is 8 ft. 9 in. The chassis is priced at £1,325.i The chassis designs of the 10 and 14 h.p. Swifts remain much the same for next year with one considerable exception. This is theinclusion of a four-speed box in the case of the Ten in place of the former three-speed component. The new box is assembled with the engine and clutch and changes are made by an off-sided lever.- The two- and four-seated models of Ten are priced as before at £220, the coupe is £235, and the: fabric saloon £260. An interesting model is an additional, one of the sun saloon type. The roof is made up of two pieces at the front and back of which are roller blinds which can be pulled and fixed in any intermediate position. This saloon' is quoted at £270. A sports saloon is being made for 105. The two open models of Fourteen cost £275, and the coach- built and fabric saloons £395 and £375 respectively.
Five models of Triumph Super-Seven are being made for 1929. These include a coachbuilt saloon with two doors, four. Sliding windows, adjustable bucket seats in front, pneumatic upholstery; and cellulose finish, and selling at just over £182,- a fabric saloon, a two-seater de luxe, a tourer de luxe, and a popular tourer.- The fabric saloon sells at £172 10s.; and the least expensive model is £149 10s. The 4-cyl. 7.9 h.p. engine is of just over 832 c.c. capacity. Side valves -are employed, and the timing chain is tensioned automatically. The crank- shaft runs in three bearings and the lubrication is forced. The clutch is of the single plate type, with multi springs and long toggle levers. The three forward speeds and reverse are centrally governed. Engine, clutch and gear-box form a unit. Underhung worm drive is incorporated in the back axle. There are five brakes, the central hand lever working a brake on the transmission: and a pedal operating hydraulic internally expanding brakes on the four wheels. These brakes work on the Lockheed 'principle, and have the latest self-filling arrangement, which saves all adjustment except that for long periods. The springs- in front are half-elliptical and of good. length, those at the back :are quarter elliptical or half canti- lever. The Triumph SuPer--Seven chassis, with its wheel-base and track of 6 ft. 9 in. and 3 ft. 6 in. costs £113. The approxi- mate weight is 6 cwt, and_the overall height of the saloon is
but 5 ft. 2 in. i
The Minerva programme includes the former three well- known models, but the 12/18 is to be called the Eighteen. The other two are the 20/24 and the 32/34 h.p., and these have not been altered. As to-the Eighteen some of the fins of the radiator are now used for &ailing the engine oil, which is a good plan. Other modifications -include-the raising of the radiator and the fitting of a twin Zenith carburettor. The Eighteen chassis costs £425, the 20/24 £700., and the 32/34 li.p. £900. These prices show an increase on thoie Of last year. To take one of two exampleS of the prices of complete cars, the four-door fabric covered saloon with the Eighteen chassis costs /575, ' the We nn Van den Plas Seven-sdated_ saloons of the 20/24 and 32/34 types are listed respectively at £1,175 and £1,375. The standard enclosed drive landaulette or limousine 20/24 and 32/34 are quoted at £1;250 and- £1,450. I have mentioned the Lea-Francis models and prices for 1-929 in a former article, but the new international figures which were set up for twelve hours, thus breaking a world's record, by one of these British cars, are worthy of mention here. At Brooklands Track on Wednesday, September 19th, a 14-litre Hyper-Sports Lea-Francis car established a new international record in Class F. (1,100-1,500 c.c.). Driven alternately by Mr. R. M. V. Sutton and Mr. F. Hallam the Lea-Francis covered 960 miles 1,403 yards in twelve hours, maintaining an average speed of 80.06 miles an hour. It also set up a new . British record for Class F. The car was a standard two-seater Model, being the identical vehicle which ran as No. 26 in the International Tourist Trophy road race in Northern Ireland. . I have several more programmes to deal with such as those of Daimler, Humber, Bentley, Renault, and so forth, and these
must be deferred to the third article of this series. • 'YOUR MOTORING -CORittSPtiNbENT.
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