Motoring Notes
Accessories at Olympia
Tire fact that there are over 330 separate displays of accessories_ at Olympia this week emphasizes- to'. what dimensions the "gadget " business has grown. There is no doubt that during the last few years there has been an enormous improvement as regards the general equipment of ears. It is not so very long king ago since almost everythingwas charged for as an extra. The first car I bought was sold minus a hood, windscreen, spare wheels, lamps, speedometer and horn. I paid £300, if );;remember aright, for the car, and the essential extras cost me over £80. To-day these are always included in the purchase price, besides -many -others, such as a clock,-rear-windscreen, calometer and a very comprehensive kit of tools. This is one of the reasons why the modern car is so vastly cheaper than to its ancestor of pre-War days.
Obviously to describe all the accessories at Olympia is impossible. But a few of the-more useful may be mentioned, as they certainly add considerably to the pleasures Of driving and the efficiency of the car. One of the most-rdefid in these days of touring is a good luggage grid. To fill the body of the ear with bags spoils one's comfort and is likely to damage the leather and paintwork. The folding forms, of which, there are some excellent ones, are the best. Another useful luggage carrier is the expanding frame which clamps on to the running board, holding the bags securely within. There are some capital forms of trunks for attachment to the carrier, containing two, three or four suit-cases. However wet or dusty the roads the bags are kept perfectly- dry and clean. Soine of the American cars have this travelling trunk fitted as part of the equipment, but with British cars it is always an extra.
-Many useful devices are exhibited which add greatly to the passenger's comfort when driving in winter. Foot warmers, foot muffs, and overshoes are shown in great variety. Rugs of all qualities and at all prices, leather and leather-lined coats, and wonderful gloves are among the most useful winter Accessories. Float-on-air pneumatic cushions' haVe gained great popularity, and deservedly so, for they entirely eliminate road shocks. DeViCes to-ensure easy starting on cold days are many and varied. . One of the most effective is the Instarter heating coil, which produces a warm mixture and a warm induction passage on touching a button. Another is the Bowden carburettor flooder, by means of which the level of petrol in the carburettor can be raised without lifting the bonnet of the car. Radiator muffs for use during very cold weather ; lamps, either oil or electric, to place beneath the bonnet of the car when a frost is likely ; and chainS for attaching to the wheels when the road is snowbound or for getting out of boggy places are among what may be termed the essential accessories.
A great deal of attention has been given of late years to the electrical equipment of the car, especially so far as lighting and starting are concerned. In no direction has improvement been more marked than in the construction of batteries, and these Are wellnigh as reliable et: they can be. The difficulty has always been to make a battery which would withstand the constant road shocks, but this has now been successfully accomplished. Lamps in a • wonderful ;variety are now obtainable, while the dipping headlights -made by Barker and Co. have solved the problem of-dazzle: A clever and inexpensive fog-defying attachment -for use Upon an ordinary headlight will 'prove a boon when ona foggy night—one of the most unpleasant- el:pet-tenets the' motorist can possibly have. One of the most frecjuent. parts of the car to be damaged is the tail-lamp. It-is soPirsj" ?' when backing or when travelling in congested streets 'to break it. An unbreakable tail-lamp is exhibited at the Show made of
" rubbolite." . • "
. Shock absorbers have now become a regular fitting on most cars,- Whiln-on some they are included- in the purchase price. Properly adjusted shock . absorbers :increase the comfort of the driver, and his passengers to a remarkable degree ; they disci lengthen the life of the. flies and chassis very considerably. Several different patterns • are- -shown, and there is a suitable form for every make of car. Bumpers are slowly: gaining ground in this country, and ugly' thotiO they are;-they 'do save -the-car from many a scratch and many a bump, especially when driving much in town or using public :garages. A dozen or more different fouris are'shown, some of which are much less objectionable in appearance than otheiS.. Various forms. of •the indispensable jack are shown, from the ordinary ratchet kind to the hydraulic. The latter makes the lifting of the heaviest car a simple matter. For use in the garage--it is too big to carry upon the car— the H.F. jack, which is capable of dealing rapidly with axles of widely differing heights, is very useful indeed..
Among a host of other accessories there are a few that may be specially mentioned, as they are but little known. A gauge fitted to the dashboard for determining how much petrol there is in the tank is obviously a very useful fitting. So is the Auto-Klean strainer, which not only thoroughly strains all impurities from the petrol, but is.. very quickly and easily cleaned. A tilting steering wheel greatly simplifies entering and leaving the car ; an automatic ignition timing device, which obviates hand control of the spark, is now incorporated in the B.T.-H. magneto ; Fabroil silent timing gears render the engine much quieter ; the Leveroll sliding seat is a vast improvement on the old-fashioned kind ; the Arc Atomiser, an extra air-valve, should make a strong appeal to those who are in search of economical running ; direction indicators should help to make our roads safer ; and golf-club carriers- should protect the leather and paintwork. A heel protector, which saves the back of the shoe from damage while driving, should appeal; to women drivers. A fire extinguisher should always be carried, and some excellent forms are shown. Grease guns which keep the hands clean when greasing the chassis ; devices which prevent doors from rattling ; and tools of every conceivable description and for every purpose are exhibited in great variety.
Motorists who would help one of our most deserving causes and, at the same time, improve the appearance and comfort of their cars, should invest in coco-fibre mats, either for the inside of the car or for the running boards. These are made by the inmates of St. Dunstan's, Regents Park, N.W., the men who lost their sight in the War.
E. T. BROWN.
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