The " 3oo

5,

Class

Motoring

Tau two ears I have for report this week, the latest 4-cylinder 14-litre Riley, with the " Falcon " saloon, and the 12-h.p. 4- cylinder Humber with the " Vogue " saloon, although quite different in character, make a common appeal to a large class of buyer. They belong to that distinguished category, the "£300," which, for practical purposes, includes cars costing between £283 and 1315. It is perhaps the most interesting as it is certainly the most competitive of all the price-divisions, and I do not think there is any doubt that it is the most ambitious. Well beyond the purely utility class, certainly ahead of the economy or family lot, far short, in price, of the others, it represents the most serious attempt we have ever seen to provide the maximum value for money.

There is scarcely one of the features or accessories we so lately called luxuries that you will not find in the "isoo.” Like the " £1,000 and over " class the " 1300 " gives you all the Known systems of springing, including the torsion-bar and " all four " independent, vibrationless engines, pre- selective gears, freewheels, synchroniesh on one, two and three gears, " silent " gears, the best types of braking and steer- ing, adjustable steering-columns, inbuilt jacking, and every conceivable gadget on the dash and elsewhere, from fog- and stop-lights to single-point chassis-lubrication. Apart from the better workmanship and finish, the only things it does not always give you are (so far as I know) hand-controlled shock-absorbing and all the room you want. The " noo " comes very well out of the comparison in every useful feature, while in the matter of speed on the level and uphill it scores, price-for-power, to an astonishing degree. I should say that every car in it will do 65 miles an hour, and many of them 70, with proportionate performance on the lower gears and in climbing.

The Riley and Humber are good examples of what you can get in this class, for different reasons, as I said. The Riley

is the last of a succession of models that have been generally accepted as fast tourers. The original Riley Nine was one of the first low-powered machines to show a high performance (in those days anything approaching 60. miles an hour from a one-litre engine was positively fabulous), and all its successors,

of four or six cylinders, of nine, twelve and fifteen horsepower, have, according to their lights, maintained the tradition. Maximum speed is no longer the distinction it was, as so many cars at so many prices put up identical performances, but the Riley is still one of the cars the lover of lively driving puts high in his list of possibles. • In design the new model is different only in detail work from the previous example. The engine dimensions are, as before, 69 by 100, and the original design of overhead valve-

gear is retained, with its twin camshafts set high in the cylinder block, and the P.R. head with the machined spherical

combustion-chambers. A single horizontal carburettor is used with a hot-spot in the manifold. The valves are mounted at an angle of 90 degrees, and the whole unit is a well-finished piece of work. The gear-box is of the Wilson pre-selective type, with which is incorporated an automatic clutch which disengages slips, that is—when the engine- speed falls below about 600 revolutions a minute. This ensures very easy-gear change and completely shockless engagement. At no time during my trial was I able to " let it in with a bang," and in all respects the action was that of the best type of normal clutch. You did not remember its existence.

The " Falcon " saloon seemed to me a considerable improvement on the last Riley body I tried. It is not the ' design of body that appeals to my own tastes, but I am bound to admit that it is entirely successful in all points but one. There is more room than its " sporting " lines lead you to believe, particularly headroom ; you see out ahead very well both as driver and passenger, the seating is com- fortable if a trifle short, and there is plenty of room for

normal quantities of -luggage. The only point I had to criticise seriously was the lack of rearward vision. The sloped back window hardly appears in the driving mirror— at all events to an averagely tall driver. This is a fault that should be corrected. The maximum speed, comfortably reached in normal circumstances on main roads near town, was about 67 miles an hour on top and 48 on third, as shown

on the dial. It climbed a long hill with two real hairpin bends in excellent style, and a very steep short hill from a standstill in good time. The engine and gear run quietly and there was practically no vibration at any speed. The price is £315.

The " Vogue " saloon on the Humber is probably familiar to most regular road-users, for the first example appeared about two years ago. It is a short two-doored four-seater with a single pillarless window on either side in two sliding sections. This window extends far back, level with the back passengers' shoulders, and affords very good "visibility."

The sliding panels can be opened or shut to any degree and in any position are free from rattle. The lines of the car are

unusual but not showy, and it certainly carries an air of distinction. There are no changes of importance in the design of engine or chassis from the normal 12-h.p. Humber I described in The Spectator about ten months ago. The four-cylinder engine is of 1,680 c.c. capacity, giving a brake- horsepower of 42 and taxed at £9. The car has an excep- tionally lively performance and I thought the engine ran very smoothly. Like the Riley it will do a good deal better than a mile a minute, and it climbs fast and steadily. The gearbox is synchromeshed on all four speeds, the suspension is automatically controlled and the road-holding and steering are excellent. It is not a light machine but its liveliness is beyond dispute. Its price is £298. Joust PRIOLEAU.

[Note.—Readers' requests for advice fro* our Motoring Correspondent.on the choice of new cars should be accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. The highest price paYable must be given, as well as the type of body required. No advice can be given on the purchase, sale or exchange of used cars.]