LETTERS from READERS

LETTERS from READERS

TUNING THE .11N1011.

Sir, I own a 1931 Singer Junior, and whilst

I have no wish to provoke further correspOndence On the relative, merits of this little car, I must confess that on all points except braking I find it preferable to a 1938 Ford Eight I have been driving this last: 12 months.

What I am particularly interested in is, have any of your readers any experience of tuning this model ? With its fairly robust crankshaft and o.h.c., surely it should make quite a sprightly performer in a light chassis, and maybe make a few Austin Seven specialists look around a bit.

If anyone has any information on this subject, I would be most grateful. I am, Yours, etc., Birmingham, 31. R. F. Bram [The Singer Junior was produced in sports form as the ” PorlOck.’ This was virtually standard originally, except for its body, but later, we believe, was given a higher compression-ratio. In 1928 someone hotted-up a two-seater Singer Junior, substituting alloy for c.i. pistons, a weight reduction of 1 lb. OD the four, with 3 turn, dome in the crowns, polishing heads and ports, inlet and exhaust, manifolds, using a 115 main jet and 23 mm. choke tube in the Solex carburetter, an extra air valve and Derrington silencer. This gave 43 in 2nd, 58 m.p.h. two up in top, with 38 m.p.g. Using a 20 choke, 90B main jet and 47.5 aux. jet, 55 plus in top, 42 m.p.h. in 2nd and 42 m.p.g. were attained. The o.h.e, engine does not lend itself to double valve springs. Curiously, no Junior seems to have raced, whereas Austin Seven and Triumph Super Seven were, although the later Junior and Nine got four speeds before the Austin Seven did.—-En.) •

GOOD SHOW

Sir,

The C.D.R.B. have just informed us that in the recent Goldstone Sports Car G.P., one of our privately owned 2-litre Gnashem cars; driven by I. M. Pflatout, put in the fastest lap during the race at 22.22 m.p.h. The nearest approach to this speed was achieved, by a 20-litre Panther (which in addition to having an engine of ten times the site of our cars only costs half the price, and can also carry a certain amount of necessary impedimenta in the boot, instead of having to tie one’s toothbrush round one’s neck) at 22.21 m.p.h. I am, Yours. etc., p.p. Gnashem Cars, Unlimited. A. I). VERT

London, N.I4 (Publicity Manager). Sir, I would like to fully endorse Mr. W. If. Aldington’s remarks concerning Frazer-Nash cars, and include another circuit with a sports car lap record held by a ‘Nash car, that is Blandford. Surely D. C. Pitt showed just how fast a ‘Nash could go on such a twisty circuit. The

N.B.—Opinions expressed are those of our correspondents and Motor Sport does not necessarily associate itself with them—Ed.

same driver in the same car, E. J. Newton’s property, was recently timed at Dundrod at the creditable trot of 125 m.p.h., the car being, I believe, completely standard, „sans lamps, mudguards and windscreen, and breathing in 80 octane fuel.

One wonders whether it might not have been a 1-2-3 ‘Nash victory in the island but for Allard’s waltz in quick time. I am, Yours, etc.,

Belfast. JAMES BLACKWOOD. Sir, •

I feel that by publishing a letter from Mr. Aldington which is little less than pure advertising copy you have lifted from hint some of the immunity from public criticism which the motoring Press are wont to allow manufacturers.

Let me, therefore, state an opinion which I know I am. not, alone in holding.

The first thing that is wrong with the Fraser-Nash is that it is out of date. The core of any car is the power unit, and that of the Frazer-Nash, designed by some clever Germans in 1936, is incapable of further development, without considerable legs of reliability and/or use of special fuels. The second thing wrong with it is that

it is grotesquely expensive. If one is going to pay twice the price of a 8I-litre car with a much better competition record then one is entitled to ask either for adequate comfort and protection for long distance touring (such as is provided on this Iii-litre car) or for the likelihood of winning some major event. Whether or not the Frazer-Nash has set up good lap times at finicky little airfield circuits in this country scents to me irrelevant. The hardfact remains that it has never won a sports car race worthy of the name, with the possible exception of the Heart Trophy in New Jersey—itself run on an airfield. It has at intervals won its class—but why

pay over /3,000 for a class-winning car ? The race is the thing and what outright wins are there to the Frazer-Nash name— answer, none [Moss, Empire Trophy, this year.—En.] although Mr. Aidington’s advertisements with the figures 1, 2. or 3 in bold type and the various qualifying words such as “2-litre class” or “touring category” or ” . . . British car home,’ etc., printed in microscopic lettering, are a valiant effort to disguise this fact.

And why is there never a Frazer-Nash in the Alpine—acknowledged the supreme test of a genuinely standard car ? I am, Yours, etc.,

London, N.W.3. ALAN K. CLERK. * • * GA13RIEL IN VERSE Sir, In your July issue, L. H. Muskett wonders “if many of your present-clay readers can recall this most delightful of Edwardian accessories” (the Gabriel horn). I heartily sympathise With his nostalgic yearning for this charming device. One of its most endearing features was the charming little doggerel used in advertisements, which ran (I think) : ” M days of old when knights were bold,

Bad barons held their sway. They cleared the roads round their abodes

In the most alarming way. Slot so today, we see fair play And get there just the same, To gently warn, by the Gabriel horn, Is much the better way “

The whole was neatly illustrated and was redolent of the easy spaciousness of the” good old days “(now lost—alas—like the Gabriel horn). I am, Yours, etc.,

Chorley Wood. J. 1). C. Lrrrx.E.

THE ONE IN FRONT WINS

Sir,

Conjecture should, in my opinion have no place in reports of motoring events, unless it be applied to all competitors.

I am referring to your report on the Grand Prix DAIL Trophy race at the Vintage S.C.C. Silverstone meeting. It would appear from this that, if the Delage had adequate braking, it would not ” have to be satisfied with second place.”

Very well—let us assume that it had adequate brakes, but we must, therefore, ALSO assume that the Amilcar did not fluff on No. I on the second lap and remain on five for the last six laps.

I submit that if both these assumptions had obtained the result would have been the same with, possibly, the Amilear winning by a greater distance.

If we go further into the realms of fancy, Byrom might have run the race with all his gears and cylinders in operation, when even the Amilcar equipe think that they could not have held him.

Away with ” suppose ” and give credit to the victor (no pun intended), and those who prepared his car, working the clock round replacing a defective magneto and a prop-shaft, in order to get it to the line. I am, Yours, etc.,

Enfield. HAROLD B1008. [We did not intend our remarks, about the Delage’s lack of anchorage to detract from Victor Hern’s win in the Amilcar ; the fact remains that some credit was due to the old Delage, which was sleeping peacefully at Hartney Wintney the night before the race while the Amilcar was being remagnetised and fitted with that useful item of specification, a transmission. After which the Deluge took Clutton and the Editor of this journal to Silverstone as any good sports car would have done, neither ” fluffing ” nor losing one of its twelve pots. Surely, after all the years he has been reading motoring papers, Mr. Biggs knows that, do with a skilled pen what he will, no motoring journalist, alive or dead, can give greater credit to a ” placeman ” than goes to the winner of a scratch race, fairly staged, or can he 1—En.)