HIGH ROAD SPEEDS

HIGH ROAD SPEEDS

Sir,

As a very keen enthusiast of motoring in its every shape and form I enjoy your journal immensely.

I feel sure you can throw some light on a rather heated discussion I have been having with some of my friends regarding high road speeds.

A mutual acquaintance of ours recently tried out an H.R.D. motor-cycle, twincylinder and most certainly a very fast job. He tells us he clocked 95 m.p.h. on the speedo going up to Stevenage from Winchmore Hill via the Great North Road. I believed him, the others however, staunchly maintain that such a high speed is impossible between my place and Stevenage, either by motor-cycle or car ; in fact they very much doubt if 95 m.p.h. is possible on any road in the country.

I’m quite certain this is incorrect as I have many times heard of higher speeds especially by cars. I should be interested to hear whether you have any experience of high speed over that section of road also of any of your readers personally having obtained high road speeds. Naturally specially flagged-off roads are excepted or any artificial conditions.

Best wishes to your very excellent journal. I am, Yours etc.,

DENTS W. jAxvis. London, N.21. (Mr. Jarvis raises an interesting point. Readers of long-standing will recall that the magic century was exceeded more than once on the road, and by a nice margin, when MOTOR SPORT road-tested the big Mercedes-Benz models of a few years back. Certainly 100 m.p.h. can be achieved on several roads in this country, notably Al, but so much can happen at that speed if anything goes wrong that it is saner to visit Brooklands track— open to non-members on non-race days. But we welcome a discussion.—Ed.)