CAPTAIN J.S.IRVING INTERVIEW-coninued.
CAPTAIN J. S. IRVING INTERVIEW—continued.
IRVING NAPIER SPECIAL.
Overall Length.-27ft. 8ins.
Overall height of body from ground.— 37ins., i.e., 6ins. higher than an ordinary kitchen table.
Top of seat cushion from ground.— 9ins., 3ins. higher than a 416. jam pot.
Total Weight.-3 tons, 12 cwts., including 5 cwts. lead ballast required to obtain true balance. Engine.—Napier 900 h.p. as used in Schneider Cup winner and also by Captain Malcolm Campbell. Compression Ratio.-10–I, i.e., double that of the
normal engine.
Fuel.—Special B.P. alcohol mixture. Owing to the high compression ratio, it was impossible to fully open the throttle until the engine was turning at over 2,000 revolutions per minute.
Speed of Engine at 231 m.p.h.-3,250 r.pm.
CAPTAIN /ViALCOLM CAMPBELL’S NEW RECORDS.
On April 26th, at Verneuk Pan, South Africa, Captain Malcolm broke the worlds records for the five miles and five kilometres. At the same time he attemPted to beat the flying mile record at present held by Sir Henry Segrave, but in this he failed. Captain Campbell’s speed for the five kilometres war 211 miles per hour and for the five miles 212 miles per hour. The previous record for the five kilometers was put up by Sir Penry Segrave driving the 1,C1.)0 h.p. twin engined Sunbeam at Daytona in 1927, when he averaged 202.67 miles per hour for that distance. Captain Campbell’s speed fcr the 5 miles lecord, viz., 212 miles per hour beats the fcrmet record by the astounding margin of 72 miles per hour, this being previously 140.6 miles per hour, attained at Montlhery track by Mr. E. A. D. Eldridge driving his straight eight 2,000 c.c. Miller. Captain Camp
Gear Changes.—Ist to 2nd at 80 m.p.h.; 2nd to top at 170 m.p.h.
Consumption.-75 gallons per hour at record speed, 3 miles per gallon.
Captain Irving informed us that the ice cooling was provided rnerely as a precaution as the design of the novel surface radiators, etc., used, was based entirely on theory and no practical data was available. i-towever, the radiators were found t °function perfectly, the water temperature never exceeding 68 degrees C. and as the ice cooling was controlled by thermostat by the temperature of the water it was not used at all, in fact, so we were told, during the record run there was not even any ice in the radiator.
Captain Irving told us that the Golden Arrow was very docile compared with other cars of this class and that on one occasion Major Segrave drove the car up some planks off the sand on to the promenade and back to the garage.
bell has now abandoned his attempt to break the world’s speed record and is sailing for England on May 3rd. When it is recalled that his time for the mile was only one second less than the time put up by Sir Henry Segrave, his marvellous performance will be appreciated.
DELAGE BREAKS RECORDS AT BROOKLANDS
Mr. J. R. Cobb, driving a 10,680 c.c. Delage car at Brooklands on Saturday, April 20th, succeeded in bi caking three international and one British record in ( lass A. The British record was five kilometres (flying start), Mr. Cobb’s time being 1min. 27-36 secs., which gives an average of 128 17 m.p.h. over that distance. The international records were the five miles, average speed 128.14 m.p.h., 10 kilometres at 1281 1 m.p.h., and the 10 miles record at 128 m.p,h.