tems of interest
ITEMS OF INTFREST
FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
Mrs. Stewart’s Record. p. In: fastest
ir p. In: fastest woman motorist in the world to-day is the British lady
driver, Mrs. G. M. Stewart, who has now attainedthe remarkable speed. of over 140jra.p.h. in a record breaking run at Montlhery. During the Easter week-end Mrs. Stew art broke no fewer than four international records in class ” E ” (1,500 c.c. to 2,000 c.c.), viz., 5 kilometres, 140.47 m.p.h. ; 5 miles, 139.48 m.p.h. ; 10 kilometres,
139.80 m.p.h. ; 10 miles, 134.26 m.p.h.
Her car was a Derby-Miller Special, the property of Mr. W. D. Hawkes. Last December, it will be remembered,
Mrs. Stewart established two new world’s records, the 10 miles record and the 100 kilometre record. She is, in fact, the only woman to hold any of the recognised world’s records and is one of the few women to have established international class records.
She also has the honour of being the fastest British track racing motorist for distances over 1 kilometre.
Motor Wheels at the Science Museum.
THREE additions have been made to the motor car wheel exhibit at the Science Museum, South Kensington. They have been supplied by the Dunlop Company and are a section of the Dunlop pressed steel artillery wheel, showing construction, the original B.D. wire wheel, Neales Patent, 1920 and the ” ‘Magna ” wire wheel.
The exhibit illustrates the development of the car wheel from its earliest stages and examples of new developments are added from time to time.
Wanderlust-1931.
ANOTHER worldtour started a short time ago, when Messrs. W. Johnson and. E. Farrell set off on an .Ariel motorcycle and box sidecar to encircle the globe.
They aim to work their passages on the boats on which they will have to travel and, both being good shots, they hope to replenish the larder with a minimum. of expense. They are taking full camping kit with them and to save money will use it every night. They will never see the inside of an hotel—except at the hospitality of local enthusiasts.
Apart from the route their prans are delightfully nebulous. After Prance they will make for Constantinople, Alexandria, Cairo, across the desert to Lake Victoria and over the veldt to Cape Town. They will there board a cargo boat to Colombo, and later go through India and Malay to Australia. There, for the time being, the definite route ceases. Their machine is capable of carrying large quantities of petrol, and this they hope to obtain on the old army principle —that of the ” scrounge ” I
Humbers for R.A.F.
rs
THE Royal Air Force personnel are familiar with ” Snipes,” for at the of the war, and for some e years afterwards several squadrons were equipped with Sopwith scout machines having that designation.
Now they are to use ” Snipes ” again though this time they will be cars and not ‘planes), for the Air Ministry has recently placed an order with Humber Ltd., for some of these cars for use in Palestine.
New Goggles.
ml-..;;SSRS. E. B. MEYROWITZ, creators of the universally-known Luxor goggles, have just placed on the market a new model to be known as “Number Ten,” the special features being extra long flat safety glass lenses, and a new type of ventilation which was experimented with and approved by the late Sir Henry &grave. He wore the first of these goggles during his successful attempt on the world’s land speed record. Another feature of this new model is the large flat cushions which form perfectly to the contour of the face, ensuring a high degree of comfort to the wearer. The lenses and cushions are detachable, and can, if necessary, be replaced in less than one minute. The price of this new model, including leather case, is 45/-. They can be seen at either of the London Branches of E. B. 1Vleyrowitz Ltd., or any of their agents.
Meyrowitz goggles, in the past few years, have attained phenomenal popularity, and are now used by practically every racing motorist as well as being chosen by flying men extensively.
BrandedMotor Spirit.
THE public realise the value of purchasing branded goods. They know that products bearing a d. name have the makers’ guarantee of quality behind them, and that no matter in which part of the country purchases are made the same quality can be relied upon. Indeed, to the purchaser, consistency of good quality is one of the chief attributes of the branded article.
The principle applies to motor spirit as well as to other commodities, yet many motorists are still under the impression that by buying a No. 1 spirit they are getting a first grade product.
There was a time when the term No. I was generally employed by the petrol marketing companies to designate their premier grades, but owing to the term being loosely used, and so frequently applied to inferior spirits, it was dropped some years ago in the interests of motorists. To-day the only way to ensure that first grade spirits are obtained is for the public those le to confine their patronage to thading have gain ve nothing to
makers, who and much to lose by putting out inferior spirits under their well known and well advertised brand names.
A ” Wonder-Bar ” on
THE builders of luxury coachwork are responsible for the inception of many of the refinements now fitted as standard to moderate-priced production cars, but it is problematical whether manufacturers of popular priced models will ever provide so beautiful a fitting as one recently seen in a West End showroom.
This was in a luxurious limousine body built by Thrupp & Maberly, Ltd., for an 8-litre Bentley chassis and consisted of a tastefully designed cabinet housing a complete cocktail set and ice container. Spirit decanters and beakers were neatly let into the woodwork, the whole comprising a miniature bar.
This fashion of carrying suitable liquid refreshment is a direct outiome of the great increase in summer and winter touring, and is further fostered by the irksome and ever inconvenient licensing restrictions.
Motorists’ Remedy for Bad Roads.
AHINT to motorists has been given by a motorcyclist who was thrown from his machine on a bad patch of
the seriously road in e Carshalton area and seously injured. He sued the local Urban District Council at Kingston Assizes and was awarded damages.
Now many motorists who have skidded disaster saster or whose springs have been badly jolted on some of our worst roads may follow his lead and get the local authority concerned to pay for the damage to the car.
“Au action would be successful if the motorist could prove that the accident was due to the misfeasance of the council In laying the road,” said an authority on county council law. “If the surface was unduly slippery or broken, no matter how much money the road had cost, the council might be deemed guilty of negligence and have to pay.” It would be no excuse, he added, for
the council to plead that it had spent a great deal of money on the road. In fact it would merely be an aggravation, for most motorists know that accidents occur most commonly on the new roads—the Kingston By-pass for example—made from the most expensive imported materials, and that the roads made from inexpensive local materials are usually perfectly safe.