HERE and THEREBy "Camshaft", November 1931

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PerformanceMeters and Road Tests.

TAPLEY AND CO., the well-known instrument manufacturers of Totton, Southampton, have just sent me a folder dealing with the various meters which they make specially for use in testing the efficiency of motor vehicles. There is no doubt that these instruments are of high value in checking the behaviour of a car, and it is not surprising that they are being used in the research and experimental departments of the more progressive motor manufacturing concerns. In the past reliance has been placed largely on the judgment of the driver with the result that the information in regard to acceleration and braking is of a more or less vague and indefinite nature.

With these Tapley devices a really comprehensive test of any vehicle can be made in a very short space of time, and with their standard Performance Meter both the maximum acceleration and resistance losses can be obtained. The instrument is made with a clamp so that one can easily fix it on the facia board. It costs £6 6s.

A Club of Character.

So many motor clubs today do so little for their members that it is refreshing to find one which is an exception to the rule.

At a recent big event, for instance, the Riley Motor Club arranged a special enclosure for its members and, indeed, Riley owners in general. Tea was provided free to members and 215 cars were parked. In all nearly 800 members and friends took advantage of the facilities provided.

The Riley club is, of course, by far the largest one-make club in the country and, with its membership of over 1,000, is one of the largest clubs affiliated to the R.A.C. Apart from the recent very successful 24 hour trial it organises rallies, social meetings, etc., and in every possible way gives its members the full value of their subscriptions. Other motor clubs might well take a leaf from its book.

Busy Bodybuilders.

I hear that so great is the demand for the Avon bodies which are now being fitted to a number of light cars— including the 9 h.p. Standard—that the manufacturers, the New Avon Body Co., Ltd., of Warwick, have their factory going at the limit of its capacity in order to execute the large number of orders which they have received in the past few months.

Lucas’s New Premises. Joseph Lucas, Ltd., are now able to offer motorists increased facilities in London in all sales and supply matters connected with their products and those of

their associated companies since they have opened new premises in Regent Street, W.1.

These showrooms are situated at the corner of Cavendish Place and Regent Street, and henceforward all enquiries should be made there and not at the old Shaftesbury Avenue showrooms which have now been vacated.

Foreign Touring with “Second-Handers.”

People who own second-hand cars, which outwardly may appear to have seen their best days, are inclined to hesitate about carrying out a foreign tour, for the prospect of a breakdown when far from home is not pleasant. Not so the owner of a five-year-old Schneider I have recently heard about. This car has just completed 11,000 miles over some of the worst mountain roads in the South of France, and the outward journey from London to Folkestone only occupied 2 hours 5 minutes, although the maximum never exceeded 50 m.p.h. and the journey was done in the pouring rain. Then on the trip from Paris to Lyons an average of 33 m.p.h. was maintained (including stops for meals) and despite the fact that a deal of snow and rain was encountered. Quite a remarkable performance for a second-hander.

Four Women onra World Tour.

Just over a month ago four Australian women set out from Melbourne on an 18,000 mile motor tour which is to be concluded at the Monte Carlo Rally next January. Already an arduous stretch of their long journey has been successfully accomplished—from Melbourne to Port Darwin, which includes some very bad going in the tropical northern parts of Australia.

They have now embarked for Singapore and from there they will drive up the Malay Peninsula to Penang, take a boat to Calcutta, drive across India to Bombay, sail to Basra, drive to Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo and Alexandria, and then ship to Europe for the start of the Rally.

‘This is the first time that an Australian team has been entered for this classic event, and the fact that the drivers are ladies makes the entry all the more interesting. Two of the party are noted long-distance motorists already ; these are Miss Jean Robertson and Miss Kathleen Howell, who were the first Australian women to make the trip from Melbourne to Port Darwin, and who hold the present record for the run from Perth to Adelaide. A third member, Miss Jean Richmond, is a wellknown track motorist.

They are driving Riley Nines of standard type but fitted with special bodies which have been designed to carry full camping equipment for the party and also to comply with the conditions of the Monte Carlo Rally.