BEN NEVIS CLIMBED AGAIN.

BEN NEVIS CLIMBED AGAIN.

Ben Nevis, Great Britain’s highest mountain, which was climbed recently by a Ford car, has again been conquered. The successful vehicle was a 5 h.p. Ariel sidecar combination, which carried a passenger in addition to the driver. This is the first time that the ascent has been made with a sidecar machine, although Ben Nevis has already been climbed by a solo motor-cycle. The feat was accomplished in the remarkably good time of four hours 49 minutes and was carried out under the auspices of the Scottish Western Motor Club.

It cannot be said that the five mile climb was altogether unaided, but the assistance which was required was not due to lack of power, but rather to the fact that in certain places the shingle was so loose that wheelgrip could not be obtained.

Non-skid chains were fitted to the driving wheel at the start, but these did not seem to help much and were ultimately removed. The machine required no attention whatever during the whole climb or descent, and was as sound at the finish as at the start. Trouble might have been expected from overheating, considering the very slow road speed compared with the high engine speed, but, owing to the good lubricating arrangements combined with the Shell Oil used, no signs of trouble were apparent at any time.

It is interesting to note that the machine was by no means specially built, but was a two-year-old standard model, which has already competed in many reliability trials and which last year made a record climb of Ben Lomond.