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THE WOMAN AND THE CAR
[Illustration:
_Photo by Foulsham & Banfield, Ltd._
DOROTHY LEVITT
_Her favourite photograph_]
THE WOMAN
AND THE CAR
A CHATTY LITTLE HANDBOOK
FOR ALL WOMEN WHO MOTOR
OR WHO WANT TO MOTOR
BY DOROTHY LEVITT
EDITED WITH INTRODUCTORY
ARTICLES BY C. BYNG-HALL
ILLUSTRATED BY PHOTOGRAPHS
SPECIALLY TAKEN
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY, MCMIX
Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED
Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London
INTRODUCTORY
In presenting this book to the public the publisher is acting largely on
the request of some hundreds of ladies, some already motorists, others
would-be motorists. Miss Dorothy Levitt, last year, wrote a short series
of articles for the _Daily Graphic_ on the subject of Motoring for
Women. These articles attracted a great deal of attention and Miss
Levitt was inundated with letters from all parts of the United Kingdom
and also from abroad, asking her for further information on various
points and also begging her to publish the articles and additional
information in volume form.
Miss Levitt was also asked to contribute articles on the same lines to
many magazines and weekly publications and further received requests
from a number of distinguished women to give them personal instruction
in the art of driving and managing the mechanism of their cars.
As the simplest way out of answering all these requests Miss Levitt has
revised and enlarged her former articles and has added new chapters and
a great deal of matter which she believes every woman motorist or
beginner will find of use.
There has been no attempt to make this volume a formal text-book on
motoring for women but rather a chatty little handbook, containing
simple and understandable instructions and hints for all women
motorists, whether beginners or experts.
The facts contained in the various chapters are not those gathered from
any standard manual of motoring but are from Miss Levitt’s own practical
experience of six years’ daily driving, in all sorts of cars, in all
sorts of weather and under all sorts of conditions--pleasure trips,
long-distance tours at home and abroad and in competitions.
There may be points here and there which she has overlooked. Miss
Levitt, however, will answer such questions or furnish such further
information as readers may properly desire, either through the medium of
his Majesty’s mails or, perhaps, in a later edition of this volume.
The photographs, with which the several chapters are illustrated, were
specially taken for the work by Mr. Horace W. Nicholls.
_London, February 1909._
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTORY v
DOROTHY LEVITT: A PERSONAL SKETCH 3
THE WOMAN AND THE CAR
CHAP.
I. THE CAR--ITS COST, UPKEEP AND ACCESSORIES 15
II. THE ALL-IMPORTANT QUESTION OF DRESS 23
III. THE MECHANISM OF THE CAR 31
IV. HOW TO DRIVE 41
V. TROUBLES--HOW TO AVOID AND TO MEND THEM 51
VI. HINTS ON EXPENSES 62
VII. MOTOR MANNERS 69
VIII. TIPS--NECESSARY AND UNNECESSARY 77
DISTINGUISHED WOMEN MOTORISTES 85
THE COMING OF THE SMALL CAR 93
CAR INDEX-MARKS AND THEIR LOCALE--IN BRITAIN,
FRANCE AND GERMANY 101
THE MOTOR WOMAN’S DICTIONARY--BRIEF EXPLANATION
OF TECHNICAL TERMS 111
INDEX 123
ADVERTISEMENTS--SPECIALLY SELECTED AS BEING
USEFUL TO WOMEN MOTORISTES 129
ILLUSTRATIONS
_To face
page_
Dorothy Levitt. Her favourite photograph. _Photo
by Foulsham & Banfield, Ltd._ _Frontispiece_
“Drive your own car.” _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 14
It is accessories that bring up the cost--you must
have a hood. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 18
One of the most important articles of wear is a scarf
or muffler for the neck. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 24
Remember to twist the veil before tying--this prevents
the knot working loose. _Photo H. W.
Nicholls_ 26
“The useful overall.” _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 28
This little drawer is the great secret. _Photo H.
W. Nicholls_ 30
Unscrew the cap and peep in. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 32
Test the quantity of oil in the tank by inserting a
piece of stick. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 34
Pull up this small rod to enable the “used” oil to
run out of the base-chamber. _Photo H. W.
Nicholls_ 36
The adjustment of the foot-brake is a matter of
seconds. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 38
In front of your car you will notice a handle. _Photo
H. W. Nicholls_ 42
Release the foot from the right pedal and throttle
slightly with the left foot on the left pedal.
_Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 44
Your next move is to take off the side brake. _Photo
H. W. Nicholls_ 48
It is a simple matter to remove a faulty sparking
plug. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 52
It is a simple matter to adjust the trembler or screw.
_Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 56
Be sure that all nuts and bolts are tight--a rattle is
annoying. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 60
“Be sure that the petrol tank is full.” _Photo H. W.
Nicholls_ 62
This is the switch. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 66
This lever is used for changing gear. _Photo H. W.
Nicholls_ 68
First advance the spark and give more air. _Photo
H. W. Nicholls_ 72
The Automobile Association scouts will, if necessary,
stop your car on the road and give you information.
_Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 74
The engine will start easily if you first flood the
carburettor slightly. _Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 76
The lubrication of the De Dion is extremely simple.
_Photo H. W. Nicholls_ 80
Miss Isabel Savory, who not only drives, but repairs
her own cars. _Photo Elliott & Fry_ 84
Baroness Campbell de Lorentz, the first lady in
Britain to drive her own car. _Photo by Keturah
Collings_ 86
The Honble. Mrs. Assheton Harbord. Drives a
Rolls Royce car, owns her own balloon, “The
Valkyrie,” and has competed with it in seven
races 88
Mrs. George Thrupp, originator of the motor
christening. _Photo by Arthur Rouselle_ 90
DOROTHY LEVITT: A PERSONAL SKETCH
It is not considered difficult for mere man to write about a pretty,
young woman. Yet in the case of Dorothy Levitt it is difficult. There
are so many things in her delightful private life which would have a
vivid interest for the public. But I am forbidden to tread too deeply in
that direction.
Dorothy Levitt is the premier woman motorist and botorist of the world.
And she is ready to prove and uphold her title at any time.
In the United Kingdom, in France and in Germany, she has achieved
distinctions, won success and carried off trophies such as no woman and
few men can claim.
Five years ago Miss Levitt won the Championship of the Seas in the great
motor-boat race at Trouville, France, defeating all comers.
Three years ago at Brighton she won a race and created a world’s record
for women of 79¾ miles per hour. The following year she broke her own
record and created a new world’s record for women of 91 miles an hour.
Looking at Miss Levitt one can hardly imagine that she could drive a car
at such terrific speed. The public, in its mind’s eye, no doubt figures
this motor champion as a big, strapping Amazon. Dorothy Levitt is
exactly, or almost so, the direct opposite of such a picture. She is the
most girlish of womanly women. Slight in stature, shy and shrinking,
almost timid in her everyday life, it is seeming a marvel that she can
really be the woman who has done all that the records show.
And the way in which she came to be a motorist--it is a story in itself.
She was from childhood a good cyclist, a good driver of horses, a rider
to hounds and an excellent shot with rifle or gun. Fishing was her
favourite pastime. She was quick of eye and sure of hand and nerves
troubled her not at all.
A friend, owning a motor-car, paid a visit to the family in the West
Country. In a very few days Dorothy Levitt had become well acquainted
with the intricacies of that motor. She handled the wheel as well as the
owner or his chauffeur. She attended, as a spectator, a county
competition, driving the car with such skill that the attention was
attracted of the manager of a big motor firm. He secured an introduction
and asked her to drive one of his cars in a competition. She agreed and
thus became the first Englishwoman to drive a motor-car in a public
competition.
Her first prize was won a month later, and since then she has steadily
mounted the tree of her chosen profession. Yet she has remained an
amateur, accepting no money prizes, only medals and cups and such like
trophies.
In hill climbs, endurance and speed trials she is alike invincible. At
the first aerial hare-and-hounds race of balloons this year she was
selected as the umpire. The most careful, as well as intrepid and
fast-driving motorist, was wanted. Miss Levitt unerringly followed the
hare from London to near Arundel, Sussex, and was on the spot when the
first balloon among the hounds descended near the hare.
Miss Levitt has been offered many enticing professional engagements on
the Continent and in the United States but prefers to remain at home and
an amateur.
In appearance Dorothy Levitt looks partly French, partly Irish, with a
_soupçon_ of American. Yet she is wholly English. Of medium height, her
figure is slim and very graceful. She has a very girlish but expressive
face, large eyes that are brown and grey and green in varying lights,
brown hair that curls, a straight nose that has the bare inclination of
a saucy upward tip and a mouth which is too large. It is a charming,
winning face.
The one fault of Dorothy Levitt is her modesty, almost amounting to
bashfulness. One cannot get her to tell much of her many exciting
adventures, particularly those of which she is the heroine. She is
immensely popular, has been toasted by Royalty at German motor banquets,
elected honorary member of many of the first automobile clubs in this
country and on the Continent, and has a host of friends, some in the
sacred circles of society, others distinguished men and women of the
more Bohemian circles of art and literature, music and the drama. She is
an inveterate first-nighter, wears simple but ravishing clothes and, to
those who do not know her, passes as a bright butterfly of fashion.
In a flat in a quiet but fashionable neighbourhood in the West-end of
London, Miss Levitt lives the life of a bachelor girl. There she has a
housekeeper and maid and a tiny Pomeranian, one “Dodo,” to keep her
company. The flat contains, as its feature rooms, a Louis XIV.
drawing-room and a Flemish dining-room, the latter the scene of many
little luncheon parties for which Miss Levitt is also famous.
Hers is a busy life, involving many thousands of miles of travel in the
year. She is to be seen at Ascot, Goodwood, Cowes, at Henley, at
Ranelagh. To-day she may be in London. Next week you may hear of her as
in France or Germany taking part in a motor competition; the week
following she may be in Scotland or of a house-party in the Shires or
botoring in the blue waters off the Riviera coast.
It is little wonder that her ambition is to leave the gay whirl and to
settle down quietly in the country, with her motor, her dogs and a
fishing-rod and a gun.
Of her public records I can do no better than quote extracts from her
diary, for Miss Levitt, unlike the generality of women, is most careful
in keeping a very businesslike diary. Here are the extracts:
_April 1903._--First Englishwoman to take part in public motor-car
competition. Did not win. Will do better next time.
_May 13, 1903._--Glasgow to London Non-stop Run. Drove 16 horse-power
Gladiator. Gained 994 marks out of possible 1000. Marks deducted for
tyre troubles.
_August 1903._--Won Gaston Menier Cup at Trouville, France. Value of
cup, 350 guineas.
_August 8, 1903._--Drove motor-boat _Napier_ at Cowes. Won the race.
Afterwards commanded to go over to Royal yacht by the King as his
Majesty wanted to see me put boat through its paces. King thinks such
boats may be useful for despatch work.
_September 1903._--One thousand miles Reliability Trials. Sixteen
horse-power Gladiator. Won. Did fastest time in class.
_October 2, 1903._--Southport Speed Trials. Drove 16 horse-power
Gladiator. Won silver cup for speed.
Won Championship of the Seas, Trouville. Napier motor-boat. Boat
afterwards bought by French Government for £1000.
_September 1904._--Light Car Trials. Successful. Drove small De Dion, 8
horse-power. Entirely alone. No mechanic attended to car. Did everything
myself. Had non-stop for five days but small difficulties on sixth and
last day.
_October 1904._--Southport Speed Trials. Drove 50 horse-power Napier.
Won two medals.
_February 1905._--Did Liverpool and back to London in two days,
averaging a level 20 miles per hour throughout for the entire 411 miles.
Unaccompanied by mechanic. Eight horse-power De Dion.
_May 1905._--Won Non-stop Certificate at Scottish Trials. Ran over very
rough and hilly roads in the Highlands. Eight horse-power De Dion.
_July 1905._--Won Brighton Sweepstakes on 80 horse-power Napier, at rate
of 79¾ miles per hour, constituting the woman’s world record. Beat a
great many professional drivers. Drove at rate of 77¾ miles in _Daily
Mail_ Cup.
_June 1906._--Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb. Was only sixth at finish. Fifty
horse-power Napier. Mine was only car competing which was not fitted
with non-skids. Car nearly went over embankment owing to this and greasy
state of roads.
_June 1906._--South Harting Hill Climb. Won medal on 50 horse-power
Napier. Also presented with silver casket for winning private match on
same hill.
_July 1906._--Aston Hill Climb (Tring). Third on 50 horse-power Napier.
_October 1906._--Broke my own record and created new world’s record for
women at Blackpool. Ninety horse-power six-cylinder Napier. Racing car.
Drove at rate of 91 miles per hour. Had near escape as front part of
bonnet worked loose and, had I not pulled up in time, might have blown
back and beheaded me. Was presented with a cup by the Blackpool
Automobile Club and also a cup by S. F. Edge, Limited.
_May 1907._--Bexhill, Second Prize, Appearance Competition. Eight
horse-power De Dion.
_June 1907._--Germany. Won Gold Medal Herkomer Trophy Race (1818
kilometres). Fourth out of 172 competitors. In hill climb, fifth, and
tenth in Forstenrieder Park Speed Trial out of 172 competitors. Was
first of all women in all competitions. Sixty horse-power six-cylinder
Napier. There were 42 cars with much larger engines than I had.
_October 1907._--France, Gaillon Hill Climb. Forty horse-power
six-cylinder Napier. Won in my class by 20 seconds. Gradient of hill 1
in 10 average.
_June 1908._--Prinz Heinrich Trophy, Germany. Made absolute non-stop run
on 45 horse-power Napier. Won large silver placque.
_July 1908._--Aston Hill Climb, Aston Clinton. Made second fastest time
of over 50 competitors on 60 horse-power Napier.
_August 1908._--France. Trouville, La Côte du Calvaire.
THE WOMAN AND THE CAR
[Illustration:
_Photo. H. W. Nicholls._
“DRIVE YOUR OWN CAR”]
THE WOMAN AND THE CAR
CHAPTER I
THE CAR--ITS COST, UP-KEEP AND ACCESSORIES
Motoring as a Pastime for Women--Patience of more Value than
Nerve--Selection of a Car--Single-cylinder the best for Women who
are going to drive themselves and attend to the Mechanism--Cost of
a Small Car--Necessary Accessories and their Cost--Expense of
Up-keep--The necessary Licences and the Cost.
Patience, the capacity for taking pains, is of more value than the most
ponderous nerve. You may be afraid, as I am, of driving in a hansom
through the crowded streets of town--you may be afraid of a mouse, or so
nervous that you are startled at the slightest of sudden sounds--yet you
can be a skilful motorist, and enjoy to the full the delights of this
greatest of out-door pastimes, if you possess patience--the capacity for
taking pains.
Motoring is a pastime for women: young, middle-aged, and--if there are
any--old. There may be pleasure in being whirled around the country by
your friends and relatives, or in a car driven by your chauffeur; but
the real, the intense pleasure, the actual realisation of the pastime
comes only when you drive your own car.
I have hunted--and was one with those who declare that the most glorious
of all out-door life is in the saddle, on a fast, clean-jumping hunter;
but when, by accident, I took up motoring I found the exhilaration, the
delights of the gallop doubled. It fascinated me, and it will fascinate
any woman who tries it.
I am writing this little book not so much for those women who have
already taken up motoring, but for those who would like to, but either
dare not because of nervousness, or who imagine it is too difficult to
understand the many necessary details.
In the following chapters I will endeavour to explain everything in the
simplest possible manner, without lapsing into confusing technicalities.
The first thing to discuss is the car. There are scores of makes, good,
bad and indifferent. I have tried many different makes and have come to
the conclusion that the De Dion is an ideal single-cylinder car for a
woman to drive. It combines simplicity with reliability--two very
important items to the automobiliste.
For your own driving, if you are going to attend to the mechanism
yourself, you should purchase a single-cylinder car--more cylinders mean
more work, and also more expense as regards tyres, petrol, oil, &c. The
single-cylinder car is the most economical to run. Being constructed in
a much lighter manner the weight on the tyres is less, consequently the
tyre bill is smaller, a matter of great importance in the upkeep of a
car.
The horse-power of a single-cylinder car is usually 8 h.p. or less. As
regards carriage work, of course the purchaser can suit herself, but the
“Victoria” type of body has the most graceful lines. Colour, also, is a
matter of one’s own selection. Dark blue, brown, green, red or cream,
they all look well, and can be picked out with lines to match the
upholstery, or further embellished with a top panel of basket-work, as
is the car in the photograph.
Such a car as I have described will cost, new, from £230. This price,
however, is for the car itself, upholstered and complete as to seats and
side lamps. It is the accessories that bring up the cost. It adds
greatly to one’s comfort to have a hood, made of either black leather or
khaki-coloured canvas, with nickel or brass mountings to match the
finish of your car. Such a hood will cost, in leather, about £20, and in
canvas £18. I am quoting for the best quality in every instance, for
with motoring it is quality that counts in the long run. A folding glass
screen, with nickel or brass fittings, framed in stained wood, will cost
£10. The front lamps will cost about £6 per pair, and the rear lamp £1
to £1 5_s._ A waterproof rug can be bought for £1 to £2.
The car will, of course, seat two, but it is often advisable to have a
third seat. This should be constructed so as to fold down when not in
use, and would cost £15. You can have a stationary seat fitted for £10,
but these do not look so nice (though quite as comfortable)
[Illustration:
_Photo. H. W. Nicholls_
IT IS ACCESSORIES THAT BRING UP THE COST--YOU MUST HAVE A HOOD]
as those that fold down. In addition to these things it is necessary to
carry a tyre repair outfit, which will cost about £1, also the following
tools and spares:
Ammeter, jack, pliers, spanners, carburetter jet key, large and
small screw-drivers, hammer, oil-can, grease injector, tyre-pump,
sparking-plug, inlet and exhaust valves, trembler blade and screw,
some washers, split pins, file, very fine file for platinum points,
emery-powder, insulated tape, and some waste or swabs.
In buying your car you will probably find that the last car you were on
is “the best.” It is liable to become somewhat confusing if you go for
many trial runs; but one thing to bear in mind is that the car that will
do five miles an hour faster than the one you previously tried is not
necessarily the best car--it may be faster while it is running, but it
may not run for long--therefore take my advice and pin your faith on the
car with the reputation for reliability, the one that will not entail a
big expenditure every few months for repairs. Nearly all of us,
nowadays, have some motoring friends, who have probably had experience
with different makes of cars: their experience should benefit you in
your choice. There are some very inexpensive cars on the market, but
inexpensive only as to initial outlay--they are likely to prove
themselves sorry bargains before many months have passed. One of the
chief joys of motoring is to feel that you can rely upon your car.
In regard to housing the car, if you are not fortunate enough to possess
a stable or garage of your own, one of the following courses is open to
you: Hire a stable, or garage, and a man to attend to the cleaning of
the car; place it at one of the many garages, public and semi-private,
now in existence--or you can stable it at the nearest mews and arrange
with the ostler to do the washing. I cannot give the exact cost of the
first and last of these, as they would naturally vary, but if placed at
a regular garage the cost would be from 8_s._ 6_d._ to 12_s._ 6_d._ per
week.
Another outlay is to be found in “tips.” The men at a garage are always
hungry for “tips,” and your car will be polished with greater zest if
the “tips” are frequent or generous. The advertisement of the “no tip”
garage is a fallacy. The proprietor may consider this principle the
right one, but if you act according to his ideas your car will probably
suffer.
Petrol varies slightly in price, but is usually from 1_s._ to 1_s._
4_d._ per gallon. As, with the car illustrated, you are able to run 28
to 32 miles on one gallon, you will see that petrol is not a great item.
The next duty that devolves on you after becoming the owner of a car is
to procure your licences. There are two--one a licence for the car (the
same as a carriage licence), the cost of which is governed according to
the weight of the car, probably near two guineas; the other a driving
licence, costing 5_s._ Both of these are to be obtained from the London
County Council offices in Spring Gardens, London, S.W., or in the
country at the various County Council headquarters--though the carriage
licence can be obtained, after due application, at almost any post
office. Your driving licence is an official printed paper with your name
and address written in.
To obtain a number for the car it is necessary to apply to Spring
Gardens, or any of the Registration and Licensing authorities in the
United Kingdom. If one writes to a County Council, the letter should be
addressed: “Clerk to the County Council of ----, County Council
Offices, ----,” and if to a county borough, to “The Town Clerk, Town
Hall, ----.” The registration fee is 20_s._ You will have to fill up a
form and will then have a number registered.
This number you must have painted on two tin plates, white on a black
ground. The figures must be 3½ in. deep. These number-plates must be
affixed to the back and front of your car. The back one must be so
placed that the light from the back lamp is thrown on it and thus the
number distinctly seen at night. It is also necessary for part of the
rear lamp to show a red light.
You should never go in your car without this licence--your driving
licence, for you must produce it when asked by the proper authorities or
pay the penalty of £5. But more of this later.