The Development of the Modern Motor.
When the difficulties confronting the introduction and development of
the modern motor-car are taken into consideration, the progress made may
be regarded as remarkable. Although, as usual in mechanical matters,
this country originated the idea, and had steam road carriages in use
nearly a century ago, they succumbed to popular prejudices, were
virtually interdicted, and the act of liberation came only in 1896, when
the success of the internal combustion engine had revived them in a
different form. Before they were again permitted to be used in England,
France and other countries had obtained a decided lead in their design
and construction, and for the last nine years British makers have been
engaged in a keen struggle to regain what they lost by the tardy removal
of their prohibition. That we have at last succeeded in holding our own
in the competition was amply demonstrated by the exhibition held at
Olympia in November last. Here the home productions compared favourably
in every respect with the finest specimens from abroad; indeed, the show
in Paris last month, though its artistic setting was superior, hardly
afforded a better display, and was less international in character.
Automobilism may be regarded as still in its infancy, and although the
late show introduced no revolutionary methods in principle or
construction, it is impossible to foretell what radical changes may be
brought about in course of time. At present the explosion engine carries
all before it, but the use of steam has by no means been abandoned. Its
advantages in flexibility and facility of control stand it in good
stead, and although it costs more in fuel, this has become a matter of
minor importance. The steam car is still engaging the attention of a few
firms, and it may yet become a useful and acceptable type of vehicle.
During the past year there has been a marked advance in every detail of
construction, whilst the upholstering and appointments of the more
pretentious cars have made them most luxurious equipages, the
coachbuilder’s art being combined with the highest mechanical skill.
In the electric car, it is possible that those driven by petrol may, at
some future time, find a serious competitor. The electric broughams used
in towns exhibit the high state-of efficiency obtained by the employment
of this propulsive agent, and the absence of noise and smell. Their
future, however, depends upon the discovery of much more efficient
accumulators or upon the establishment throughout the country of
electrical charging stations, and until such time as one or other of
these conditions is fulfilled their use must be limited to towns or the
neighbourhood of works where their supply of electricity can alone be
replenished.
The most important improvement introduced of late in connection with the
motor is that of the six-cylinder engine. This stands to the credit of
an English firm, and although when it was first brought out little was
thought of it, experience has proved it to be of the greatest value, and
it is being adopted by some of the best firms on the Continent. With
fewer cylinders there are longer intervals between each recurring
explosion, and the severity of each impulse has to be softened by the
use of a heavy fly-wheel, which takes the jar off the driving gear, to
which it communicates the power in a less violent and more protracted
form. By the use of six cylinders a much greater continuity of
propulsive effort is obtained, and to develop the same amount of power
the violence of each explosion is diminished, with the result that there
is greater smoothness in the running and less strain on the mechanism.
Eight cylinders have been used by another firm, but it remains to be
seen whether any advantage will be gained commensurate with the
increased complication involved.
It is satisfactory to note that serious attention is now being given to
the closing in of automobiles, and the latest car built for His Majesty
the King is an instance of the advance made in this direction. No one
would voluntarily ride in an ordinary open carriage in cold and wintry
weather, yet people become so easily wedded to custom that they will
travel long distances in open motor cars and expose themselves to the
rigours of the blast of air that visits them with three times the
severity, by reason of the speed at which they travel, that it would in
a horse-drawn carriage. In the more commodious cars there is no
difficulty in complying with a condition so essential to the comfort of
the occupants; for, as it is, motoring in winter is a trying ordeal to
all but the most robust. The motor car has assumed the form of an open
conveyance owing to the fact that it has been developed on racing rather
than utilitarian lines, and to the diminution of wind resistance being
necessary to the attainment of high speeds. This is a factor of small
account, however, when the pace is kept within legal or reasonable
limits.
The dress of the motorist is fashioned and designed with a view to
protect him from the effects of exposure to the weather, and in the more
or less futile attempt to keep him warm when his journey is a long one
and the day chilly. With the covered-in car the unsightly garments,
masks, and goggles with which he has had perforce to bedeck himself, and
which have brought much ridicule upon him, will be rendered unnecessary,
and ladies and gentlemen when driving will be able to adopt more
rational costumes than those which have distinguished them in the past.
Pneumatic tyres, which constitute the most costly item in the upkeep of
a car, have been greatly improved, and retain their supremacy; for it is
only by their use that high speeds are attainable and endurable. Not
only do they conduce to comfort by their elasticity, but they save the
mechanism from the severe shocks it would otherwise sustain in passing
over rough roads. Metal-studded bands are coming largely into use for
the double purpose of obtaining a better grip on slippery surfaces and
preventing punctures, while at the same time they save the tyres from
much wear and tear. Solid rubber tyres are offered as substitutes for
pneumatics on slower and cheaper cars, and for various commercial
vehicles, and sundry attempts are being made by the provision of springs
to compensate for the elasticity they lack.
Up to the present time there are few signs of any appreciable reduction
in the prices of cars, for, so far, improvements in details and the
additions to their equipment have absorbed whatever may otherwise have
been saved by economies in construction. Some unpretentious but
serviceable little cars of limited capacity may, however, be now
obtained at something over £100, whilst those who are prepared to spend
double this amount will have a wide choice. Not until types become fixed
and standardisation of component parts becomes possible can prices be
materially reduced.