CATERING FOR THE WEALTHY TOURIST.
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A Superlative Type of Six-wheeled Vehicle which is Designed to Provide First-class Travel by Road, Independent of Hotels.
WE are becoming so accustomed to the use of sumptuously equipped motor coaches for touring purposes and high-grade motorbuses for longdistance work that the appearance of any new elaborately appointed passenger-carrying vehicle occasions us little or no surprise. We must, however, confess to a feeling closely akin to wonderment after having had an opportunity for studying the details of the design and construction Of. .a new type of luxurious vehicle, which is really intended to combine the advantages and convenience of -a motor yacht and to replace the privately owned saloon carriage of the railway. It is accordingly named, and quite aptly, a "Highway Motor Yacht."
The body has been designed by Mr. George C. Gore Crellin, 3 and 4, Clement's Inn, London, W.C.2, and the chassis which has been chosen is the six-wheeler 'produced by Guy Motors, Ltd., of Wolverhampton. it must be clearly stated that the layout of the body and the precise nature of its equipment will depend upon the needs of individual purchasers, but types which have been designed by Mr. Gore Crellin are shown in . accompanying • illustrations. At the present time the first vehicle is being constructed for a Liverpool business mart, and a brief description of it will serve to give an impression of the thoroughness with which the design has been conceived and the thought which has been shown in an endeavour to provide the maximum of comfort and convenience.
It should be clearly understood that the Crellin Highway Motor Yacht is not a caravan. It has been designed as a pleasure vehicle for the-man who wishes to tour under conditions approximating thoss provided by a liner's " suite" ; for the business man who wiSties to travel during the night under better conditions than prescnt-day methods give ; for the hunting man who desires to take a party to the meet ; for the conveyance of shooting parties and
for similar defined uses. Mr. Gore Crellin goes so far as to say that one can live on a vehicle of this type with the same degree of comfort as on board a well-desig,ned yacht.
When one considers the character of the interior appointments it is certainly not inaccurate to describe the Crellin Highway Yacht as a flat on wheels. It provides sleeping accommodation for eight guests and a crew of three, whilst during the day 14 guests can be comfortably seated in addition to the staff. The maximum crew of three would only be needed when particularly long journeys are being undertaken and night travelling is involved, and in normal circumstances the staff complement would consist of a driver-mechanic and a cook-steward.
The general layout of the body makes provision for an entrance vestibule, bathroom and w.c., bedroom and lounge. in addition to quarters for the crew. Arrangements have been made for bodies of this type to be produced by Short Brothers, Ltd., of Rochester, and for this company's all-metal construction, which has been referred to in our columns on previous occasions, to be adopted.
Some Features of the Interior Layout.
Let us now give brief particulars of a typical Crellin design. It makes pro, vision for a steward's compartment,
• containit'v, sink, stove, ice-box and all the usual appliances to be found in a yacht's galley, as well as folding cots for the driver and steward. Leading off the entrance vestibule and adjoining the bedroom is the bathroom, • in which is an up-to-date enclosed bath, fitted with shower douche and sprays, a folding silvered wash-basin (hot and cold water being available) and a water closet. The floor is covered with rubber tiles and the walls with " En
decka " tiles. All the fittings are silverplated.
The bedroom contains two bedsteads, two night tables with reading lamps, a dressing table and wardrobes. If necessary two portable sleeping berths can be arranged for. Long drawers are provided under each bedstead, and the floor is covered with a rich Wilton
carpet laid on thick felt Silk brocade curtains, blinds, bedspreads and dainty lamp shades contribute towards the comfort and pleasing appointment of this compartment.
The main compartment, which is intended for use in the daytime, secures adequate natural light from large observation windows. It is an airy and commodious room, and, as in the ease of the bedroom, the floor is covered with a Wilton carpet. The furniture which it contains comprises two deeply sprung settees (these can be converted into sleeping berthsl, two tub armchairs, a beautifully inlaid tideboard, a writing table and a folding dining table, around which eight pebille can be seated. Carpet-covered, hassocks, silk brocade curtains, blinds and lampshades complete the scheme of decoration. A safety door at the end of the 'compartment serves as an emergency exit.
Many useful fittings and accessories are included amongst the equipment, fans, bells, cigar-lighters and clocks. to 'mention only a few of them. Telephonic communication can be maintained with the driver, who it should be mentioned is accommodated alongside the engine in a compartment entirely isolated from the body proper. The installation of a gramophone and
wireless receiving set shows that the recreative side has not been overlooked. For a general indication of the layout we would refer our readers to the accompanying illustrations. The vehicle, of course provides space for storing bedding, linen, plate and other essentials which are in regular use.
• It ts hardly necessary for us to describe the Guy six-wheeled chassis, which serves as the basis of the Crellin Highway Motor Yacht, for it has been described in our columns, and its constructional features are known to many of our readers. Suffice it to say that the engine is a six-cylindered unit, with a bore of 41 ins, and a stroke of 5 ins., which develops 110 h.p. at 2,000 r.p.m.
Our own view of this type of machine is that,. owned by a private user, he would only be able to make limited use of it, because, unquestionably, a fortnight spent on such a vehicle would exhaust all its attractions—probably a week would suffice for this. Hence such a vehicle could better be employed by a caterer aiming to provide facilities for touring parties. Run in conjunction with the shipping companies and touring agencies, a vehicle of this kind could be let for weekly trips, private parties, and during the tourist season could fill a certain demand amongst visitors from overseas. Its operations need not be limited to a short season, as, of course, it could follow the weather and be taken on to the Continent for the winter and spring touring seasons.
With low administrative charges the chief of which would probably be commissionto the tourist agencies abroad, a vehicle of this kind ought to pay its way and show a profit.