Automatic With Troubles
Page 44
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TALKING to Commcr engineers on the occasion of the / announcement of their new Walk-Thru models the other day, our Technical Editor asked why a form of automatic transmission was not being made available, as these vehicles seem to offer so many other advantages for delivery work, yet the driver still has to cope with the clutch and gear lever.
Apparently. this same thought had received much consideration right from the early days of the conception of these designs, and many thousands of pounds had been spent in testing various types of automatic transmission. Whilst some of these appeared to work reasonably well on fairly level roads, under hilly delivery conditions excessive heat build-up proved to be an insurmountable problem. partly aggravated by the inability of fully-laden test vehicles to move away from a standstill on steep gradients.
The ideal of a true two-pedal control for this range is still very much the aim of its originators, but the wherewithal for reaching this goal is not yet within their grasp.
Coals to Newcastle ?
XTORMAL user applied for by a North Western haulier: IN "Alcoholic drinks for local distillers within 50 miles radius of base."
Sm-o-o-o-th
THE suspension of the recently introduced Renault 4 and 4L cars is really quite temarkable, as was demonstrated last week when the British company held a Press Day at The RIO Wentworth club. It w a s possible to drive at speeds well in excess of 30 m.p.h. over rutted and pot-holed cart tracks without the occupants of the car being aware of the true roughness of the surfaces over which they were travelling, whilst the steering layout of this intriguing Renault design makes it simple to hold the vehicle on course.
Unfortunately. the vehicle is not produced in van form . . yet.
Lost Property
OF the 4.070 articles left on Rotherham Corporation buses last year. 2,622 were left unclaimed. The total included a frying pan a Christmas tree. an eiderdown, a deckchair. an