SHOULD CHASSIS BE SHOWN AT SHOWS?
Page 17
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By the "Inspector."
BY THE TIME the motorcycle show is over some of us will have had far more than enough of shows. The writer cannot recall such a succession of trade displays of such magnitude and importance, one following close upon the other. Generally speaking, only one of the three is of primary importance to any individual, but so often is a motor lorry owner, shall we say, also the user of a touring car, either for his business or his pleasure, or a driver or foreman also the proud possessor of a motorcycle or sidecar outfit in these days, that it is safe to say a large proportion of the visitors to Olympia this year have made at least two visits and, in some cases, will have done the three displays.
• At both the heavy vehicle and the car shows quite a deal of discussion has taken place between owners, , users, and manufacturers' representatives as to the necessity and expediency of showing chassis; or, alternatively, as to whether the complete vehicle is not, an . the whole, the more useful display. The subject ddea not sound a very important one at first blush, but just now, hot as we all are from Olympia, it would be of some considerable assistance to exhibitorsanother year to have some general egpression of opinion on the subject from those who have been visifers.
Some of the top-notch manufacturers at both the industrial and touring car displays this year have contented themselves with staging various examples of the complete machines which they offer to the public, whilst others, and particularly the newcomers, have turned up with show-finished chassis. Now these displays, from the manufacturer's point of view, are only worth the extremely heavy expense incurred, to say nothing of the dislocation of normal business., if they directly or indirectly stimulate sales. As I see the mitter, they can have no other object, although the Society, as a whole, appears to many of us to be principally concerned with amassing shekels. The useful visitors are those of the public who. are owners, or who may become owners, and to whom it is desired to introduce the models that are in manufacture. Additionally, the maker in moat cases is desirous of interesting the agent and trader. Finally, it is net undesirable to stimulate the educational factor so far as working employees from factories and garages are concerned, It is the experience of a number of the piincipal manufacturers that, so far as commercial vehicles and the larger touring cars are concerned, far less interest is nowadays taken by the would-be-purchaser in the chassis and a great deal more in the coachwork. The novice-driver of the smaller car is a-great amateur enthusiast in technical design and construction, and, of course, the operating engineer is, to start with, or should be, a technician who is specially concerned with obtaining machines that will give him the best maintenance results and the least possible trouble.
So far as established factors are concerned, the public is more and more inclined to throw the onus' of attaining mechanicar perfection upon the maker. The day has gone past when a makee of any repute will consent to fit, shall we say: battery ignition for a would-be buyer if magneto is his standard. A Daimler or Rolls-Boyce chassis or a Karrier, Albion, or Leyland is accepted as Al at Lloyd's, and few users are prepared to pit their knowledge against the works technicians in any metallurgical or constructional. argument. Probably, it is no exaggeration to say that the majority of visitors Want to see a machine complete like the one they want to buy and that, if they are exceptionally concerned with the chassis details as such, they will have no difficulty in examining them quietly at the maker's works Or showrooms.
My own personal opinion, for what it is worth, is that if space permits it is still useful to show a chassis in addition to finished models, although the relatively dead level of design revealed at both the industrial ' arid car shows renders this of less importance. But, I do most strongly hold that the display of a chassis which embodies ninny exceptional and novel features of design: dimensions, or general construction very seriously inconveniences the exhibitor because of the treads of draught smell and similar assistants who hover aroundall day, to the detriment of the people whom it is desired to attract to , the display. There have been maw complaints from various quarters in this clireetion'this year_
There has alivaya been a lot of talk about the secrecy which British Makers are presumed to desire, and this attitude is contrasted unfavourably with that of the Americans. There will always be a division of opinion as to how far a, designer is called upon to explain his reasons'for technical decisions to others who ale prepared to fallow, him without expenditure of time or thought in the development stages. For instance, what sort of justification is there for the following questions which were actually put to exhibitors at one or other of the recent Olympia Shows: "What • is the difference in metric pitch between those two locking threads?" "What is the thickness, in decimals of a millimetre, of that valve throat? " " Is that shaft tungsten or chrome vanadium?" "Can I have a copy of the valve diagram of your new engines" "Why don't you show a cross section of your new cylinders ; how is anyone to know how you have arranged your water passages? " And so on and so on.
As evidence of the desire to crib ideas in the absence of original thought themselves. I quote the following actual instance : A certain new chassis was known to be on its way via a coachbuilder to one of the Shows and no particulars were likely to be available until the machine was actually staged. On the instructions of the management of a firm making a competing type, one of its representatives obtained access to the coachworks by posing as an assistant electrician sent down to see to the lighting set on the chassis before the bodywork was fitted—a•nd he turned ha., opportunityto quick account. Now that it the sort of thing that makes some of us think that, while every information should be available to the would-be owner and the agent, yet, it a competing firm wants to run a rule over a new design, the obvious and proper way is to buy a chassia—a method quite rightly adopted by not a few good people. When we reach the age when everyone pools all information, the case will be very different.
There was a good deal of talk on this subject at • Olympia, and perhaps you may induce a little interesting • correspondence in your columns in furtherance thereof. I know very well how you must feel, Mr. Editor. You are out for news, of course, always and rightly, but it has to be remembered that you and other journalistic leaders are primarily eonceaned with the user and not with the draughtsman and designer, and the user should-be given all the information that can be of value to him.