Are Oil-engine Prices Excessive?
Page 25
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By W. Fr. Goddard, M.I.Mech.E.
IN Mr. John B. Walton's artiCle in your issue dated 1September 24, he refers to the early development -Of the oil engine and as he appears to be much in error, as well as unfair to oil-engine manufacturers, I feel that it is necessary to state the following:— The Mercedes-Benz concern, was one of the pioneers of the application of the oil engine to road' transport, and its prices for these engines were on a par with present prices in this country, i.e., very much in excess of those -of petrol engines. I speak. with some authority, because I happened to be the one who sold the first of them here for the English branch of Mercedes-Benz.
Mr. Walton states that oil-engine prices are " out of all proportion to what they are worth." This is grossly unfair and quite incorrect Oil engines, of first-class deSigneand manufacture, cannot be built by mass production in the same way as petrol engines. It is also incontrovertible that an engine which will pull its load satisfactorily, using
up less than one-half the quantity of fuel consumed by a petrol engine, must be worth a great deal more and therefore its price must be correspondingly higher. Apart from this fuel item, the oil engine has many other great advantages over the petrol engine.
Anotherconvincing proof of what a good oil engine is worth is that many hauliers have made fortunes with them and built up great fleets out of the extra profit they have made on their operation.
The " worth " of an oil engine is obviously what it will earn as an investment, and many thousands of users in this country, 'and abroad, can testify on this point; furthermore, the tremendous demand for good oil engines, new or used, is strong evidence of their value. .
Finally, perhaps Mr. Walton may remember the old tale of the excessive charge for a small motorcar repair—one shilling for the work and nineteen shillings for " knowing how."