The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-18
AMONG The AUTOMOBILISTS
DEFINITION or TOURING CAR
NEEDED FOR RACES.

Entrants. Managers and Officials Are Often
Bethered Over Proper Limitations for
Competitor I'm stock Machine Events
About Hyphenated Power Ratings.
Alfred Reeves. general manager OF the
American Motor Car Manufacturers Associa-
lion, yesterday made the suggestion that a
OF manufacturers be formed Tor.
the purpose of agreeing upon the definition
of a touring car as applied to racing events
limited To stock touring cars. Al the present
time there seems to be considerable difference
OF opinion as to just what constitutes a stock
touring car and this was brought out shar ply
at the recent meet at Atlantic City. when
there was a mixup over the question. Mr.,
Reeves was at Atlantic City for part OF the
races and the discussion there caused him to
realize the necessity for "A definition OF a
touring car that race meet promoters ana
entrants would he compelled to live up TO.
Ii Is his opinion that it is somewhat ridlcu-
lous to call a machine "a touring car when its
tonneau is only big enou gh to hold a couple
of small children and has but one door which
is about eight inches wide. MIR. Reeves "a
also inclined to think that all cars which are
I advertised and sold with hyphenated horse
power ratings should be- compelled TO go into
| classes for the highest rating claimed Tor
them. He cites the instance of several cars
| which entered events at various meets re,
[ Gently when they were clearly not entitled
! 10 compete in them, as cars rated varlously
at 1885, 2s-32, aud 1890 have all been allowed
to compete in events for 80 horse.powsr
and under. and as might have been eN-
pected, have generally won out He cannot
| understand why q car which IL sold on the
claim that IL can develop much more powtr
race against cars of lower power in speclal
! class events.
Whether IL il jealousy or because OF sports
manlike instinct or because ,oY, a clearer
sight into the future Of the trade IS not quite
; .lAnr haf Nhn fuaf npNutnG NM ne FGnGn
are inclined to frown down the IDEA OF the
e~xClusiv We automobile racingtrack asneyeloped
in England. IL will kill the sport. they de-
clare. and il will develop monst %rosities in
| racing machines. That IL will not serve a
Useful pggrp?ss ana the the ar, ~ ,6 Sae cyitGe M,s r dGs
IN Paris autonloblling circles. n scnenle
TO provide an autodrome for France has been
absence of a capitalist TO finance the affair
I and IL is thought nothing will be done 10 the
matter.
Generally speaking when tickling the
| carbureter float fails to bring down. any fuel
the supply has failed for some reason or
that the duct leading from the float cnamper
under such circumstance it is dlficult
If not impossible to start the motor. ...Occa-
s%ionally, however. by priming the cylinders
to get one or two initial impulses OF the mo-
tor, when the suction thus developed may be
sufficient to pull out the obst r%uction; leaving
the Jet perfectly free to work In the usual
|. way. The expedient is not a trustworthy
one and should not be resorted TO except
on the road.
American motorists will have TO be content
with ha wing had one big event for the entire
season of 1907, whereas those OF Europe have
been given a long and interesting list OF
events, beginning In the early part OF the
season and billed TO continue almost up 10
the end OF decent weather. says Motor ACE.
Now that the annual tour OF The 4 a. As
ended and the announcement has been mad6
that there Ia to be no Vanderbilt cup race,
there is nothing to prevent ordinary, motor;
ists from seeking enjoyment in touring and
manufactured from getting out new models
at an early date. There is to be nothing OF an
exciting nature in motordom except an coca
sioDal unjust arrest or n Few fatal accldents
as a result of a little wild driving.
The announcement that there will be no
re sneerS not SoSSiRy tbS y the sI public Sf 't but by those S,se
manufacturer who already had laid plans
and spent copsldera5Is money ~ 0rder 70 De
In the one event in which America j. pitted
against the pick Of the world Il does not
made as much Of an effort to find a course
"a IT, might have done; its interests appear
TO have centred in and around New York.
There was never n strong desire 20 run the
race elsewhere. although II would seem more
than reasonable that with a little effort and a
been discovered in some other locality. The
whole question Is now whether the racing
board desires to conduct its affairs for the
benefit of motoring and motorists At large or
for the benefit of one section and a very
close corporation. the racing board
The request Of a Seattle motorist to take
his automobile to Longtime. Springs In the
Mount Rainier reserve has brought to light
an old set Of rules. which. IL is hoped. will be
modified by Secretary Of the. Interior Garfield
when he returns from his Western trip. The
Seattle man made his application TO Forester
Allen OF Drifting. who wired the acting Secre-
tary- OF the Interior, who denied the request.
Mr.. Woodruff. the acting Secretary. indenying
the request called attention to the fact that
the Interior Department will not allow electric
railroads OF steam railroads within a national
park, aud because Of that he had been COM
PEELED to rule against the automobile.
As near az can be learned while the motor
the old rule, N this rule. Is permitted TO
stand II will be a. great disappointment 70
the automobilists OF the Northwest: Recently
car. this being the first run by an automobile
over the new Government road, The drivers
have been looking iorwaEd TO the time when
has expended thousands OF dollars on this
road. and IL IL still In the, process Of being
esnle and grand. While the ruling so largely
Affects anticipated, pleasures OF .automo-
'bilists those In other sections will be In:
terested. as the ruling relates TO all national
tary Garfield to modify the ruling or place
q different Interpretation upon II.
Scarcely a month passes without the record
OF some notable transaction which signifies
the commercial world at large Is ready to
transportation. says the. Powsr Wagon. A
\ few years ago it was with extreme difficulty
1 that establishments having a large volume
: 10 look upon the service Of the machine as
anything but an experiment. not wtthsts nding
thousands OF similar vehicles had long before
been put to work and progressed TO the point