Roads are getting faster

Author

admin

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Sir,

May I refer to your “Rumblings” on page 240 in the March issue headed Roads are Getting Faster. It is difficult to make any direct comparison with all the motoring feats in this paragraph, due to the absence of identical start/finish locations and/or one or more essential details. However, last year it happened that I, too, drove from Nice to Boulogne with my wife and two young boys complete with all the impedimenta associated with a seaside holiday for such a family. We left Nice Airport at 8.24 p.m. one Friday evening in August and handed our cross-Channel ferry ticket to the attendant at Boulogne at 7.30 a.m. the following morning.

This somewhat uneventful trip was completed in my 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

Where direct comparisons can be made the following table shows one or two interesting results, not the least significant being the mileage claimed between Boulogne and Nice and the differential in ages of the cars.

1966 Lincoln Continental: Mileage 770; Time elapsed 12 hr. 16 min.; Avg speed 62.8 mp.h.; Miles/gallon 10-11

1971 Cadillac Fleetwood: Mileage 759; Time elapsed 12 hr. 40 min.; Avg speed 59.9 mp.h.; Miles/gallon 11.2

1959 Rolls-Royce S.C. II: Mileage 736; Time elapsed 11 hr. 6 min.; Avg speed 66.3 m.p.h.; Miles/gallon 14.2

BMW Concessionaires advertising copy features the feasibility of driving comfortably from Calais to Nice between breakfast and dinner. This is clearly possible for a car as well equipped as the 3.0 CSL, but is also quite feasible for lesser motors.

The BMW’s petrol consumption at 15.13 m.p.g. is around 7% better than the Rolls-Royce, the top speed at 146 m.p.h. as opposed to 120 m.p.h. is around 22% improvement and the purchase price at £6,538 is 290% more than that of a good quality Silver Cloud II (1959 model) at around £1,675. (These obtained from Motorists New and Used Price Guide.)

Possibly we are left with a simple conclusion. The ultimate top speed and acceleraare pretty irrelevant on a true Grand Touring car. There is a need for cruising ability at around 100-110 m.p.h.—any car capable of such a speed is certainly capable adequate acceleration—and a high degree of driver comfort and absence of tiring factors such as noise, excessive gear changing, heavy steering etc.

Kent S. Robinson – St. Ouen, Jersey.