1,000 racing miles in a Fiat Balilla

At Goodwood on Sept. 14/15th, G. Liston Young and Ian Smith, sponsored by the Fiat Register and Lord Montagu, realised their ambition of emulating, with the former’s 1935 995-c.c. Fiat Balilla, the feat of Froy and Wrenn with one of these cars, when they averaged 55.11 m.p.h. for 1,000 miles of the Brooklands Mountain circuit. In fact, their Goodwood average was 56.02 m.p.h. An earlier attempt had to be abandoned, due to a piston breaking in practice, but this time all went well. On the first day the Fiat was delayed by dirt in the fuel, from the refuelling pressure-pump, and a broken needle in one of the two S.U. carburetters with which it is now fitted. A needle from an Alvis Silver Eagle served as a replacement and in spite of torrential showers and winds of up to 35 knots, the Fiat Balilla began to pick up on its schedule. It was doing just under 22 m.p.g. of Shell and only one of its 15-in. Pirelli tyres had to be changed, late on the second day. Admittedly Goodwood, minus the chicane, isn’t as tough as the old Mountain circuit, but the Fiat is 30 years older! The run was officially observed and timed for the R.A.C. by Roland King-Farlow and Fiat Ltd. had mechanics and their service van in attendance, while Pirelli had tyre fitters standing by. The Fiat consumed two quarts of Castrol XXL. A job well done—congratulations l—W. B.