THE VAUXHALL "CADET"

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TH VAUXHALL “CAD T”

IMPRESSIONS AFTER LENGTHY WEEKEND RUN

THE name of Vauxhall has always been one which sports car enthusiasts have held in respect, and the memory of the famous 30-98 will die but slowly. In fact there are today firms which specialise in selling reconditioned cars of this famous type.

However, we are not at the moment concerned with history, but with a present model produced by this firm; to wit, the Vauxhall Cadet. This is produced with a selection of open and closed bodywork, varying from a sporting two or four seater to a sportsman’s coupe or normal saloon. The actual car tested by us was one of the saloon models, which sells at £280 and is certainly amazing value for the money.

Naturally times have changed since the early Vauxhall days, and the new model has but little in common mechanically with its prototypes, but it is a thoroughly roadworthy successor to its famous ancestor.

The car was in our possession for a week-end, and during that time, covered districts from the South East coast to the North of Wales, so that we cannot be accused of not trying it out. The result of this motoring made us realise that its somewhat sober appearance belied its performance, and that it has great possibilities for long distance touring with the minimum of fatigue.

The first impression on taking over the car was one of remarkable smoothness and silence, and there is no doubt that this is of great benefit on a long run, as the engine never appears to be working really hard and can be driven as fast as one likes continuously. It is a six cylinder overhead valve unit of normal design, with push rod valve gear. The bore and stroke is 67.5 mm. 95 mm. giving a rated horse power of 16.9 and a capacity of 2048 c.c.

The springing is governed by adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers and the road holding above the average. The steering is operated by a Bishop cam and lever mechanism, and functions admirably, requiring little effort and having good self centering action.

The necessity of a run up to North Wales and the observing of a trial in that district gave an opportunity of testing its average speed capabilities, and we found that these are greater than the maximum speed would lead one to expect.

The maximum speed on the level does not exceed 65 m.p.h., but a cruising speed of over 50 m.p.h. can be maintained indefinitely, while hills call for but little reduction of speed. Second gear gives 40 m.p.h. but is not meant for use at this speed.

American influence is very noticeable in the flexibility of the engine, and it is meant to be driven by lazy people with a long way to go. This is apt to prove rather a disappointment to the 100% sports car enthusiast, but it has its points, certainly for anyone out to cover the ground with the least possible trouble On that day we covered 410 miles in addition to the usual hanging about and incidental work connected with trials, and tb(. only suggestion we could make at the finish was that Moseley air cushions would have been an improvement on the present seating for such work.

These, nevertheless, are really very comfortable, and in more normal use would never have provoked comment. But such alterations are easily carried out by the owner if he desires them.

The brakes, in common with all models of the Vairghall range, are extremely powerful and smooth, also light to operate. They are semi-servo operated and will bring the car to rest in 55 feet from 40 m.p.h. without effort and without any tendency to lock the wheels. The surface used for the test was ordinary dry tarmac.

The car is well finished in both body and chassis, and should commend itself to the man who wants a useful and roomy car with a lively and comfortable performance. The distributors for this make are General Motors Ltd., The Hyde, Hendon, London, N.W.9.