THE PORSCHE CARRERA 2

THE PORSCHE CARRERA 2

The old law of magazine publishing implied that if a manufacturer ” took space” in an appropriate journal he would be granted editorial publicity in return. If this applied to MoToa SPORT there would be some cars our readers would never hear about but fortunately advertising revenue and editorial utterances are kept apart. Even so, some people are never satisfied. For instance, in summing up the ears he drove in 1961 in the issue Of last February the Editor remarked that he was unable to assess fully the new 2-litre Porsche Carrera as he drove it only 16 miles but even after this limited encounter he described it as a truly sensational G.T. car, docile in top gear, with a surprisingly quiet and flexible engine, and capable of too m.p.h. in 3rd gear. The brakes, which we made it quite clear were of 16o6, Super type, were criticised as inadequate for the performance of the Carrera 2.

You might think that this praise would have pleased A.F.N. Limited, the Porsche concessionaires. Not a bit of it! Their Mr. W. 11, Aldington has addressed a letter to the Editor asking him to point out that the car driven was a 1960 works ” hack” that had done over 20,000 miles, which explains why the brakes arc inadequate. We are pleased to make this comment, which may be of interest to anyone contemplating spending some £4,000 on a Porsche Carrera 2, which we believe is roughly what it costs in England. Incidentally, we were not alone in finding the “hack ” 1600 Super brakes inadequate. Tlw Autocar reported ” The chassis was 1960 1600 Super; so were the brakes, which were quite incapable of reining in all the horses of the Carrera 2.” While on the subject, we learn from A.F.N. Limited’s advertisement in Autocar of January 19th that the overhead camshafts of the Carrera z are chain-driven. Anyone who is conversant with former four oh. camshaft Carrera engines, wherein beveldriven shafts between the cylinders drive the camshafts, must be wondering how on earth these chains (or chain ?) are arranged. Can Mr. Aldington enlighten us

AN IMPROVED RENAULT FLORIDE

When we tried the handsome Renault Floride last year we liked it very much, both to look at and to drive, but no-one could have called the 845-c.c. version a fast car. Now Renault have considerably revised it, enlarging the engine to 956 c.c., so that it gives 51 b.h.p. at 5,500 r.p.m. This new power unit has pushrod parallel 0.h, valves inclined at 45 deg. in wedge-shape combustion chambers (shades of the Bertelli o.h.c. Aston Martin engine), a compression-ratio of 9.5 to 1, a five-bearing crankshaft in a hermetically-sealed crankcase, to prevent emission of oil-fumes, a radiator relocated at the back of the (rear) engine compartment, a sealed cooling system as on the R4, a new Fero& clutch, and a strengthened gearbox. The i.r.s. now incorporates tie-rods, gear-lever travel, always a weak point of the Dauphine and its derivations, has been reduced, the rack-and-pinion steering has been revised to give 3.6 turns lock-to-lock, and a revised front suspension eliminates con

ventional king-pins. Lockheed 50.2 in. disc brakes are used on all wheels. Engine oil changes are recommended at 3,000mile intervals when eight nipples require greasing, with two more to grease every 6,000 miles, IVO more and two oil cups to fill every 12,000 miles. The new Floride is offered in 2/4seater convertible and 4-seater fixed-head coup forms. Clearly the Regie Renault does not intend to rest on its sales laurels.—W.B.

QUERIES ANSWERED

Among the flood of letters received in our office have been requests for addresses of the following clubs: Riley Register, c/a Ray T. Peacock, ” Pegasus,” Marsh Lane, Hemingford Gray, Huntingdonshire. B.R.S.C.C., 6, Buckingham Street, London, W.C.z. B.A.R.C., 55, Park Lane, W.C.2. VW 0.C., clo John F. Wallen, 22, Howitt Close, Hampstead, N.W.3. Lagonda 0.C.,

c/o M. Wilby, 4, Lancaster Garages, N.W.3. Al-ow 0.C., c/o K. R. Day, 55, Motspur Park, New Malden, Surrey. LeaFrancis 0.C., eio Allan Lupton, 197, Icknield Way, Letchworth G.C., Herts. Triumph Roadster Club, cfo Barry Cutter, 26, Ravensbourne Avenue, Bromley, Kent.

R.A.C. CONTINENTAL HANDBOOK

The Royal Automobile Club’s Continental Handbook contains nearly 700 pages of facts and figures about European motoring.

A special feature of the 1962 edition is a completely new atlas. Printed in colour and layered, it extends into the Balkans to cover a greater area than in previous editions and its easy-to-read features (especially in a moving car) clearly indicate all main roads and Motorways throughout Europe. Among the 4,000 hotels in 20 different countries listed in the Handbook are details of over goo specially approved, which have been inspected individually and appointed by the R.A.C. This scheme enables the Club to offer more selective guidance relating to hotels and each establishment is considered to offer good standards of service, fund and accommodation within its particular price range. A new appendix on touring in Russia is also included which provides details of accommodation, touring charges, routes and visas.

For motorists who have language difficulties, a glossary gives a list of motoring terms and technical expressions in ix languages; everything from upper-cylinder lubricant and shock-absorber to chemist’s shop and tire-extinguisher are mentioned. For quick reference, the glossary, together With various conversion tables, currency rates and first-aid hints, are printed in a special colour section.

Other features include descriptions of main touring centre’s, lists of motels and golf courses, weather information, tyre pressures in metric equivalents, town plans, details of religious services and British Consular posts abroad.

Bound in an attractively-designed cover, the Handbook represents incredible value at half a guinea (7S. 6d. to R.A.C. members) -and,.for the first time, it will be on sale to the public from book-stalls throughout the country. It is also available from R.A.C. County offices or the Club’s headquarters at 83/85, Pall Mall, London, S,W.t.