Vauxhall 30/98
| Vauxhall | |
|---|---|
 Vauxhall 30/98 'Velox' touring car with OE engine (1924)
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| 30/98 | |
| Production period: | 1913-1915 1919-1927 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Chassis, touring cars , coupé , roadster |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 4.2-4.5 liters (66-82 kW) |
| Length: | |
| Width: | |
| Height: | |
| Wheelbase : | 2896-2997 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1321-1575 kg |
| Previous model | Vauxhall Prince Henry |
The Vauxhall 30/98 is a full size car , the Vauxhall Motors from 1913 to 1915 and from 1919 made to the 1927th Back then, the most famous version was the Vauxhall Velox (not to be confused with the Vauxhall Velox of the 1940s / 1950s / 1960s). “Velox” is the Latin word for “speed”. It was a four-seater touring car , which the manufacturer called "the 30-98 hp Vauxhall Velox sporting car".
In 1995 the 30/98 was described as definitely one of the most iconic sports cars in Britain, and in the mid-20th century, Automobile Quarterly reported that it was fondly known as the last Edwardian and ranked as the first and perhaps best British sports car.
origin
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The first 30/98 was built at the behest of the automobile dealer and sports driver Joseph Higginson , the inventor of the Autovac storage tank. He won the Shelsley-Walsh hill climb on June 7, 1913 , setting a hill climb record. In the previous weeks he had completed the fastest run of the day at Waddington Pike and the Aston Clinton hill climb.
The 30/98 wasn't a racing car, but a very fast touring car . The exhaust sound was a reassuring rumble; there was no howl, no screeching, no whining. But there was calm satisfaction. If the car had been lightened for the race, it could circle the Brooklands circuit at a speed of 160 km / h. The manufacturer guaranteed this. Some owners wanted to have it proven on the race course.
The 30/98 were built on the frame of the Prince Henry ; one could distinguish the two models by the shape of their coolers (30/98: rather flat; Prince Henry: V-shaped). Lawrence Pomeroy took the Prince Henry's side-controlled engine, bored it 3mm open, and cold stretched the cheeks of the crankshaft 5mm with a steam hammer to extend the stroke of the engine. The crankshaft received a new chain drive at the front, the camshaft had higher cams and new tappet heights. The frame of the Prince Henry was slightly modified and the whole thing received a narrow, 4-seater aluminum body without doors and a pair of front alumninum fenders.
Before the outbreak of World War I , only 13 examples of the Model 30/98 were built for selected customers, the last of which in 1915 for Percy Kidner , one of the managing directors of Vauxhall Motors. The actual series production did not begin until 1919.
The designation "30/98" should possibly indicate that the engine was delivering 30 bhp (22 kW) at 1000 rpm and 98 bhp (73 kW) at 3000 rpm. Another explanation is that the car was rated 30 RAC tax horsepower and the engine cylinder bore was 98mm. Most likely, however, the explanation appears that there was a popular, but much slower Mercedes 37/90 hp . Above all, the name "30/98" was considered good-looking and sonorous.
“The white four-seater on display at booth 140 in Wembley was - I think - sold soon after the show opened last Friday. It's a new body in a very sporty style. It is modeled after the lines of a yacht, of graceful appearance and symmetrical balance. One of these cars won first prize in its class at the recent Concours d'Élegance in Boulogne. "
specification
Standard and special equipment
When series production began in 1919, an electric starter had an extra charge of £ 50, although it was already standard equipment on the Vauxhall 25 . Vauxhall did not charge any surcharges for the electric lighting, clock, speedometer, spare wheel, tools or license plates. Customers could choose whether they wanted the bonnet to be made from unpainted, polished aluminum or painted like the rest of the automobile. When the model 30/98 OE was introduced in 1922, the advertisement mentioned that the electric lighting now comprised six lamps, dashboard and instrument lighting, and an electric horn and ball horn would be supplied. In 1927 advertising only advertised molded, sliding front seats, wire- spoke wheels and Dunlop diagonal tires, two spare wheels, spring covers, a luggage net and a (single) windshield wiper.
Bodies
Velox
The factory-made four-seater "Velox" touring car was the standard version of the 30/98. Even if it was light and elegant in appearance, slim and low-sided, this lightness meant little comfort in the rear seats and the sides of the vehicle were so low that one should “warn rear seat passengers that they are traveling at their own risk”.
In the 1920 catalog, a Vauxhall Velox "Featherweight Coupé" was presented, in which two passengers could sit inside and an additional emergency seat for the chauffeur, electric lights on the roof and a V-shaped windshield were offered. Despite its extremely light construction, the wooden frame on which the metal sheets are mounted is designed to be sufficiently strong. The Velox featherweight coupe, which was exhibited at the Scottish Motor Show and painted dark blue and black above the "waterline", had nickel-plated accessories and a bonnet made of polished aluminum and a walnut dashboard with a glove compartment. The coupé had upholstery with blue Morocco leather, a headliner, a carpet, silk cords and matching ribbons. There were also trims in lighter blue silk with tassels. At the exhibition, the bodies had special equipment that was not included in the price quoted.
Wensum
In the mid-1920s, there was a fashion for car bodies to be modeled on the lines of motor boats. Vauxhall described in its advertisement a factory-made open two or three-seater with boat stern and bulbous fenders called "Wensum" as "ultra-sporty body"; it was available from 1924 at an additional cost. The third seat was actually “only for decoration”. Factory driver and then manager AJ Hancock had a motorboat on the River Wensum , a popular motorboat route near Norwich .
These bodies were not made on the same production line as the Velox.
For customers who wanted to have a special body built, there were also bare chassis.
Engines
E.
This machine was a further development of the four - cylinder block engine with side valves of the Prince Henry model, but increased to 4525 cm³ displacement by extending the stroke from 140 mm to 150 mm with a 98 mm bore. The new crankshaft had five bearings and had pressure oil lubrication. The engine had a single Zenith carburetor and developed 90 bhp (66 kW) at 3000 rpm. A total of 274 pieces were produced.
OE
In November 1922 it was announced that the engine would be overhauled; it was fitted with overhead valves and a removable cylinder head and renamed “OE”. While the bore remained the same, the stroke was reduced to 140 mm, which resulted in a slightly smaller displacement of 4224 cm³. The engine output increased by almost 30% to 115 bhp (85 kW) at 3300 rpm. The torque at low speeds also improved. The wheelbase and length of the car grew by 10 cm and the width by 7.5 cm, so that the passengers could sit more comfortably. A total of 313 copies were built.
chassis
The engine sat in a separate subframe on the ladder frame of the vehicle. Both axles were attached to semi-elliptical springs, the rear axle was an ordinary, powered rigid axle. Both axles were fitted with shock absorbers. A four-speed gearbox with a gearshift lever to the right of the driver forwarded the engine power to the rear axle differential, a differential with straight-toothed gears and a reduction ratio of 3.08: 1.
In 1923 the differential with straight-toothed gears was replaced by a worm gear with a reduction ratio of 3.3: 1, together with the introduction of the OE motor type. The frame and wheelbase were lengthened by 101.6 mm and the frame was reinforced with side members with a larger cross-section. The bodies were now 76 mm wider. The torque of the rear axle was now supported by a torsion bar in banjo shape along the cardan shaft.
steering
The steering was designed as a worm steering with a cone and a splinted steering lever.
Vauxhall brakes
The model 30/98 had a mechanical transmission brake operated with a pedal and brakes on the rear axle, which were operated with a large hand lever (handbrake). Front brakes were available from the end of 1923, initially operated with a double Bowden cable and hydraulically from 1926.
The brake drums were made of steel and had cast iron linings riveted into them. The last batch of the 30/98 already used the brake components of the 23/60 model and the front drums were very large and had cooling fins.
The transmission brake - which engaged a little earlier than this when the front brakes were installed - was housed in a drum behind the transmission and would have been sufficient, but it was usually smeared with oil that ran out of the transmission output bearing. Then the step on the brake pedal only led to a smell, but not to a noticeable braking effect. A sufficiently trained driver - with strong hands and an understanding of how a handbrake works - could drive through corners quickly. Handbrake turns were possible in wet weather. "In emergency situations, however, braking was a waste of time, the driver had to steer, downshift, jump out of the car, pray - maybe in that order."
The OE was switched to heavily ribbed aluminum drums, which were lined with steel; the linings were from Ferodo . In 1923, a year after the launch of the OE model, front brakes were introduced that were connected to the pedal that was still used to operate the transmission brake. In 1927 they were replaced by a notoriously capricious hydraulic system that connected the pedal to the transmission brake and this to the brake drums on the front axle.
The brakes on the rear axle, also pedal brakes, were operated by a linkage with a hand lever on the outside of the body (to the right of the driver). The "four-wheel brakes" operated with the pedal via the master brake cylinder acted on the front wheel brakes and - via the transmission brake - on the rear wheels. The front brakes were drums, the transmission brake was a clamp that contracted. The transmission brake with smaller cylinders received only a third of the braking force. The system was self-adjusting and self-compensating. The compensation is achieved through the (different) sizes of the brake cylinders. The self-adjustment works with a friction ring in a groove in the brake cylinder. The front brakes are operated via recirculating ball screws. The running brake shoe in the drums always intervenes a little earlier and releases the drum earlier than the running one.
In front of the dashboard, under the bonnet, there is a brake fluid reservoir which is kept under a pressure of approx. 0.5 bar so that no air can enter the system. A canister with ½ gallon (2.275 liters) of brake fluid was part of the equipment of the vehicle.
Suspension
The front and rear feathers were semi-elliptical. At the back they sit above the axle with a vertebra anchoring at the axle ends. There are shock absorbers at the front and rear.
Driving reports
“An acceleration force, surprisingly fast and soft, but still perfectly controlled (...) the gripping characteristics of a racing car in a machine that has been tamed to a pleasant behavior (...) the machine that developed 100 bhp on the spot and which can move the car at over 80 mph (128 km / h) can be throttled with the accelerator pedal [without downshifting] so that the car drives smoothly at 12–15 mph (19–24 km / h). ”“ It is definitely the greediest touring car engine I've ever driven. I'm not talking about fuel consumption, but the strong desire to be able to drive even faster. "
(OE): “A fast double clutch at 50 [mph] (80 km / h) or even above can be carried out noiselessly, and in the third of it he raves with a slight bark (...). The price of the 30/98, as it is cautiously described in the catalog as a fast touring car, is £ 1220. "
Some people think it is a mistake to compare a 30/98 to a Bentley .
Opinion of an owner
"(...) despite my 18 years of experience, I only really started driving when I bought my 30/98."
Prices
Bare chassis
- 1919 £ 1125
- 1920 £ 1275
- 1921 £ 950 (reduced after demand for cars in general subsided)
- 1924 £ 950
With 'Velox' structure:
- 1919 £ 1475
- 1920 £ 1676
- 1921 £ 1,300 (reduced after demand for cars in general subsided)
- 1924 £ 1220
When Rolls-Royce announced its new 20 hp (the 30/98 was rated 23.8 hp) in December 1922, its prices were:
- bare chassis £ 1100
- With the most popular (touring car) body, the total price was around £ 1,600
General Motors' first Vauxhall, the Cadet , a four-door sedan with a two-liter six-cylinder engine, cost £ 280 in 1930, more than 10 years later.
Motorsport
By 1920 the 30/98 had acquired a stable good reputation, both in the racing scene and on the road. Later, when the OE engine was installed, Vauxhall guaranteed that a car stripped down for competition could reach a top speed of 100 mph (160 km / h).
After the First World War, the 30/98 were never driven by factory drivers in competitions, as the factory no longer had a racing team, but private drivers successfully took part in competitions with them. Their success was not based on the principle of ever larger engines for good competitive success and pure power, which was common before 1914, but rather on the overall quality of construction and reliability.
Last batch
The last 30/98 were put together in 1927. Their engines had balanced crankshafts so they could get up to 120 bhp (88 kW) at 3500 rpm. could be brought. They also have a gearbox with a shorter gear ratio.
Individual references and comments
- ^ David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars, 1895-1975 . Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 1999. ISBN 1-874105-93-6 . Pp. 331-332.
- ↑ a b c d e f Cars of To-Day in The Times , March 18, 1924. p. 7.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h The 30-98 Vauxhall in The Times , October 4, 1927. p. 6.
- ↑ Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, Designed for an Automatic place in History (Laurence Pomeroy) in The Times , October 7, 1995. p. 3 [S1].
- ↑ Beverly R. Kimes: The Vauxhall 30-98, when an automobile becomes a state of mind in Automobile Quarterly , No. 3 (1964). P. 313.
- ↑ The gasoline from the main tank is drawn into the Autovac storage tank on the dashboard with the help of the vacuum from the intake. From there it runs through gravity into the carburetor.
- ↑ "with a number of alarming slides". The hill is now called Waddington Fell .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Beverly R. Kimes: The Vauxhall 30-98, when an automobile becomes a state of mind in Automobile Quarterly , No. 3 (1964). P. 312.
- ↑ The cold forming of crankshafts from production is controversial.
- ↑ This 4½-liter automobile was delivered in March 1915. It had an extended frame with cantilever springs at the rear from the Grand Prix Vauxhalls of the 1914 model year and offered space for four people, two of them behind their own windshield in the rear of the car. The car reached a top speed of over 200 km / h.
- ↑ Kent Karslake, Laurence Pomeroy: From Veteran to Vintage . Temple Press, London 1956.
- ^ A b G. N. Georgano: Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London 2000. ISBN 1-57958-293-1 .
- ^ A b Jeremy Coulter: The World's Great Cars . Marshall Cavendish, London 1989. ISBN 0-86283-726-X .
- ↑ a b Vauxhall 30-98 in The Times , October 23, 1924. p. 21.
- ^ Vauxhall in The Times , November 7, 1919. p. 18.
- ^ Vauxhall Motors Limited, Booth no.47 in The Scotsman , November 8, 1919. p. 12.
- ^ Vauxhall display advertisment in The Times , May 24, 1924. pp. Xxv.
- ↑ a b {N. Baldwin: AZ of Cars of the 1920s . Bay View Books, Devon 1994. ISBN 1-870979-53-2 .
- ↑ a b c The Motor Show in The Times , November 6, 1923. p. 20.
- ^ The Times , November 9, 1922.
- ^ The Vauxhall-Velox in The Times , September 14, 1921. p. 13.
- ↑ a b The Motor Show in The Times , November 12, 1919. p. 6.
- ↑ a b Cheaper Motor-Cars in The Times , October 4, 1920. p. 10.
- ↑ Vauxhall 30-98 in The Times , October 23, 1924th
- ^ The New Rolls-Royce in The Times , December 21, 1922. p. 8.
- ^ The Motor Show in The Times , November 12, 1920. pp. 7-.
