NEWTECHAUTO

NAMING

2008-03-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

The Enzo Ferrari is sometimes referred to colloquially (some say incorrectly) as the Ferrari Enzo and F60; this gives the false impression that it was named for Ferrari's 60th anniversary, which is 2007 rather than 2003 when the Enzo was launched (the official internal nomenclature is actually F131). The Ferrari Enzo Ferrari is commonly referred to as just the "Enzo" with no marque or other words attached.
The car is named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari, who died in 1988

FERRARI 360

2008-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Most Recent Ferrari 360

We like the Ferrari 360. In other news, we also like Dom Perignon, vacationing in Fiji and dating Heidi Klum (or to be fair, Brad Pitt). Indeed, coming up with "cons" for such a marvelous automobile like the 360 Modena and Spider is like criticizing Heidi for having a funny accent or Brad for dyeing his hair. This Ferrari set the bar for other "lower-end" supercars by providing blistering performance, ethereal steering, superior ride and tenacious grip. It didn't look half bad either, and who can argue with a car that proudly presented its engine under a glass hood?

The Ferrari 360 was all-new in 1999 and offered in Modena coupe and Spider convertible body styles. They were powered by a mid-mounted 3.6-liter V8 that pumped out a raucous 400 horsepower at 8,500 rpm. Low-end power wasn't as plentiful with a "mere" 275 pound-feet at 4,750 rpm. The all-important 0-60-mph sprint was accomplished in a few ticks north of 4 seconds.
The standard transmission was a six-speed manual tied to a classic Italian gated shifter complete with chrome ball knob. Many Modenas and Spiders were ordered with the rather pricey F1 automated clutch manual gearbox that shifted via column-mounted shift paddles in a lightning-quick 150 milliseconds. Although we'd probably stick with the stick, the F1's adept ability at rev-matching downshifts and its automatic mode (admittedly not the smoothest system in the world) make it a good choice for both aggressive driving and commuting.
What makes a Ferrari a Ferrari is so much more than simply a go-fast engine and a logo imprinted with a startled horse. The 360 sported an aluminum space-frame chassis, adjustable aluminum double-wishbone suspension and a sleek body by Pininfarina constructed of -- you guessed it -- aluminum, which resulted in super-low weight for ideal performance and handling. Of course, the latter was also made possible by a wide-track body and suspension that reduced body roll to a theoretical concept, while the steering stayed Ginsu knife-sharp right up to triple-digit speeds. (The 360 maxed out at 175 mph.) But again, if you need us to tell you the Ferrari 360 is a blast to drive, perhaps enrolling in Exotic Cars 101 is in order.
Unlike some past Ferraris, the 360 had an interior worthy of the car's price tag. Supple leather, high-quality materials and straightforward ergonomics struck an excellent balance between luxury and driving-focused simplicity. The snug seats offered plenty of lateral support, with a comfortable reach to the divine steering wheel. Besides contributing to superb road-holding, the 360's wide body also provided lots of elbow room and enough space for a set of golf clubs behind the two seats. And really, what's the point of a country club if you can't show off your Ferrari? One of the rare downsides to the 360 was rear visibility -- particularly in the Spider convertible with its high rear deck, thick roll hoops and plastic rear window.
For those who wanted an even more capable Ferrari 360 (or a more exclusive one), the Challenge Stradale was introduced in 2004. This stripped-down club racing version of the coupe had, according to Ferrari, everything eliminated that did not contribute to increased performance or safety (or apparently a chilled interior, as air-conditioning remained). The result was a car 242 pounds lighter than a regular Modena, that also sported 25 additional horses. Along with a 20-percent stiffer suspension and aerodynamic changes that produced 50 percent more downforce, the Challenge Stradale was the closest thing one could get to Schumacher's F1 ride -- at least until the Enzo came along.

JAMES BOND CARS

2008-03-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

FAMOUS JAMES BOND 007 CARS

Death defying stunts, seductive spies, driving on two wheels, crashing barricades and top-secret documents - The Bond Car has seen them all. 007 has always emerged unscathed from all these escapades, and the same may also be said of the Bond Car.Like beautiful women, the beautiful cars of Bond movies have survived three decades and the cold war. Many cars have appeared in Bond Movies, and in the first of the series we cover the most popular - the Aston Martin - which featured in no less than five movies.

Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger - 1964, Thunderball - 1965 Sean Connery)

The Aston Martin in "Goldfinger" is, without question, the most famous of all Bond cars, with gizmos and gadgets that probably no other has ever matched. The car in question was a silverbirch 1963 Aston Martin DB5 from their plant in England. Some of the interesting features of the car were:
revolving number plates, valued in all countries
passenger ejector seat
bulletproof front-and-rear windscreen
machine-guns in the front of the car
oil-slick at the back of the car
retractable tire-shredders built into the wheel hubs The DB5 was eventually bought by collector Anthony Pugliese, 22 years later, from a Sotheby' auction in 1986. He owned the car for 11 years and used it extensively for displays and exhibitions. Unfortunately this classic car is now lost to posterity for, in June 1997, it was stolen from the Boca Airport Hangar, where it used to be kept.

Aston Martin DBS (1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - George Lazenby)

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" starred the new Bond - George Lazenby, and befittingly his car in the movie was the new Aston Martin DBS from the 1969 DB series.The 6-cylinder version of the Aston Martin was however seen only briefly throughout the movie, and was bereft of the usual plethora of gadgets - one of the unusual feature being 'the glove compartment', which concealed a sniper's rifle.

BASIC ABOUT AUTOMOBILE

2008-02-27T22:44:00.000-08:00

BODY

The body of an automobile is categorizedaccording to the number of doors, the arrangement of seats, and the roof structure. Their roofs are conventionally supported by pillars on each side of the body in recent times, there are convertible models with retractable fabric tops that rely on the pillar at the side of the windshield for upper body strength, as convertible mechanisms and glass areas are essentially nonstructural. The glass areas have been increased for improved visibility and for aesthetic reasons. New designs are usually programmed on three- to six-year cycles with generally minor refinements appearing during the cycle.
Redesigning was a tough job in the past, when as much as four years of planning and new tool purchasing was needed for a completely new design. Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques may now be used to reduce this time requirement by 50 percent or more.
Sheet steel is generally used to make automotive bodies. Elements are added to the alloy to improve its ability to be formed into deeper depressions without wrinkling or tearing in manufacturing presses. Steel is used because of its general availability, low cost, and good workability. Other materials for certain other materials are also used. Other materials, such as aluminum, fiberglass, and carbon fiber reinforced plastic are used because of their special properties.
For more toughness and resistance to brittle deformation, Polyamide, polyester, polystyrene, polypropylene, and ethylene plastics have been formulated. Tooling for plastic components generally costs less and requires less time to develop than that for steel components.
Painting and priming processes are used to protect bodies from corrosive elements and to maintain their strength and appearance. Bodies are first dipped in cleaning baths to remove oil and other foreign matter and then they go through a succession of dip and spray cycles. Enamel and acrylic lacquer are both in common use.
Electrodeposition of the sprayed paint, a process in which the paint spray is given an electrostatic charge and then attracted to the surface by a high voltage, helps assure that an even coat is applied and that hard-to-reach areas are covered. To speed up the drying process in the factories, ovens with conveyer lines are used. In those body areas that are more susceptible to corrode, galvanized steel with a protective zinc coating and corrosion-resistant stainless steel are used.

CHASIS

THE chassis forms the main structure of the modern automobile. A large number of designs in pressed-steel frame form a skeleton on which the engine, wheels, axle assemblies, transmission, steering mechanism, brakes, and suspension members are mounted. During the manufacturing process the body is flexibly bolted to the chasis.
This combination of the body and frame performs a variety of functions. It absorbs the reactions from the movements of the engine and axle, receives the reaction forces of the wheels in acceleration and braking, absorbs aerodynamic wind forces and road shocks through the suspension, and absorbs the major energy of impact in the event of an accident.
There has been a gradual shift in modern small car designs. There has been a trend toward combining the chasis frame and the body into a single structural element. In this grouping, the steel body shell is reinforced with braces that make it rigid enough to resist the forces that are applied to it. To achieve better noise-isolation characteristics, separate frames are used for other cars. The presence of heavier-gauge steel components in modern separate frame designs also tends to limit intrusion in accidents.

ENGINE
Automotive production down the ages has required a wide range of energy-conversion systems. These include electric, steam, solar, turbine, rotary, and different types of piston-type internal combustion engines. The reciprocating-piston internal -combustion system, operating on a four-stroke cycle, has been the most successful for automobiles, while diesel engines are widely used for trucks and buses.
The gasoline engine was originally selected for the automobile due to its flexibility over a wide range of speeds. Also, the power developed for a given weight engine was reasonable; it could be produced by economical mass-production methods; and it used a readily available, moderately priced fuel--gasoline. Reliability, compact size, and range of operation later became important factors.
In today’s world, there has been a growing emphasis on the pollution producing features of automotive power systems. This has created new interest in alternate power sources and internal-combustion engine refinements that were not economically feasible in prior years. Although a few limited-production battery-powered electric vehicles have appeared from time to time, they have not proved to be competitive owing to costs and operating characteristics. However, the gasoline engine, with its new emission-control devices to improve emission performance, has not yet been challenged significantly.
The first half of the twentieth century saw a trend to increase engine horsepower, particularly in the American models. Design changes incorporated all known methods of raising engine capacity, including increasing the pressure in the cylinders to improve efficiency, increasing the size of the engine, and increasing the speed at which power is generated. The higher forces and pressures created by these changes created engine vibration and size problems that led to stiffer, more compact engines with V and opposed cylinder layouts replacing longer straight-line arrangements. In passenger cars, V-8 layouts were adopted for all piston displacements greater than 250 cubic inches (4 litres).
Smaller cars brought about a return a to smaller engines, the four- and six-cylinder designs rated as low as 80 horsepower, compared with the standard-size V-8 of large cylinder bore and relatively short piston stroke with horsepower ratings in the range from 250 to 350.
The automobile engines from Europe had a bigger range, varying from 1to12 cylinders with corresponding differences in overall size, weight, piston displacement, and cylinder bores. Four cylinders and horsepower ratings from 19 to 120 was followed in a majority of the models. Several three-cylinder, two-stroke-cycle models were built while most engines had straight or in-line cylinders. There were several V-type models and horizontally opposed two- and four-cylinder makes too. Overhead camshafts were frequently employed. The smaller engines were commonly air-cooled and located at the rear of the vehicle; compression ratios were relatively low. The 1970s and '80s saw an increased interest in improved fuel economy which brought in a return to smaller V-6 and four-cylinder layouts, with as many as five valves per cylinder to improve efficiency.

FUEL INJECTION

IN an internal combustion engine, the fuel injection system is that which delivers fuel or a fuel-air mixture to the cylinders by means of pressure from a pump. It was originally used in diesel engines because of diesel fuel's greater viscosity and the need to overcome the high pressure of the compressed air in the cylinders. A diesel fuel injector sprays an intermittent, timed, metered quantity of fuel into a cylinder, distributing the fuel throughout the air within. Fuel injection is also now used in gasoline engines in place of a carburetor. In gasoline engines the fuel is first mixed with air, and the resulting mixture is delivered to the cylinder. Computers are used in modern fuel injection systems to regulate the process. The positive effects of fuel injection are that there is more efficient fuel combustion, better fuel economy and engine performance and reduced polluting exhaust emissions.

NEW CAR TECHNOLOGIES

2008-02-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

Alfa will show the windy version of the 8C at this year's Geneva show. Not surprisingly, it's as beautiful as the coupe.
The convertible is powered by the same 450-hp, 4.7-liter V-8 engine used in the Competizione, with gear changes handled by an equally familiar automated six-speed manual transmission. Production numbers will mirror those of the coupe at 500 copies.
Click the links below for high-resolution 8C Spider images, as well as our drive of the Spider concept.

2009 Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet

Arriving at a high-school prom, it's hard to miss the popular girls - stunning in their ruby dresses, hair twirled high enough to expose delectable silver hoops.
Now, imagine bringing the other prom date - outfitted in the same jeans and Abercrombie tee she wore last Tuesday.But no worries, Jenny did throw on the latest shade from Maybelline.
Like that embarrassing prom partner, the restyled North American Ford Focus (with Sync) is the date you reluctantly hold hands with, while across the dance floor, Ford Europe gets the goods - a Focus RS high-performance model and now an all-new Focus Coupe-Cabriolet.

It just doesn't seem fair.
Debuting at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet parades Pininfarina design, a new front end, and, of course, a retractable hardtop. Inside the Italian-flavored body, Ford says the Coupe-Cabriolet makes use of high quality finishes, hard-wearing materials, and a new "binocular"-style instrument cluster.
Power for the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet will come from a choice of three engines: a base 100-hp, 1.6-liter Duratec engine; a peppy 2.0-liter with 145 hp; and a 2.0-liter TDCi diesel good for 136 hp.

As with other European Focus models, the Coupe-Cabriolet can be ordered with options such as keyless start and entry, a navigation system, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. A "sport" pack offers buyers an upgraded suspension, special 17-inch alloy wheels, and tinted headlamp housings, while a "Titanium" option package gives buyers leather seats.
Hopefully, European Focus buyers will tell their North American counterparts what a great prom experience is like.
Please, no bragging.

2009 Volvo XC60

We got our first glimpse of the XC60 in concept guise at the 2007 Detroit show just over a year ago. The S40-based utility will make its production debut in Geneva next month.
The 2009 XC60 will be the brand's first foray into the increasingly crowded small premium crossover segment - it will join other alphanumeric utes like the BMW X3, Acura RDX, Land Rover LR2, and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK. Volvo hopes to appeal to current customers with the XC60 and sees it as the next step up for C30 buyers.

U.S.-bound XC60s will get motivation from Volvo's turbocharged inline-six T6 engine, which produces 281 hp. All-wheel drive will be standard.
The expected host of Volvo safety features is joined on the XC60 by a system called City Safe. When driving at low speeds the car will automatically apply the brakes if it senses an imminent collision. Volvo claims this is the first vehicle to offer such anti-rear-ending technology as standard. President and CEO Fredrik Arp even went as far as saying that this is "the safest Volvo ever."
The styling is a toned-down version of what we saw on the concept with a profile that Volvo describes as coupe-like (a la BMW's X6). The interior has the same Swedish cleanliness we're used to.
The XC60 should arrive in the U.S. in early 2009 and we'll give you more details once Volvo officially announces the vehicle in Geneva.
Click the links below for high-resolution XC60 images, as well as coverage of the 2007 concept.

Cars and Computers: Microsoft Develops New Technologies for the Automobile Industry

2008-02-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

Microsoft focuses on the big picture while developing technologies for integration points throughout the automobile-manufacturing process:-
The numbers speak for themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans spend more than 500 million "commuter hours" per week in their automobiles. More than 650 million cars are registered worldwide, and more than 55 million new cars are sold annually.
Automobiles, the ultimate in mobility, still play a key role in the lives of people around the world -- and theyre here to stay.
So are computers. While carburetors and operating systems may seem like strange bedfellows, the bond between high-tech and what began as Henry Fords dream in Detroit is growing stronger and deeper by the day.
Technology is at work when you drive a car, when you buy one, when you interact with a dealer and even at the automotive assembly plant. According to Microsoft, the company is committed to helping consumers, dealers, manufacturers and suppliers save money and time at key points throughout the automobile industry

Operating Systems and Infrastructures Developed Specifically for the Automobile Industry:-

"The automobile industry is a very important area of focus for Microsoft," says Jeff Brown, marketing manager in Microsofts Automotive Business Unit.
Working in close partnership with companies such as AAA Response, Bosch, Clarion, Delphi, Denso, Siemens and Visteon, Microsoft is developing technologies that will likely alter the very look and feel of the daily commute. While many of these services and devices are still under development, Brown mentions Internet-based information such as news, traffic updates, instant messaging, navigation assistance and back-seat entertainment systems as examples.
And just in case the use of cellular phones and other handheld devices becomes illegal while driving, Brown says that many of the new and emerging technologies are voice activated. Microsoft has developed Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) so that drivers hands remain on the wheel and their eyes on the road.
"Were not new to this business," Brown says. "Weve been building operating systems that are truly built for the automotive sector for four years now."
Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive an operating system Microsoft has developed and fine-tuned to bridge the gap between technology and the industrial revolution is currently in its third version.
Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive is a critical component of the companys recently unveiled Car.NET Framework, an infrastructure that, according to Microsoft, revolutionizes computing and communications in the automobile industry.
"The Car.NET Framework has its origins in the Microsoft .NET initiative," Brown says, citing Microsofts vision of making computing available any time, any place and on any device. "Working with a range of partners, we plan to develop and distribute services that, combined with in-vehicle electronics audio and video, for example, or navigation will empower carmakers, automotive suppliers and service providers to make traveling easier, more entertaining, less stressful and safer."
Introduced in October 2000, the Car.NET platform applies Microsofts .NET principles to the automotive industry in a number of ways. The platforms framework provides the infrastructure and tools to build and operate services based on eXtensible Markup Language, or XML, which provides a common method for identifying data from multiple sources.
"From the consumers perspective, the key is that this XML-based .NET framework will allow a range of devices to interact seamlessly with a wide range of Web services, which gives the consumer more and better information and entertainment choices in the car," Brown says.
Microsofts Mobile Information Server will provide the server platform interface for the wireless delivery of Web services to mobile devices. This server platform will support connection to any Web service, including email servers such as Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes. Microsoft says it will work with industry partners to develop new services, including support for synchronized email, email browsing and remote software updates.
"Were definitely on the road," Brown says. "Weve got the operating system, and weve got an experienced team, and were moving. Weve developed Windows CE for Automotive to enable system manufacturers to build next-generation, in-car computing systems that improve safety, communications, information and entertainment."
The third version of Windows CE for Automotive, according to Brown, includes a number of key updates.
New debugging tools make sure applications work hand-in-hand with the operating system, improving reliability. There is increased flexibility for application programming interfaces (APIs) via an open, or customizable, configuration and platform builder kits.
Other improvements include new video sourcing and enhanced power management. "Windows CE for Automotive is smart enough to know when the technologys not being used and therefore doesnt suck the juice out of the battery," Brown says.
Microsoft also tested extensively the Critical Process Monitor (CPM) to make sure it prevents system crashes and protects the system from viruses. Run-time recovery capabilities are built in to ensure that the system will detect and automatically recover from failures.
Telematics or wireless data delivery is expected to become a $20 billion industry by 2005. By 2006, experts predict that 50 percent of all new cars and 90 percent of the higher-end models will have telematic-capable appliances. Microsoft, in partnership with developers, device manufacturers and service providers, is ready to pave the road.
"Were moving from static to smart Web-based devices that can be programmed using XML," Brown says. "Weve programmed Windows CE for automotive, our operating system, to be more flexible and more scalable. In doing so, were committing ourselves to the whole new wireless world."

KNOW NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN AUTO WORLD

2008-02-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILES

The automobile as we know it was not invented in a single day by a single inventor. The history of the automobile reflects an evolution that took place worldwide. It is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the modern automobile. However, we can point to the many firsts that occurred along the way. Starting with the first theoretical plans for a motor vehicle that had been drawn up by both Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton.
In 1769, the very first self-propelled road vehicle was a military tractor invented by French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot (1725 - 1804). Cugnot used a steam engine to power his vehicle, built under his instructions at the Paris Arsenal by mechanic Brezin. It was used by the French Army to haul artillery at a whopping speed of 2 1/2 mph on only three wheels. The vehicle had to stop every ten to fifteen minutes to build up steam power. The steam engine and boiler were separate from the rest of the vehicle and placed in the front (see engraving above). The following year (1770), Cugnot built a steam-powered tricycle that carried four passengers.
In 1771, Cugnot drove one of his road vehicles into a stone wall, making Cugnot the first person to get into a motor vehicle accident. This was the beginning of bad luck for the inventor. After one of Cugnot's patrons died and the other was exiled, the money for Cugnot's road vehicle experiments ended.
Steam engines powered cars by burning fuel that heated water in a boiler, creating steam that expanded and pushed pistons that turned the crankshaft, which then turned the wheels. During the early history of self-propelled vehicles - both road and railroad vehicles were being developed with steam engines. (Cugnot also designed two steam locomotives with engines that never worked well.) Steam engines added so much weight to a vehicle that they proved a poor design for road vehicles; however, steam engines were very successfully used in locomotives. Historians, who accept that early steam-powered road vehicles were automobiles, feel that Nicolas Cugnot was the inventor of the first automobile.

During the early 1900s, automobile inventors perfected the operation of the new vehicles and extended the application of internal combustion engines to other vehicles such as trucks, buses, and fire engines. An entirely new industry grew to manufacture cars, tires and other necessary parts. Automobile manufacturing initially took place in many locations around Wisconsin, but it gradually consolidated during the 1920s and 1930s at locations in Clintonville, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Racine. So great was the automobile industry's effect on Wisconsin during this period, that as early as 1925 the value of automobile-related products manufactured in the state was greater than the value of the products of the dairy industry.
The growing use of automobiles required improvements in roads and road building technology. At the turn of the century Wisconsin roads were not much better than the dirt and plank roads of territorial days. In Wisconsin the state Highway Commission, which would become a national leader, took on the role of planning, constructing and maintaining the new road system. Even the system for identifying and marking highways, which is still used today, had to be created. A new tax on gasoline established a segregated fund for highway construction.
Farmers were among the first to benefit from automobiles and improved roads, as motorized vehicles allowed them to deliver their produce to market more quickly. Their children were better educated because rural one-room schools could be consolidated. Public health services were brought to people in remote locations.
Blacksmiths who had been an essential part of the horse-based economy virtually disappeared as an occupation, but new jobs evolved relating to the new technology. The automobile industry was among the first sectors of the economy in which efficient assembly-line construction methods were applied, a change which dramatically altered the nature of manufacturing work. Another important shift in the work environment occurred during the 1930s when the United Automobile Workers Union assumed a leadership role in organizing industrial unions. Hints of the important economic role of tourism were apparent as early as the 1920s, when improved roads opened all parts of the state to the automobile and travelers needed places to eat, sleep and fill their gas tanks,
During World War II rationing of gasoline and tires limited personal automobile use, but the end of the war brought a new wave of changes. More and more families moved to the suburbs and commuted to work by automobile. Interstate highways and local expressways further encouraged the trend. At the same time many stores and businesses relocated from central shopping districts to suburban shopping centers where customers could easily find parking. Domestic architecture changed, too, in response to the automobile. Garages, which had been small, detached barn-like structures during the 1920s, evolved so that the garage, often containing two or three cars, eventually dominated the front facade of many homes.
American enjoyed a love affair with automobiles from introduction at the beginning of the 20th century and the reasons for that love say much about the American character. By the close of that century, however, the drawbacks of the nation's automobile-based culture were becoming increasingly apparent. Although the future of the automobile is uncertain, it will surely continue to affect us all for decades to come.

The First Automobile

The first automobile ever seen in Nova Scotia, arrived on the Allan liner Siberian from Liverpool [England] this morning. It is a gasoline horseless carriage, owned by William Exshaw, son-in-law of Sir Sanford Fleming. It was built in France and has been run by Mr. Exshaw since the first of the year. The propelling motor is operated by gasoline. The automobile is boxed up, but Mr. Exshaw expects to be driving it around the streets in a few days. [Quoted whole from the Halifax Daily Echo, 11 September 1899]

Mortal Terror

Editor, Eastern Chronicle Dear Sir: Can you tell the owner of a fractious horse if he has any right at all to the King's highway when he meets an automobile? For the past few days I along with other natives of this section of the vineyard have been kept in mortal terror of one of these devil wagons meeting us when we are driving along the road, our horse taking the nearest fence and leaving us stranded on the roadside, possibly maimed for life, and our good looks considerably out of joint. There surely should be some legislation for the people who maintain the roads and who in their daily avocation are constantly called on to use these roads. Their rights should be protected against these life endangering pleasure jaunters. Yours etc., Mac. Editor's Note: We believe an Act was passed by the House of Assembly last session, dealing with the running of automobiles in the Province. We shall look it up and publish the gist of it for the benefit of our correspondent and others in the same fix, who possibly may be more afraid of the machines than are the horses they drive. We may say now that we are told the speed of the stink wagons is limited to a mile in 8 minutes [12 km/h]. On passing a team if the driver of the team holds up his hands, the Chauffeur of the stink wagon must bring it to a standstill and remain in that condition until the driver of the horse gives permission to start. We are not sure that the Chauffeur must not get down and lead the horse past. [New Glasgow Eastern Chronicle, page 2, 25 June 1907]

A Dire Menace

The country people are asking us continually if days cannot be advertised that automobiles will not be on the roads so that they can safely use the roads and come to town. In a number of cases women from the country do the shopping, driving their teams to town with butter, eggs, etc., and exchanging them for household necessities. No woman and few men can drive a horse unused to automobiles past one of these chug-chug machines. The roads are so narrow that teams can seldom pass except at a walk, how then can a person drive a skittish horse past a devil wagon on them? This is a subject that is of great importance not only to the country people, but also to the people of the town, especially to the merchants. no one will wish to come to town at the risk of his or her life; he or she cannot be expected to come. We are aware that we are subjecting ourselves to severe and hostile comment in writing along this line; but we feel that we must. Automobiles can serve no end here except furnishing pleasure for a few people. The roads are narrow and they were constructed by the people for the people so that they could attend to their legitimate business; is it then reasonable or patriotic for a few persons to drive them off their own roads so that these pleasure and excitement seekers should have the fun of running automobiles? The law is very strict and supersedes municipal regulations, yet is inept. On its face it looks as if the Legislature deliberately passed it in such form as to gather in some revenue by a system of licensing these machines. Even the speed at which they are allowed to be driven in the country districts (15 miles an hour 24 km/h) is a dire menace to the safety of the lives of drivers of teams! Fancy one of these wagons rounding a turn on our side hill roads at 15 miles an hour on a horse and wagon driven by a woman, and as is often the case, children in the wagon with her? The law should give municipalities the power to forbid them the use of our roads at all. Were it a level country and the roads 60 feet 18 metres wide a team would have some chance; as it is, they have none and death stares them in the face when one of these machines bears down on them. They should all be permanently housed or shipped out of the country. In this connection it is worth noting that the Legislature forbad them running on the roads in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax. Why then do they allow them to run on the narrow and steep country roads. It looks to us as if the Members from the country were asleep when the license was given to them to run on the country roads. [New Glasgow Eastern Chronicle, page 1, 2 July 1907]

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