598 AUTOMOBILE RACES, 



have 60 or 70 horsepower. We sa}- that these powers are nominal, 

 because they merely represent a type of carriage, and are by no means 

 the actual power developed. Makers are rarely disposed to take the 

 public into their confidence over the details of these special racing 

 machines. The indicated power of the vehicles is kept a secret, but it 

 may safely be said that a car entered as M horsepower is capable of 

 giving considerabl}' more. Even accepting the figures stated, the 

 increasing of the motive power fourfold in live years is a remarkable 

 achievement, the more so as the weight of the cars has not even been 

 doubled in the same period. Whether this rate of progress can be 

 continued much further is a question that can only be solved by the 

 forthcoming races. The competitions have already shown makers 

 how to get the best out of their motors, and it is at a moment when 

 they are anxious to settle an interesting problem in weight and speed 

 that an attempt has been made in some quarters to suppress racing 

 altogether. The success of the Paris-Bordeaux event has evidentlj^ 

 brought these people round to see the error of their ways, for the 

 newspapers which have been the most uncompromising in their anti- 

 racing crusade are actually admitting that if proper precautions are 

 taken, a race, after all. may be both interesting and instructive, 



THE GORDON-BENNETT CUP. 



To a certain extent it may be said that the open race was merely 

 intended to be a pendant to the Gordon-Bennett cup competition, but 

 as it turned out the cup had to pale its ineffectual fires before the 

 open race. If the cup competition had been run oft' separately, as 

 was the case last j^ear, it would have been an utter fiasco. At first it 

 seemed as if this international triangular match were going to be one 

 of the biggest events of the year. Both England and German}^ had 

 entered vehicles, and after the brilliant performances of the Mercedes 

 cars at Nice there was every promise of the competition with the new 

 French fliers proving of absorbing interest. But unfortunately the 

 owners of the Mercedes vehicles withdrew on the ground that the 

 Automobile Club of Germany made their selection too late to enable 

 the cars to be ready in time, and neither Benz nor Canello-Diirkopp 

 would take their place. At the last moment Tischbein entered a vehi- 

 cle, which, however, could not be got off' in time for the race; and then 

 Mr. W. K, Thorn, i^resident of the Automobile Club Bearnais, offered 

 to place his Mercedes at the disposal of Tischbein if the French car- 

 riage body could be replaced by one of German manufacture. The}'^ 

 went all over Paris in search of this body, but no carriage builder 

 had one on hand. Then among the English Napiers, the Hon. 

 C. S. Rolls and Count Zbrowski declared forfeit, and the only one 

 to turn up was Mr. S. F, Edge, The English representative drove 

 his car from Bologne to Paris, and had so much trouble with his Eng- 



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