BY JOHN B. BALL – ILLUSTRATED BRISTOL NEWS. The VX4/90 announced at last year’s Show, is a ‘first’ for Vauxhalls in every sense of the word. Never before has this company produced a high performance 4 cylinder car; never before a twin carburettor, 4 cylinder engine; and never a ?1,000 luxury car in the 2 litre class. The VX4/90 is developed from the Vauxhall Victor range, although possibly the only similarity in the two cars is the fact that they share the same body shell. The Standard Victor uses a similar power unit, with a single carburettor and an 8.1 compression ratio, giving a maximum b.b.p. of 56.3. The VX4/90, however, with the same engine, an aluminium cylinder head, a compression ratio of 9.3 to I can develop a maximum b.h.p. of 81. These figures are sufficient in themselves to make the enthusiast sit up and take notice, and if one is sufficiently interested to go further into the specification, sooner or later one cannot fail to be impressed. The finish of the VX4/90 is indeed particularly good. The exterior line of the Victor body has been further enhanced by the addition of a two-tone side flash, standard rim bellishers and, of course, a completely new front end radiator grille. These refinements, small though they may be, somehow give the car a much more rakish and sporty appearance, which, of course, is as it should be, to match its performance. Inside this new Vauxhall, one cannot fail to carry on enthusing over the luxurious finish of the car’s fixtures, fittings and general comfort. The upholstery and seating are produced from a completely new luxury fabric developed expressly for this car by I.C.I., and which should have a tremendous future in the motor car industry. It has all the properties of leather, but, of course, is only a fraction of the price. To add further to the luxury of this car, walnut dashboard and door fillets give a very pleasant effect. Before passing on from the dashboard facia. I should, however, like to say something about its design. It is compact, neat, functional, and indeed without fault of any sort. All of the main instrument readings are grouped together in a panel placed directly behind the steering wheel, and are easily visible from the driving seat. The hand controls are placed immediately to the left of this in the centre of the dashboard, and can be operated on the move without giving the driver any anxiety. The hand-brake is situated immediately to the driver’s left hand, and once again is completely accessible. One blot, and in fact the main criticism of the VX4/90, is the placing of the gear lever. This is placed, to my mind, far too far forward on the centre combing, and makes it necessary to lean right forward to place the car in either reverse, first or third gears. A simple answer to this would be to have the gear lever cranked back a little, and I feel that perhaps the manufacturers will take notice of this in the very near future. Upon moving off, one becomes aware of two things. Firstly, the silent efficiency of the power unit, and secondly the vivid acceleration obtainable when called upon. On the test, the car moved from a standing start to 50 m.p.h., in 9 seconds, and from 0-60 m.p.h., in 12 seconds. The overall speed recorded on the test was 96 m.p.h., and whilst doing all this, one can expect a petrol consumption of from 30-32 m.p.g., quite an impressive little array of figures, and I shall be very surprised if we do not see the VX4/90 winning several of the major awards in the national and international rallies in the near future. If one must give full marks to the VX4/90 for acceleration, then not very far behind must come its cornering and road holding abilities. The way the VX4/90 goes round corners, undertakes rough road treatment, and sits on the road at speed, is almost faultless. I say ‘almost’ for although it is faultless on a dry road, part of the tests on this car were carried out under wet and icy conditions. and it was found that if utmost care was not taken, the light rear end had a tendency to creep round a little. However, one can soon develop a technique to offset this, but even so it must be classed as a minor criticism. Having described how well the car moves, how nicely it goes round corners, we must then come to the all important part of stopping it. On the VX4/90, the brakes are absolutely first-class. The combination of 10 disc brakes on the front and 8” brake drums on the rear seem to me to be the complete answer to pulling up this 19 cwt. car. Indeed, on the test I did have cause to brake very sharply from a speed in the region of 85 m.p.h., and the car pulled up beautifully in the minimum of’ distance without any drag, shudder or fade. To sum up the VX4/90, I like it very much indeed. It is surprisingly good considering that it is the first time that Vauxhall Motors have had a crack at the high performance market, It is comfortable and safe, and seems to me to be extremely good value at just belo

As the first sign reads: 1824 Marquis de Lafayette Carriage The oldest vehicle in the Studebaker National Museum's collection is the carriage of the Marquis de Lafayette. In his own time, Lafayette was known as the hero of two worlds because of his prominence in both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. He was also a close friend of President George Washington. In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette back to the United States for recognition of his accomplishments. He arrived on August 14, 1824, and was presented a grand carriage for his travels. The U.S. Government had commissioned it and it represented the highest development in carriage building of that era. After Lafayette returned to France in 1825, the carriage passed through several hands until it was acquired in 1890 by Clement Studebaker to display as part of the private Studebaker Corporation collection in the Studebaker Repository building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It served as a monument to past carriage making by a company that was the leader of carriage making of their time. The significant carriage is a historical gem of the Studebaker National Museum. The high body has large wheels and is profusely ornamented with silver scroll work. The seats were upholstered with rich cloth that, unfortunately, has faded over time. The carriage is slung on leather straps and spring arches like the neck of a swan creating a graceful appearance. The vehicle is still a reminder of a grand age of carriage making despite the evidence of its advanced age. Conservation treatment: - surface cleaning to remove years of accumulated grime - reducing darkened yellow varnish on wood and metal surfaces - re-adhering lose inlays - removing portions of later paint to create "windows" exposing original colors and conditions - treating leather areas to stabilize, and, - stabilize all textiles Treatment Cost: $120,000 The other sign reads: 1824 Lafayette Carriage In 1824, the U.S. Government commissioned this carriage for the return tour of the Marquis de Lafayette. The Marquis was a close friend of George Washington, and provided essential aid to American forces during the Revolutionary War. This vehicle represents the peak of 1820s American carriage making. Clement Studebaker bought the carriage in 1892 and displayed it in tribute to his industry's heritage. From the Original Studebaker Collection. Inside Facts Style - Landau Did you Know? A Landau is a lightweight, open carriage mounted on elliptical springs. John Curlet built this carriage in Baltimore, Maryland.