A week behind the wheel of one of these horseless carriages will sort the men from ¨the boys
We’ve met Russell Vincent before, via his superbly desirable 1936 Austin 7 Nippy. He’s a retired mechanic with some excellent skills that only the truly devoted can deploy — and most modern mechanics wouldn’t have. Just as well, because he particularly enjoys his original horseless carriages, with which you could easily find yourself having to fabricate (forge?) a new crankshaft or reproduce faithfully copied castings for steering boxes, all of which he has done, and of course he’s a great believer in alloy pistons.
He has a stack of such spares carefully put away, and enjoys the challenges inherent in the making of almost any part required. If it can be cast and machined he can do it — and probably has done so.
Clearly he is a natural for the January re-enactment of the Far North Parliamentary Tour, and it’s this 1905 Cadillac single-banger he’ll be taking on the tour. That’s nothing as far as Russell is concerned, he’s taken this car the length of NZ several times, and even driven it from Hastings to Auckland in the one day! It’s been over the Rimutakas and completed plenty of equally challenging trips. He estimates that he has driven close to 48,300km in this car — how’s that for reliability, not to mention passion?
Challenging
The enormity of the challenges involved can only be comprehended when you compare this century-old vehicle with later machines. The mid-mounted under-floor, copper water-jacketed single cylinder propels a very large spoked flywheel with centrally mounted dogs for the crank handle. Access is gained through the boot floorboards or under the seat. It’s quite easy to get at, as there isn’t that much of it anyway!
There’s an involved karakia required to fire it up. Russell set up the spark, and throttle, then turned on the oil and ignition and cranked backwards to set it up on half compression, followed by turning on the gas. Like an aeroplane (he used to be a flyer), you have to go through your checks for the first starting up of the day. Thereafter it’s all in the luck of the draw; you may or may not need to get elaborate. In our case the old Caddie started first crank, and I taped the unmistakeable sound of one cylinder idling at about 50rpm — gdunka! gdunka! gdunka! gdunka!
I was told that it will get up to about 1500rpm, which I thought staggering. On the road we never thought to turn on the stereo, the series of explosions would have drowned anything out, apart from the solid blows in the small of the back I seemed to experience in time with the little hardworking motor. The engine’s work ethic astonished me, you could easily count the explosions, yet there was the solid feeling of real torque in second (top) gear as we bowled along the sealed country road.
We went along this road at what was probably about 50kp but sitting high up with no windscreen, roof or side screens to cushion the rush of air — larded with assorted insects — it seemed as if we were at take-off velocity. My aging eyes, even though protected by my glasses, were streaming with tears — coupled also I suspect with nasal mucous. Like that touch?
I cast a glance at Russell and noted that he had no such problems. But on reflection I think that it was because he shares with his first cousin, Gregory H Vincent, the family characteristic of slitty eyes hidden in the folds of protectively loose skin! That’s why you never know what that lot are thinking, not to mention why their eyes never stream.
However it is clear that a liking for old cars is another shared family trait. Russell has a gorgeously interesting Model T doctor’s coupe, a Packard, a ’20s Studebaker and a couple of early ’30s Austin 7s, and enough bits for another couple of early Cadillacs.
Sound engineering
The single-cylinder Cadillac’s motor is very interesting. The horizontal cylinder has VTEC-style valve timing — the inlet valve is advanced via the throttle increase. There’s also a mechanical form of fuel injection, rack and pinion steering, and an epicyclic transmission similar to the model T — that rules me out for driving — and mid-mounted!
There were two spark plugs, one earthed and one insulated, so what Russell has done is mount two plugs with two separate ignition coils, each firing simultaneously — a very sensible modification. A water pump off the end of the crankshaft pushes the coolant through the circuit of motor, tank and radiator. Kerosene lights complete the ensemble. Russell might just upgrade these invisibly to electrical — safety of course. It’s an original car and he’s the fourth owner, having owned it a little over 10 years.
Rugged and reliable
Following these old girls, as I have been lately, I’ve come to realise that they’re a great deal tougher than we give them credit for. Rugged and reliable; 32,000 to 48,000km a year were common distances for these cars, and doctors found that horse and trap expenses were much greater than the costs of running soundly designed cars — apart from the greatly increased ease of immediate travel. Total loss oil systems in the crankcase, transmission and differential mean you have to keep replenishing the oil tank under the seat, that gravity-feeds (with a little pressurised help from the crankcase) the cylinder and the mains and big-end. The tank has adjustable taps and you can increase or decrease the feed. Another tank feeds the transmission, and Russell commented that if he’s on a long climb — or long trip — he’ll top up with half a cup of oil.
The transmission is similar to the Model T, but the diff is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s a planetary system with two brake drums in and on each side of the diff. As I struggle to describe this I realise that I haven’t really got a handle on it at all. But Russell has and knows exactly how to use it, braking with judicious help from the low gear or reverse (two forward and one reverse) because these two brake drums are the only brakes, and not that flash either. He must have some bad moments from time to time.
This is a remarkably original car faithfully maintained by the four owners, and is the only one in NZ actually running. It’s right hand drive, which is the way all cars came out until Henry Ford built 15 million left-hand-drive Model Ts.
I’ve mixed views on these cars, they’re great taonga, but would I want to drive to Wellington in one? Yes, provided I was under 30 years of age and had a very attractive and interesting woman with me. Me and Russell are a couple of old dogs, and the driver is always going to be too busy to talk to the passenger.
Cadillac
The subject car was built within two years of the establishment of the brand. The founder of Cadillac was Henry Leland, who had been associated with another Henry — Henry Ford. That probably explains why this car is so similar to the early Fords — horizontal under-floor motor (although the Ford had two pots), a two-speed planetary transmission and chain drive via a spur diff drive.
The history of Cadillac will not be attempted here, but one paradoxical story is of interest. In 1908 the Poms set up a standardisation test at Brooklands in which they dismantled three cars, from each of three (single cylinder) contending marques, mixed the parts up within each of the marques then reassembled and drove the cars. Cadillac won hands down, earning the Dewar Trophy.
I guess Cadillac still holds that trophy.
As Ford and Cadillac progressed they went in different directions and became leading manufacturers for totally different reasons — except that both marques were highly thought of and totally reliable. By the ’50s and ’60s Cadillac had become the symbol of wealth and success in the American world — and Ford was recognised as the industry giant.
Why horseless carriages
Russell commented that he owned and drove these old girls because he enjoyed immensely getting back to driving basics with cars from the pioneering age. “There’s a real thrill built into a ride in one of these,” said Russell, “Which you will experience and understand, they’re so different to the later cars of the ’20s and ’30s.”
Very true, in some ways it’s like being mounted in a high speed ride-on mower with inferior brakes. I did enjoy it, but I’m too old to get a charge out of a long trip in anything that’s older than me — mind you, there aren’t many cars that old. However, Russell at a mere seven decades is still young enough to enjoy the challenges of long distance motoring in pioneering cars.
Anyway, as far as history is concerned, 100 years isn’t a long time at all, so this pioneer highlights how very far we’ve come in terms of automotive design and construction. Mark you, we do seem to have done a full circle in one thing — costs. When this Cadillac was built, a new one cost $US750. Today, in the NZ market, there are thousands of good used cars far more driveable that can be bought for that sort of money, and this old girl is very valuable indeed. On reflection that’s probably a good example of advanced sophistry.
Words and Photos, Penn McKay
