Cars Without Gears The announcement of the advent of the
gearless car by Professor F. C. Lea at Cambridge on Monday will at least serve the purpose of satisfying the average newspaper reader that British Association discussions are not concerned exclusively with academic abstractions. How urgently a gearless car is needed is a matter of opinion. If the new method of -transmission is cheaper, reduces petrol and oil consumption and lengthens the life of tyres, it should stand a good chance of general adoption. But, in spite of the success of an individual car at Cambridge, this has yet to be definitely established. Changing gear with the existing gearbox presents no terrors except to the most inexpert driver, gearboxes seldom go wrong, and there is something to be said against making driving so mechanical as almost to induce somnolence. However, car manufacturers now have to make the difficult decision between equipping themselves at considerable cost to produce the new type of car and running the risk of being badly beaten by competitors who decide that the future is with gearless transmission. However that may be, the new device unquestionably brings distinction to its inventor, Commendatore Salerni.
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