The Sphinx, Vol. 14, No. 201

              December 8, 1906.
THE SPHINX.
27
Olympia Motor Show.
The motor show recently held at Olympia may safely be said to have been the finest ever held in this country, if not in the whole world, both in the quantity and quality of its exhibits, and a few observations on its leading features maybe of interest to those who did not have the opportunity of attending it, and of these there will probably be many among your readers. These observations will be of a general rather than a techical character as technical details in connection with this trade are too numerous and too intricate to deal with in a cursory article.
Perhaps the most striking feature was the excellence of the British makes and the high opinion of them which was held on every side We were pleasantly impressed with the fact that the foreign maker no longer has things all his own way, as he has tended to have in the pastj and that the British-made car is equal, if not superior, to any that can be put up against it.
It is difficult in the space of a short resume to discuss the merits and demerits of the various makes, but of the British makes there were three that struck me as particularly worthy of mention* namely, the “Daimler”, the “Rolls-Royce” and the Scottish “Argyll” while of the foreign cars the “Mercedes” of course, the “Renault”, and the “de Dietrich” take my fancy most.
A noticeable feature of this year’s show and one that has a considerable bearing on the general outlook of the trade was that though so much time and thought has been spent on the production of these magnificent up-to-date models the price has gone if anything a little bit down rather than up, and this I think in spite of the fact that people have begun to recognize an important economic fact with regard to motor cars, namely that a cheap article does not pay in the long run. They have now had enough experience to test not only running power but also the life of a car, and they seem to have found that where ! you pay a less initial cost your expenses come heavier in the long run; this mayiseem a platitude, but is particularly true of this industry and it seems likely that the “two year car” built on the principle on which the Americans build their railway engines is not going to receive any great patronage from the British public.
Speaking of Americans by the way it is note-worth that in this industry the competition shown from “the other side” is hardly worthy of our enterprising cousins, a fact for which I have as yet been offered no adequate explanation, though doubtless one exists.
Another remarkable feature about this year’s show is the princely luxuriance with which cars can now be externally provided; this of course is a matter of the coach builder’s rather than the motor manufacturer’s art, and comes in the long run to a question of £.s.d.; but there-is no doubt that the excellence of the tonneau is a point of great attraction to the intending buyer, in fact many of the latter seem to be too easily carried away by this feature and to forget that after all the engine is the important part. There were one or two bodies, especially one exhibited by the “Rolls-Royce”, which might fairly be described as princely.
Many important questions of detail construction have been raised by this year’s show, the most notable perhaps being that as to the merit of the six-cylinder cars, a question on which the doctors seem very prone to disagree. Time alone can solve these problems, time and experience, and of necessity the structural improvements become yearly fewer in proportion, so that there are really no epoch-making improvements to relate. What needless to say interested me very much
was the question of the Egyptian market and its requirements, a question which I discussed with many of the more important makers who gave one somewhat conflicting opinions; for while some had spent no small time and thought on the special requirements of this climate others argued that there were no particular conditions to cater for or | guard against. Notable among the former were the Daimler Company who received at least one order for Egypt during the Show. They consider that there are two points in which Egypt may be specially catered for, the avoidance of dust and the cooling of the engines, and to both these they have given their particular attention.
There is no doubt that this Show has been thoroughly beneficial both in stimulating trade and in educating both the makers and the public; j ' money orders have been passed during the show and a great stimulus has been given to the whole industry; in fact the time seems to have come when motors need no longer be considered the playthings of plutocrats, but rather the indispensable posessions of all reasonably well-to-do people. There were also many improvements and inventions other than structural to be seen,
| chief among which were two inventions connected with tyres.	.
These may really be regarded as of greater importance even than improvements of design, for the tyre is the great constant source of trouble which afflicts both large and small alike.
The first of these is the ingenious Stepney wheel, which consists of a solid rim with tyre ready fitted which can be adjusted to the wheel of the car by means of strong clips which fasten to the spokes; thus, when the tyre becomes deflated through any cause, the Stepney wheel can be adjusted in a very few moments so as to take the weight of the car, the two wheels running side by side.
This ingenious invention is invaluable for saving time and roadside trouble as the writer can testify from experience.
The other invention in connection with tyres is a spongy substance known as “elastes” which is injected into the tyres in place of air; this is not altogether a new idea, something of the sort having been tried some years back in the case of bicycles. It is early as yet to say whether anything can really be made of it, but it is in such good hands that we may be sure that it will have every chance of success.
Anyway it is very gratifying to note that keen attention ds being payed to this all-important question of tyres.
Chauffeur.
OTERO’S ENGAGEMENT. -----------------***•-------
Our London Correspondent writes that immense interest is being taken in theatrical circles in the engagement of La Belle Otero, the famous Spanish dancer.
Mr. Rene Webb, the Englishman, who has wooed and won tne favourite of innumerable theatres and halls is a traveller representing a large firm of Bradford spinners. Otero is known, says one paper, from London to St. Petersburg for her beauty, her graces, her jewels, her enchantments. The men who have died for love of her or have wasted their fortunes to win her smiles are so many that Mr. Rene Webb is a bold man to follow in their footsteps. There was Cretien, the young French officer, who haunted her, and when she snubbed him blew out his brains. Then there was the Englishman from Manchester who spent £50,000 on her in four years. When they parted Otero
sued him for £800, the value of furniture which the Englishman had given her, which was seized by the landlord, but the action failed.
La Belle Otero herself let out the secret of her pending marriage while playing a game of poker with several well-known Parisians. She has starred in almost every theatre in Paris, and made innumerable tours in England and North and South America. Besieged by interviewers, after the news leaked out, Mele. Otero said she had told Mr. Webb, who had been persistent in his declarations of love, that she wanted to live in Paris, that she had no habits of economy, that, in fine, she would never give up the theatre. “ I told him,” she added, “I had not any good qualities. He said he’d have me all the same. I told him my house was not yet paid. He said he’d pay it. I told him I had to keep my sister. He gave me a large sum of money for her. He gave me a big cheque for myself. Well, upon my word, I was affected by his sincerity. We telephoned to a lawyer and a notary, and an hoim after I signed. Now I am engaged. The banns will be published next Tuesday, and in a fortnight we are to be married. It’ll be a new sensation, won’t it?”
La belle Otero is a well-known visitor to the Riviera and a very noticeable figure in the Casino a t Monte Carlo during her trips to the south. A very amusing episode occurred some few years ago when Otero and Mme Liane de Pougy attempted to outvie each other in the magnificence of their attire. Night after night the rival beauties appeared in more magnificent attire and with a greater parade of jewels, till even the players at the tables almost forgot their stakes to watch for their arrival. The climax came at last when Otero appeared almost staggering under the weight of jewels which literally bestrewed her gown, long ropes of pearls hanging to her knees, and her marvellous diamonds scintilating at every moment. A few minutes later a ripple of laughter was heard when Liane de Pougy made her appearance in pure white without a single jewel, her unringed hands clasped, her slender neck bare, her head innocent of any adornment but Ijer fair hair. Before her walked her maid, her ordinary frock studded with all the contents of her mistresses jewel ca^e: necklaces, brooches, bracelets covering the homely figure with hideous confusion. It was perhaps one of the few occasions on which Otero came off second best.
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