Italas to be Marketed Here and Overseas.
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A Description of the Characteristic Features of Design as Exemplified on the 30-cwt. Model.
Everybody, of course, has heard of the Itala touring cars, and many of our readers are no doubt familiar with their excellent performances on the road. The Itala, it will be recalled, was the famous make which, amongst other worldwide achievements, accomplished that somewhat foolish and designated "race" from Pekin to Paris.
The Itala industrial vehicles have, abwad at any rate, and in some of our own Colonies, built up for themselves a reputation which is as formidable in its way as that already possessed by the touringcar models. We were the more interested, one day last week, to receive an invitation, to inspect one of the new machines, from Mr. H. F. Stanton, the managing director of British and Foreign Motors, Ltd., a new concern which, amongst other activities, is to engage in the exploiting of the Itala commercial models throughout territory which comprises Great Britain and Ireland, the whole of Africa, India and the whole of Asia east of it, and Canada, as well as the right to sell in the Australian Commonwealth.
The first model to arrive in this country is now available for inspection at the company's garage, 41, Harrington Square, S. Kensington. We are pleased to be able to afford our readers the first published particulars of this new machine, and to direct attention to the illustrations which accompany the present article as being thoroughly representative of ltala industrial-vehicle practice.
The machine in question is of the 30-cwt. category, and is therefore a model of medium-load capacity. The Rainrange of choice extends from a camion or lorry chassis, destined to accommodate a useful
load of 12 cwt., or for employment as a small private hotel omnibus, up to afive-ton machine with an engine of a capacity up to 45 h.p. The full list of available Itala cornme-scial models will be found later in this article.
Now, with regard to the 30-ewt. chassis model, which, as we say, may be taken as thoroughly representative of Itala practice in this class of machine, we find on the whole after examination, that it is
a machine which embodies nothing freakish in the matter of detail, yet it is distinctly one which possesses features of clever and compact design. There is an absence of amateur effort to bring into proper relationship the various units, and in this respect we shall point out certain features which, in the absence of unusual main characteristics, still stamp the Itala. as a distinctive model.
In the 30-cwt. machine the engine cylinders are cast en bloc, the bore is 90 mm., and the stroke is 130 mm., and this at normal revolutions yields a good working horsepower of thirty. Special attention has been given to the water circulation on this motor ; the top of the engine casting is open, and its covering is provided by a domed aluminium top-piece held down by four flush nuts. This cover, in manner quite typical of Italian care for detail, accommodates the leads from the plugs in the speciallycontrived tubular part of the casting. One of our illustrations shows the manner in which the exhaust branch may be detached, as well as the provision for fastening the valve-motion covers. The same picture shows the position and .size of the exhaust ports.
The lubrication is by pump from a sump, and the internal economy of the engine is in accordance with modern high-class design. It is perhaps when we come to the auxiliary engine drives that we find best evidence of distinctive Itala conception. Another illustration which we have specially secured demonstrates the various points to which we desire to draw attention
here. It will be found that the water pump is embodied in the front part of the engine casting, and is driven by a special spur gear from the camshaft drive. The same shaft supports one of the two belt pulleys by means of which the fan is operated. The suction for the pump is by means of short junction pieces, which draw the water first from the bottom of the radiator, which in this model is of the cellular honeycomb type, into the hollow, nearside front engine arm, and thence to the pump body. Th,i delivery from pump to engine cas3 is, of course, direct. A simple outlet from the top of the inonobloc casting facilitates the flow or water to the top of the radiator.
The ignition is by high-tension magneto driven by one of the members of the front gearing train, and provision is made for automatic advance of the timing as the throttle is opened either by hand or by accelerator pedal. The cart buretter is of the Itala pilot-jet type, but on a batch of these particular machines which is being prepared for shipment to Ceylon., paraffin carburetters of a wellknown pattern are to be employed.
The big cast-steel flywheel also does duty as a fan, and to render the service in this respect more effective, the lower part of the engine space underneath the bonnet has been effectively rendered air-tight. Immediately beneath the radiator, an aluminium shell is fitted to the front member of the frame, and this serves to house the starting-handle bearing, and also to register the front of the engine shield proper. A word must be said in praise of these well-made shields ; they are particularly strong, and may be detached or put in position at a minute's notice by means of the ample sliding bolts which are provided for attachment to the frame members. The main clutch is of the multi-disc pattern, and the joint between this and the front of the gearbox appears to be of admirable design. The gearbox itself, which in this machine embodies three forward speeds and a reverse, is short and sturdily supported. The fore arms stretching to the sub-frame are of deep inverted-IT section. Small stiff shafts and the general arrangement of the internal mechanism are admirable features from the point of view of the commercial user.
At the rear of the gearbox is situated the big foot-brake. This is provided with finger adjustment, which., as is not always the case, is located in a. position which will tempt the driver to giveit fairly
regular attention. This brake is arranged for water cooling, and when the brake pedal is depressed, a small cock under an auxiliary water tank is automatically opened, and water trickles in to the inside of the brake drum via a, small pipe, which is clamped to the lower part of the gearbox itself_ The final drive is by propeller shaft to a bevel-driven live axle, of which the distinctive feature is the ample proportion of all its parts. One of our photographs affords an excellent idea of this sturdy unit. On the 30-cwt. machine, a single long torque rod does duty, with its front end supported in one of the usual types of spring hangers. The larger models have two such rods. The thrust from the back axle is taken up on the front of the back Springs, which are of unusual length, the short links being situated at their back ends. A specially-heavy form of front axle has been provided on this 30-.cwt. mould, and we are informed, in the absence of a test run, that the external expanding brakes are of exeeptiorial capacity.
We have probably said enough without wearying our readers with a too-detailed description of the mechanical features of this interesting chassis to indicate that it is a model which should do good service under the loads for which its sponsors have designated it. We shall look forward to tests on the road of this machine, as well as of other examples of the very considerable range of Itala models. These comprise the 12-cwt. model which we have already mentioned, the 30-cwt. machine which we have now described, a two-tonner, which can also be used for a 12-seated omnibus, a 50-ewt. model, a threetonner, and a five-tonner.
As evidence of the importance which is attached to the commercial application of the petrol motor by the Itala factory authorities at Turin, it is well perhaps to mention here that, in addition to the many ordinary applications of the commercial chassis both. for passenger and goods-carrying purposes, the Itala designers have supplied motor fire-engines fitted with Worthington centrifugal pumps, or, alternatively, with reciprocating Drouville pumps. Other specialities are sweeping and picking-up machines, water tz:atk carts, railcars of various capacities, and stationary motors for electric-lighting and pumping purposes. The Rah: engines for motor boat work, of course, have an international reputation.