One of the foremost cars as regards precision of assembly was the British Salmson. This vehicle was produced by British Salmson Aero Engines Limited., and was a really expensive piece of motor-car machinery. The 1470cc power unit (69 x 98mm) had its overhead valves operated by twin camshafts. The valve gear was highly ingenious – t6he cams were mounted above the valves, which were set at 45 degrees in the cylinder head, and operated a piston-like tappet, enclosing double valve springs and working in a small guide, which was in effect a cylinder. The upper side of the tappets was hollowed in the form of a recess where a tappet plate was placed, the upper half being filled with aluminum, which expanded in the hot oil, to form a silencing cushion. This method ensured that tappet adjustment stayed put at least 20,000 miles.
The cylinder bores were guaranteed to last 40,000 miles before requiring re-boring. I can think of only one other concern which gave a bore guarantee, and that was the Singer Company. The entire car was actually guaranteed for two years, bringing it into line with the majority of high-grade production vehicles. Semi-elliptic springs were used for the front suspension, and quarter-elliptic at the rear. I he chassis was of immensely rigid construction, although light in weight, and the maximum speed of 80 m.p.h., claimed for the sports models, was a slight underestimation. I have driven a 12/70 four-seater which, without any special tuning, could reach a timed 87 m.p.h. over the flying half-mile at Brooklands.
Larger models were later produced, a " fourteen" being introduced in 1936, which was not supplied in sports form, and the 20/90 sports, which had a six-cylinder engine of 2,590-c.c. (75 x 98-mm.), and was a very fast car indeed. About 1938 the name of the cars was changed to French Salmson, and production ceased at the British factory. Despite the fact that the original company was connected with the French Salmson Co., the British Salmson was a purely British-built car, and had many admirers amongst those who recognize a fine piece of engineering when they see it. The main criticism was that it was inclined to the heavy side, making it unsuitable for competition work. On the other hand, I seem to remember W. C. N. Norton having a number of successes with a British Salmson, so it can't have been all that unsuitable. |
