Page D2   April 1936            NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS               387

BUILDING OUR £20 CAR

The First Article on the construction of this ingenious three-wheeler appeared last month.  Many hundreds of readers have allready commenced construction and we have received an enormous amount of correspondence. As stated last month this car can be built for even less than £20, its annual tax is only £4, and it is capable of 50 miles an hour. It may he driven by any reader over 16 years of age,   and its petrol consumption is over 65 miles per gallon.  Best of all, it may be built by any amateur, for the construction has been simplified to avoid skilled fitting, turning, and brazing.A further article will appear next month.
                                                                                      By F.J. Camm

I commence  this month by disposing of some queries I  have received. As these queries are of a general character, I shall thus arrest the pen of other correspondents who may wish to ask similar queries.
Firstly, regarding the blue prints. These will be ready  in a fortnight's time and will cost 10s. 6d. the set of four sheets. This may seem rather a lot of money, but they are being produced for the convenience of readers and the work entailed in their preparation is heavy. It will also be appreciated that the demand for them will be comparatively small, and it is impossible therefore to produce them cheaper.
Those readers who wish to proceed with the construction in advance of the publication of further details will, if they purchase a set of  blue prints, be enabled to do so. Which brings me to another question which I have received from many readers. I cannot send drawings and details through the post in advance of publication The preparation of separate drawings and sketches and descriptions involves, unfortunately, more time than I have to spare, and queries should be confined to materials, choice of engine's, gear-boxes, etc.

Conversion to a Two-seater
As I anticipated I have received shoals of  letters from those who wish to convert the design into a two-seater. This I do not advise, nor do I think that anyone can   reasonably expect to build a passenger carrying vehicle for £20.
This car has been designed as a monocar, and one must draw the line somewhere. Suppose, for example, I altered the design so that it could be used as a passenger-carrying vehicle ; this would mean that the whole structure would need to be strengthened, would be considerably heavier, require a more powerful engine, involve a higher insurance premium, need a heavier gearbox, and so on. Moreover  it would invite queries as to how the design could be amended to carry a third passenger, and even a fourth. Those readers who are minded to do so, can easily adapt the designs here given. I had in mind when producing the designs for this car a vehicle As speedy as a motor cycle, but with the added advantages of weather protection. 1 also had in mind economy of construction and low running costs, and set myself the limit of £20. Deviation from this along the lines which so many readers have been kind enough to suggest would bring the cost of materials alone up to £30 or £40, and for this figure you can purchase an exellent second-hand three or four-wheeled car.