Southern Cross (automobile)
Encyclopedia
The Southern Cross was an Australia
n automobile
manufactured between 1931 and 1935.
Financed by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
, a noted flying pioneer, the car featured a monocoque
chassis
and body, and was built from laminated plywood
. Rumors quickly began circulating that the body was a fire risk, so the timber was sheathed in steel
to protect it. The engine
, a locally-produced flat-four of unknown capacity, developed 55 bhp, giving brisk performance for the era. Open and closed models were manufactured. Two cars built used a torque converter
, developed in Australia, instead of a clutch
. It is unknown how many Southern Cross cars were produced, probably no more than ten, but none have survived. The marque died with Kingsford Smith, who was in the process of raising additional capital at the time of his death.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufactured between 1931 and 1935.
Financed by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
Charles Kingsford Smith
Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, AFC , often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia...
, a noted flying pioneer, the car featured a monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
and body, and was built from laminated plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
. Rumors quickly began circulating that the body was a fire risk, so the timber was sheathed in steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
to protect it. The engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
, a locally-produced flat-four of unknown capacity, developed 55 bhp, giving brisk performance for the era. Open and closed models were manufactured. Two cars built used a torque converter
Torque converter
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load...
, developed in Australia, instead of a clutch
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
. It is unknown how many Southern Cross cars were produced, probably no more than ten, but none have survived. The marque died with Kingsford Smith, who was in the process of raising additional capital at the time of his death.