The Dewar Trophy is a cup donated in the early years of the twentieth century by Sir Thomas R. Dewar, MP, to be awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) of the United Kingdom "to the motor car which should successfully complete the most meritorious performance or test furthering the interests and advancement of the automobile industry".
The Royal Automobile Club Simms Medal is named after the Club’s founding member Frederick Simms and is awarded to recognise a genuine contribution to motoring innovation by individuals or small companies".
[2] Some of the trophy winners include:[3] On Saturday, 29 February 1908, three Model Ks from the 1907 Cadillac production were released from the stock of the Anglo-American Motor-car Company, the UK agent for Cadillac automobiles,[12] at the Heddon Street showroom in London (these were engines Nos.
The three cars, all registered in London under the numbers A2EO, A3EO and A4EO, were driven 25 miles to the Brooklands race track at Weybridge.
[14] Each car was reduced to a pile of 721 component parts, which were then scrambled into one heap by the RAC.
[15] By 2 p.m. on Friday 13 March[citation needed] the three cars had completed the mandatory 500-mile run with singular regularity.
[15] Only one point was lost owing to a broken cotter pin in the ignition lever (promptly replaced from stock).
[citation needed] On completion of the test, one of the cars was locked away until the start of the 2000-miles reliability trials in June 1908.
The observers kept watch day and night just as on board a ship, and periodically tested the revolution counters and spring balances to ensure that the engines were always running under full load.
Both engines were started up at 6 a.m. on Monday, March 22, 1909, and each completed the 132 hours' bench test on the following Saturday evening.
To appreciate more clearly the severity of the test, if the larger engine had been driving a car during the whole time, with the standard Daimler gear ratios, a distance of no less than 8,252 miles (13280 km) would have been covered, at a mean speed of 43.45 m.p.h.
The disparity in speed and distance between these results is, of course, attributable to the higher rate of revolutions of the smaller engine.
On completion of the first test, the engine was removed from the bench and fitted under observation to the chassis without any vital parts being disturbed.
A standard type four-seater body was fitted and the car proceeded from Coventry to Weybridge – 112 miles (180.2 km).
A distance of 5 miles was traversed in running to and from the car-headquarters and the track, and this with the return journey to Coventry made a total mileage of 2,159.5 (3474.5 km).
The judges append the following remarks to their certificate: "The engine was completely dismantled, and no perceptible wear was noticeable on any of the fitted surfaces.
The judges append the following remarks to their certificate: "The engine was completely dismantled, and no perceptible wear was noticeable on any of the fitted surfaces.