June 26th, 2009 by admin
The advent, though modest, of the 12- and 16-cylinder engines was due to the desire of certain manufacturers to offer the maximum of comfort in their luxury models. The 4- and 6-cylinder engines of the period had rather poor performances because of the low engine speeds and they were noisy and inflexible. The multi-cylinders eliminated many of these drawbacks but they were very expensive. The publicity which surrounded their appearance described them as being silent and free of the vibrations and coarseness that characterized the fours and sixes.
In 1930 Cadillac put both a 16- and a 12-cylinder engine into production. The 16 had a 45? V and was designed without regard for production costs. It had a capacity of 7413 cc and a maximum power of 165 bhp and engine speed of 3,400 revs in the initial version. In 1934 its maximum power rose to 175 bhp (185 bhp in 1936).
The Marmon 16-cylinder was regarded as a mechanical jewel. Several highly experienced engineers (Howard Marmon, George Freers, Thomas Little) worked on this engine. Besides being admired for its technical merits this engine was one of the largest fitted in a touring car (8044 cc). Like the Cadillac it had a 45? V, developed 200 bhp at 3,400 revs and its compression ratio was 6:1 . Due to the widespread use of light alloys the weight-power ratio was amongst the best, approx 4.65 pounds (2.11 kg) per bhp. Another important feature of the Marmon 16 was the ventilation of the crankcase which reduced the flow of gas to the exhaust.
June 26th, 2009 by admin
The most recent 16-cylinders, both post war, are the English BRMs. Both were restricted to racing use. The first was built with a view to the Formula 1500 (cc) with supercharger which contained the races of the driver’s world championship of 1950 and 1951. A team of engineers made up of Eric Richter, Frank Will May, Harry Mundy and led by Peter Berthon took part in the project from 1947 onwards. In 1949 it was ready and this engine was fitted in two single-seater cars which made their debut at Silver-stone. In the event one of the cars was withdrawn after its trials and the other remained on the starting line because of a broken transmission. This first unhappy appearance was the forerunner of a series of mishaps which raised a question mark over the ability of the combined forces of the British industry to field a car that could defend its prestige in the world. On paper this 16-cylinder, with a claimed maximum power of 525 bhp at 10,500 revs (390 bhp/litre), was a magnificent engine. Its weak points (the ignition system and the cylinder liners/sleeves) were ironed out but by then the first Formula 1 of the post war period had finished.
Considering the bad experience that BRM had had with this engine, it was surprising that they should turn, in 1966 to a 16-cylinder again for their entrance into the new Formula 1 (3000 cc),which still applies today. The new 16 had an H configuration like the Rolls-Royce Eagle aircraft engine. Though powerful (418 bhp at 10,750 revs), this engine was extremely complicated and it was rapidly abandoned. It does, however, have Jim Clark’s victory in the 1966 United States G.P. with a Lotus to its credit, as BRM allowed other teams to use this engine.
A ‘boxer’ 16-cylinder (i.e. horizen-tally opposed cylinders or a flat 16), was announced in 1965 by the British Coventry-Climax firm for the Formula 1500 (cc) (not to be confused with the Formula 1500-4500 from the period after the Second World War). It had a predicted maximum power of 220 bhp at 11,000 revs. Conventry-Climax became part of Jaguar and later, with Jaguar, part of British Leyland. It then sadly ceased all involvement in racing.
June 26th, 2009 by admin
Whether looking at the cars of the pioneering period or the sumptuous limousines of the 1930s with their enormous engines, one should not overlook the important role of the car body designer. In the early stages the body was adapted to the shape and size dictated by the needs of production. However, as time went on new needs arose from a desire to make vehicles more personal and individual. Thus, since the post war period the car body designers have contributed much to not only making the making the motor car more elegant but faster and more economical as well.
The custom built cars of the past were merely beautiful, luxurious or imposing, but those of the 1970s are first and foremost designed to reduce wind resistance and therefore be more economical in fuel consumption, an aim that is much in harmony with the times in which we live. However, even though today most car design is seen in terms of safety, followed by versatility and reliability, there are still a surprising number of very expensive specialist cars being produced. The Mercedes 300 SL was first produced in the early 1950s, at which time it was a revolutionary design. Similarly, despite its huge cost the Ford GT series was developed in the 1960s as the direct result of Henry Ford’s desire to compete in Grand Prix racing.
June 26th, 2009 by admin
Engines
The descriptions of the models included in this book provide irrefutable evidence of the outstanding imagination of the designers prevailing during the period of their inventiveness often proved an insurmountable obstacle to the actual ralisation of their technical solutions which recently put forward again have enjoyed more success and have been improperly, represented as new.
The most popular engines at the beginning of the century were single-cylinder ones. These were quickly supplanted by twin-cylinder engines, either in line or V, water or air cooled, and mounted in a large number of different positions (on the front axle, in the middle of the vehicle, beneath the floor, on the rear axle) both longitudinally and transversely. The twin-cylinder which has never totally disappeared (eg, the Fiat 500 and later the 126) gave way to the4- , the 6- and later the 8-cylinder engine, especially in American products.
The valveless or sleeve-valve engine enjoyed considerable success. Its main feature was that it was free from valve floating at high engine speeds, noise, the breakage of springs and the burning of the valve seats. The best known sleeve-valve engine was the one designed by Charles Y. Knight. In this the combustion chamber was alternately open to the inlet and to the exhaust ducts. The gas flowed during those periods of the reciprocation and rotary oscillation of the sleeve when the ports cut in it aligned with the combustion chamber ports. It seemed that 8 cylinders marked the upper limit to the number of cylinders but in the 1930s more than one manufacturer adopted 12-cylinder (Auburn, Franklin, Lincoln, Packard, Lagonda, Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza, Napier, and Lancia, the latter two only using it on airplane engines) and 16-cylinder engines. These were the upper limits of the number of cylinders other than in aircraft engines where 24-cylinder examples existed.
June 26th, 2009 by admin
It was during the 1960s that the idea that a car was judged solely on its external design died out, but conversely it is also true that a low cost machine need not be mediocre from the point of view of styling. Today, the majority of cars are seen as a whole: firstly in terms of safety, followed by versatility and reliability.
When Giovan Battista Farina, later to become Pininfarina, set up on his own he did not consider the question of aerodynamics. That was yet to come. Pininfarina, who was self taught, believed that a custom built body should firstly please the eye, and be more functional than a mass produced car. At the time this aim was comparatively easy to achieve as the mass produced bodies of the post war period were neither elegent nor comfortable.
Within the space of a few years, Pininfarina’s sense of proportion and his innate good taste brought him acclaim. The designs of his son Sergio and brother-in-law Renzo Carli have been more futuristic, and perhaps more interesting to the engineer than to the man in the street. The wind tunnel built by Pininfarina some years ago has enabled this celebrated workshop to achieve unforeseeable, streamlined shapes. Thus David Bache’s prediction that the bodywork of cars of tomorrow will be designed more by a computer than the pencil of a stylist, whatever, his flair, seems to be coming true. On the other hand, Sergio Pininfarina is convinced that in the future the public will still choose safe and functional cars that are offered at the same price. Though it is becoming more an instrument of work and less a status symbol with every day, the motor car continues to be shaped to please the eye so it seems likely that there will continue to be a place for the car body designer for some time to come.
Giovan Battista Farina
June 26th, 2009 by admin
This 16 was also composed of two sets of 8 cylinders (Miller) and two crankshafts, though there was a single crankcase. Each engine had a capacity of 1491 cc (the overall maximum power was brought back by Sampson who mounted it in the car which he drove in the Indian-apolis 500 Mile Race. The nest year Sampton again took part at Indian-apolis but this time his car had a U 16-cylinder engine., This consisted of four superimposed 4-cylinder engines. It was a two stroke with a capacity of 3818 cc and was a total failure.
There have been two 16-cylinder cars built in Italy, one by Alfa Romeo and the other by Maserati (two version). The Bimotore, which was prepared in the Ferrari Stable, was an attempt by Alfa Romeo in 1935 to challenge the domination of Mercedes and Auto-Union. The originality of this single-cylinder lay in the arrangement of its two 8-cylinder in line engines, each having a capacity of 3165 cc (total capacity 6330 cc and a maximum power of 530 bhp), one of which was mounted at the front and the other at the rear. The rotation of the rear engine was transmitted to the front one’s clutch via a shaft. The rear driver wheels were connected to the gearbox-differential gear unit by two angled shafts and two pairs of bevel gears. The driver’s seat was between the two engines. The Bimotors has won a place in history through a series of successful record attempts made by Tazio Nuvolari on the Firenze-Mare autostrada.
June 26th, 2009 by admin
The Maserati 16-cylinder and a capacity of 3961 cc and developed 305 bhp at 5,200 revs. And driven by Mario Umberto Borzacchini entered the 1929 Indianapolis but retired on the seventh lap. The Maserati 16 was subsequently restructured and in 1933 it was designated the V5. Its capacity was increased to 4905 cc and it developed 360 bhp at 5,200 revs.
A very successful rear mounted 16-cylinder (the first rear-engined car of the modern era) was the one designed by Ferdinand Porsche for Auto-Union in 1933 just before the start of full scale Formula 750, so called because of its maximum weight 1,650 pounds (750 kg). It had a 45? V. In 1936 the capacity rose from 4368 cc (295 bhp at 4,500 revs) to 5998 cc (520 bhp at 5,000 revs). It had a single stage Roots supercharger. One of the basic features of the Auto-Union 16-cylinder was that it weight a mere 450 pounds (240 kg).
From a 16-cylinder engine built initially for the French air-force and perfected, again for military uses, in the United States by Duesenberg Ettore Bugatti developed an engine for a racing car and for a sports car intended for long distance races. It had two 8-cylinder in line engines arranged in a U. The racing car, the Type 45, had a capacity of 3798 cc, and three of these were built. The other, the Type 47, had a capacity of 2951 cc and a maximum power of 300 bhp.
June 26th, 2009 by admin
The Peerless 16, of which only one was built, also had a 45? V. It had a capacity of 7604 cc and it developed 173 bhp at 3,300 revs.In 1973 Cadillac produced another 16-cylinder (514 units until 1941). This had much in common with its predecessor, but differed in having side valves, fewer components, a reduced weight 247 pounds (112 kg) and a greater compactness. As regards costs and maintenance it was a big step forward.
Another 16, of which only one was made, was the Bucciali. This make was founded by Angelo and Paul Albert Bucciali in 1923 in Paris. It began in racing and it lasted ten years. The car in which in was mounted was displayed at the Paris Motor Show of 1931.The 16-cylinder engine used Continental components and had the same capacity as the Peerless (7604 cc). It had a maximum power of 155 bhp and a 22.5? V, exactly haft that of the Cadillac, Marmon and Peerless 16s. Engines with 16 and more cylinders were built for purely sporting purposes or for powering fighting aircaraft.
The first racing 16 was produced by the Duesenberg brothers in 1919 for the record breaking car in which Tommy Milton reached a speed of 156 mph over a flying mile. The capacity of this engine was 9730 cc. It in fact consisted of two 8-cylinder in line engines with separate drive shafts and no differential gear. Another racing 16 was designed by Frank Lockart on behalf of Stutz who mounted it in the ‘Black Hawk’. This was a record breaking car and Lockart was killed in it on a record attempt after having exceeded 220 mph.