Jump to content

Autoshite's Iconic Engines


2MB

Recommended Posts

Going back decades now but the Hillman Imp engine must be worth a mention , way ahead of its time and developed from a Coventry Climax FWMA engine , all alloy and  overhead cam at the same time the A series was still being made of cast iron and rocks ,  very tuneable , revs to 7K as standard but properly built 998 versions will do 9k without trouble and will almost kick out 100BHP , Even an 875 tuned properly will kick out 60BHP at the wheels , light enough to almost pick up by yourself .

OK so there was reliability issues in the beginning but the technology was so new thats hardly surprising really

 

alternator10.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 1 litre twin cam 16v as fitted to K11 Micras.

 

Very strong, and they could do more than 43 MPH flat out with the correct amount of right foot.

 

The Fix It Again Tomorrow FIRE is a great engine, very strong, just firstly let down by HGF then once they'd fixed that, shitty sensors and wiring. Probably the best example would be a later one retrofitted with a dizzy and points, and the ECU slung into the nearest canal (if that's even possible).

 

They unfortunately took the ruining one step further with the Euro 5 versions which had any enjoyment mapped out of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't the Cologne V6 a bit "meh"? I've had a couple, nothing wrong with them at all but nothing to shout from the tree tops about either. They are just engines?

 

 

Yes, they are just engines, propelling whatever they are supposed to propel forward and there is never anything wrong with them.

Isn't that exatly what one would expect from an iconic engine?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If we're straying into fancy stuff like Buggeryerauntie lumps, then I nominate the Bristol six, single cam in block and the valves arranged like a twin cam, made possible by a couple of shovel loads of pushrods, makes a nice clatter, like a roomful of just oiled sewing machines on the with maybe a skeleton or two having a discreet jostle in a tin bath. They're a great engine simply because they're screwed together with Whitworth threads, and as we all know, the engine that's Whitworthed together, stays together. All non-Whitworth engines are shit, cheap and nasty modern trash cast from monkey metal with the odd bucketful of horses hooves from the knackers yard thrown in, pistons made from fudge, the only heat treatment cranks get is having smelly tramps to piss on them while hot from the forge. If the K-Series had been made with Whitworth threads, we'd now have our empire back, while busying ourselves colonising Mars with K-powered spacecraft, and BMW would be back where they started, building wanky metric threaded pushbikes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, they are just engines, propelling whatever they are supposed to propel forward and there is never anything wrong with them.

Isn't that exatly what one would expect from an iconic engine?

 

all engines are supposed to do that. they should have a certain something extra that makes them iconic, be it a sound, a look, a small idiosyncrasy about them that carves them out a niche in motoring folklore. I was negative about the A series but I agree it's an icon.

 

I'm not having a dig at the Cologne, it's a capable engine and the two I had were trouble free. But, unlike flatties, Fiat twinks & the Stovebolt 6, I don't recall people ever get excited about seeing a Cologne.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

all engines are supposed to do that. they should have a certain something extra that makes them iconic, be it a sound, a look, a small idiosyncrasy about them that carves them out a niche in motoring folklore. I was negative about the A series but I agree it's an icon.

 

I'm not having a dig at the Cologne, it's a capable engine and the two I had were trouble free. But, unlike flatties, Fiat twinks & the Stovebolt 6, I don't recall people ever get excited about seeing a Cologne.

 

They sound like Aston Martin straight sixes. Is that nothing?

Besides, they do have their loyal follwership. You don't seem to be one, I understand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Napier Deltic is a fantastic engine. They are horrific on fuel and they cost a lot to run and repair but still great and the sound of one is like nothing else!

My uncle used to work on them for British Rail in the 70's, he loved them! I've got an original operators manual somewhere for this engine and loads of others, English Electric, Sulzer and all sorts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...