Scroll down to see all the illustrations on the page
Contents Contents 2 2
Pages
1 1 Home Page Home Page Contents Contents 2 2
Pages
1 1 Home Page Home Page
Austin A40 Somerset
The A40 Somerset was produced by Austin from 1952 to 1954 and replaced the A40 Devon on the production lines. The car was basically a re-bodied A40 Devon, being comparable in size to its predecessor and sharing a number of components which included a similar 1,200 cc engine, which was slightly uprated to produce 42 hp which gave the car a top speed of 70 mph, although  the car was still under-powered if fully loaded. The Somerset featured an updated body style with flowing lines which resembled the company’s larger Austin A70 Hereford. The car was designed to improve export sales, particularly
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weight: 2,232 lbs (0.99 tons) Dimensions: Length 13 ft 2 ins, Width 5 ft 3 ins, Height 5 ft 2½ ins Wheelbase: 7 ft 8 ins Powerplant: 1 x 1,200 cc B Series petrol engine rated at 42 hp Torque: 62 lbs ft Performance: Top speed 70 mph Number Built: 173,306
America, and initially was offered only as a four door saloon, and for seven pounds extra you could have a sliding roof as a factory option. A two door convertible was introduced in late 1952 which was marketed as the Austin A40 Somerset Coupé. The convertible differed from the saloon in having separate front seats that folded forward to give access to the rear. An additional variant known as the Austin A40 Sports, also a convertible, completed the range.  The success of the A40 Somerset helped to pave the way for the creation of the British Motor Corporation in 1952. 
Austin A40 Somerset Coupé
The A40 Somerset was produced by Austin from 1952 to 1954 and replaced the A40 Devon on the production lines. The car was basically a re-bodied A40 Devon, being comparable in size to its predecessor and sharing a number of components which included a similar 1,200 cc engine, which was slightly uprated to produce 42 hp which gave the car a top speed of 70 mph, although  the car was still under-powered if fully loaded. The Somerset featured an updated body style with flowing lines which resembled the company’s larger Austin A70 Hereford. The car was designed to improve export sales, particularly
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weight: 2,232 lbs (0.99 tons) Dimensions: Length 13 ft 2 ins, Width 5 ft 3 ins, Height 5 ft 2½ ins Wheelbase: 7 ft 8 ins Powerplant: 1 x 1,200 cc B Series petrol engine rated at 42 hp Torque: 62 lbs ft Performance: Top speed 70 mph Number Built: 173,306
America, and initially was offered only as a four door saloon, and for seven pounds extra you could have a sliding roof as a factory option. A two door convertible was introduced in late 1952 which was marketed as the Austin A40 Somerset Coupé. The convertible differed from the saloon in having separate front seats that folded forward to give access to the rear. An additional variant known as the Austin A40 Sports, also a convertible, completed the range.  The success of the A40 Somerset helped to pave the way for the creation of the British Motor Corporation in 1952. 
Alfa Romeo 158
The Alfa Romeo 158, and its successor the Alfa Romeo 159 was one of the most successful racing cars ever designed, and during their careers of the 158 won 47 Grands Prixs from the 54 they entered. The 158 made its debut in August 1938 at Livorno, Italy, where Emilio Villoresi took the car's first victory. More successes followed at the Coppa Acerbo, Coppa Ciano and Tripoli Grand Prix in May 1940, but after Italy entered World War Two in June development work was halted. Work on the car resumed in 1946, and in 1948 made a tragic debut in the Swiss Grand Prix when Achille Varzi lost control and was
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weight: 1,543 lbs Dimensions: Length 13 ft 8 ins, Width 5 ft 1 ins, Height 3 ft 8 ins Wheelbase:  8 ft 2½ ins (2.5 m) Powerplant: 1 x 1.5 ltr  Alfa Romeo 158 supercharged straight eight engine rated at 350 hp Transmission: Alfa 4-speed manual Performance: Top speed 180 mph
killed. In 1950 the Formula One European Championship was introduced, and during that first season the 158 won ever race it entered, a remarkable feat for a car that had its origins in a design from 1938.  The Alfa Romeo team included several talented drivers which included Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the Championship five times during the 1950s. In 1951 the 159 appeared which had a reworked rear suspension and an uprated engine, but at the end of the season Alfa Romeo was forced to retire from Grand Prix racing. The car's last win was in 1953 at the Merano Grand Prix in Italy.
Routemaster Bus The Routemaster was designed by London Transport and built by A.E.C. It was of traditional design, the vehicle having a half-cab for the driver positioned by the front mounted engine, and an open rear platform allowing passengers on and off the vehicle. The first vehicles entered S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weight: 8,512 lbs (7.35 tons) Dimensions: Length 27 ft 6 ins, Width 8, Height 14 ft 4½ ins Powerplant: 1 x 115 hp AEC 6 cylinder diesel engine Performance: Maximum speed 40 mph Payload: 57 passengers Number Built: 2,850+ service with London Transport in early 1956, with a small number being built for British European Airways and the Northern General Transport Company. In total 2,876 were built in several marks, the last being delivered in 1968. In December 2000 it become mandatory for all new buses delivered in the UK to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995, which led to the development of the wheelchair-accessible low-floor bus. Older buses were allowed to remain in service until 2009, but London Transport had phased out the Routemaster by 2005, apart from operations on the heritage route 15, which is also served by wheelchair-accessible buses. In 2006, the Routemaster was voted one of Britain's top 10 designs of all time, which included Concorde, the Mini, and the Supermarine Spitfire. ‘B’ Type Omnibus The B-type bus was designed by Frank Searle, the chief engineer of the London General Omnibus Company, and entered service with the company in 1911. The chassis was made of ash faced with steel while the body was mainly of wood. A 4 cylinder 25 hp engine powered the S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weight: 8,512 lbs (3.8 tons) Dimensions: Length 22 ft 7 ins, Width 7 ft 10 ins, Height 12 ft 5 ins Powerplant: 1 x 25 hp 4 cylinder petrol engine Performance: Maximum speed 16 mph Payload: 34 passengers Number Built: over 3,000 vehicle through a 3 speed and reverse gearbox. The wheels were of cast steel with solid rubber tyres, while fenders were fitted on each side of the bus between the wheels to prevent people from falling under. 34 passengers could be carried, 16 inside and 18 on the open top deck, although this could be fitted with a wet weather canvas cover. Interior electric lighting was introduced in 1912, and headlights in 1913 when it became clear that the interior lighting alone was insufficient for the bus to be visible at night. The vehicle had a top speed of 16 mph, which was above the legal speed limit of that time, and under the right conditions could reach 30 mph. The ‘B’ type proved extremely successful, and were built in both double and single deck versions, and by 1913 around 2,500 were working on the streets of London.
Siddeley Puma
The Siddeley Puma British aero engine was based on a design produced by B.H.P. (Beardmore, Halford, Pullinger) and was used during the First World War aircraft, most notably to power the DeHavilland D.H.9 which entered service in 1917. Siddeley had taken over development of the engine which became the Siddeley Puma, a lightweight version of the B.H.P. engine rated at 300 hp, which was expected to give the D.H.9 an outstanding performance. Problems with the reliability of the engine led to it being de-rated to 230 hp, and a drop in performance which was below that of the D.H.4 which it was intended to replace.
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Type: Six cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine Weight: 645 lbs Dimensions: Length 70 ins, Width 24 ins, Height 43½ ins Cubic Capicity: 1,883 cc Bore/Stroke: 5.71 inches/7.48 inches Power Output: 250 hp at 1,400 rpm 265 hp at 1,500 rpm Number Built: 4,000
Production of the engine ran from August 1917 until December 1918 when all outstanding orders were cancelled, by which time over 4,000 engines had been delivered. Production continued under the name of Armstrong Siddeley Puma after the company was bought by Armstrong Whitworth to became Armstrong Siddeley. Frank Halford, the original designer of the engine and now with the Aircraft Disposal Company, continued to develop the engine in an attempt to produce its intended power output. He eventually achieved this in 1926 and the engine was then marketed as the ADC Nimbus.
A E R O   E N G I N E
Mercedes Daimler D.II
The Mercedes D.II was an inline six-cylinder, single overhead camshaft, liquid-cooled aircraft engine built by Daimler during the early stages of World War One. The engine was at the lower end of the power range of contemporary engines, being rated at between 110 to 120 hp, and generally outperformed by rotaries whose power-to-weight ratio tended to be better. The engine was used for several military aircraft, including the Aviatik B.II and Albatros B.I and B.II reconnaissance aircraft and the Fokker D.I and Halberstadt D.II scout fighters. The D.II engine was only produced for a short time, but its design
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Type: Six cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine Weight: 449 lbs Dimensions: Length 1,650 mm, Width 490 mm, Height 1,072 mm Cubic Capicity: 9.4 L Bore/Stroke: 140 mm/160 mm Power Output: 120 hp at 1,400 rpm Compression Ratio: 4.5:1 Number Built: Unknown
formed the basis for the far more successful Mercedes D.III. The D.III was a scaled up version of the D.II which was rated at 160 hp, and was a popular powerplant for German aircraft by 1916. Development of the engine continued which produced the 170 hp D.IIIa which powered the Albatros D.III fighter in 1917 and the Fokker D.VII in 1918, often regarded as the best fighter aircraft produced in World War One. The final version of the engine was the D.IIIav which was introduced in October 1918. With this engine a higher compression ratio was achived while running at higher rpm rate achieved 200 hp.
A E R O   E N G I N E
Mercedes Daimler D.III
The Mercedes D.II was an inline six-cylinder, single overhead camshaft, liquid-cooled aircraft engine built by Daimler during the early stages of World War One. The engine was at the lower end of the power range of contemporary engines, being rated at between 110 to 120 hp, and generally outperformed by rotaries whose power-to-weight ratio tended to be better. The engine was used for several military aircraft, including the Aviatik B.II and Albatros B.I and B.II reconnaissance aircraft and the Fokker D.I and Halberstadt D.II scout fighters. The D.II engine was only produced for a short time, but its design
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Type: Six cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine Weight: 449 lbs Dimensions: Length 1,650 mm, Width 490 mm, Height 1,072 mm Cubic Capicity: 9.4 L Bore/Stroke: 140 mm/160 mm Power Output: 120 hp at 1,400 rpm Compression Ratio: 4.5:1 Number Built: Unknown
formed the basis for the far more successful Mercedes D.III. The D.III was a scaled up version of the D.II which was rated at 160 hp, and was a popular powerplant for German aircraft by 1916. Development of the engine continued which produced the 170 hp D.IIIa which powered the Albatros D.III fighter in 1917 and the Fokker D.VII in 1918, often regarded as the best fighter aircraft produced in World War One. The final version of the engine was the D.IIIav which was introduced in October 1918. With this engine a higher compression ratio was achived while running at higher rpm rate achieved 200 hp.
A E R O   E N G I N E