In news:satr409hqorldm35ouq3oe6239tj8hnet9@4ax.com,
Alex <nospam.alex@cbmsys.co.uk> decided to enlighten our sheltered souls
with a rant as follows

inboard rear brakes?

any chance of digging the bastard back up and getting him to do the back
pads on my Jag do ya reckon?

The Lanchester brothers were great engineers, and made what were
considered some of the finest cars in the world at the time. The car
of choice for Royalty, here and abroad was a Lanchester.

Some of the Lanchester inventions are still in use, or thier
decendants. For example, some modern 4/5 cylinder engine use harmonic
balancer shafts to make the engines smoother. He registered over 400
patents, and the Lanchester was the first, all-british, 4-wheel
petrol. For example, some modern 4/5 cylinder engine use harmonic
balancer shafts to make the engines smoother This was first designed
and used by Fred Lanchester in 1911.

He patented a 4wd system in 1904, the Crankshaft Vibration Damper in
1910, a design incorporated inside the crankshaft pully, an idea which
appears on practically every engine made today. He invented hydraulic
suspension in 1918, some 30 years before Citroen used it, also present
on this design was inboard rear brakes, not otherwise used untill 1923
by Benz, and also proposed hydraulic brakes, some 3 years before
Duesenberg managed it.

Lanchester's eventuall downfall was not due to design, or technical
ability, or the cars produced, but more due to Fred's lack of
financial acumen, coupled with his dislike of the kind of decisions
that the Lanchester Motor Co board members made regarding cars. Fred
always wanted to instigate a technical solution, which while the best
option, was not the cheapest, or one acceptable on the basis of his
ideas being "too innovative".

The company was taken over by the Birmingham Small Arms co in 1931,
after the Bank refused to entertain the companies debts of £28,000.
The depression did some measure to contribute to this. Thus Lanchester
became amalgamated with the Daimler brand, also owned by BSA.

Alex

I remember I had the full set of "On four Wheels" or something like that -
One of those buy the lot type magazines, put them in quite nice silver
fronted binders. Had a feature on Lanchester, that I'm sure said something
about him being a great designer, but not so good at the other areas of
making cars...

Could be very wrong though, the mags were new just after the Esprit came
out, and I read them (quite) a few years later when I was in my early teens,
so memory's a bit hazy!

Until the 1950s, though they'd been part of Daimler for years by then.
Oddly enough I saw a late-model Lanchester yesterday - first time I've
seen one in years. It looked very much like the Daimler Majestic
for the smaller household..

Lanchester?

Seem to remember the name, sure they were British, don't think they lasted
too long though, bought up post WW2 maybe?

In news:oltp409jv54u953grqfdssgm9e7i5en705@4ax.com,
Howard Rose <this-is-a-fake-address@I-am-not-here.com> decided to enlighten
our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Riley, Ginetta, Lotus, Jaguar, Vanden Plas, Noble, Ariel, Westfield,
Caterham... this list could go on forever once people start bringing things
like Beans into it.

Reliant, TVR, Wolseley, Aston Martin, London Taxi's International...

--
Howard Rose
'66 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe
'62 Austin Mini Deluxe
'64 Austin Mini Super Deluxe
www.howard81.co.uk

Does anyone fave a full list of BRITISH makes of cars (Classic marks).

Please correct me if any of these not Brittish

AC
Austin
Bristol
Jenson
Humber
Morris
MG
Triumph
Rover
Morgon
Aston Martin
Rolls R
Hillman

any more?

Chris