Letter: Modern car engines are nothing special
Don't let claims to sell modern cars as something special blind you. The development of engines has not progressed that much.
Further to Trevor Mytton's letter and reply by John D Taylor.
I also know of the highly-tuned BMM O diesel engines. My dad used to drive their coaches.
The first time was bringing an empty one back from London prior to the official opening of the M1. So he thought he would 'try it out'. He was going that fast (there were no speed limits) the police thought the coach must have been stolen and pulled him over.
On finding all was bona fide the policeman wanted to know all about the super engine.
My dad always spoke in glowing terms about these engines.
In 1935 a Perkins 'Wolf' diesel engine was installed in a Parry Thomas car and 95mph was achieved at Brooklands (Parry Thomas built land speed record cars).
Also about that time Austin engineers achieved 120bhp at 12,000rpm from a diminutive 750cc petrol engine.
Double overhead cams, cylinder heads with four valves per cylinder were used on production machines by Rudge and others.
Don't let claims to sell modern cars as something special blind you. The development of engines has not progressed that much since around those times.
Ray Adams
Halfway House
