INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . Almost 400 years ago: In October 1652, Oliver Cromwell's spy: master John Thurloe, received a report that a Frenchman in Rotterdam, referred to as 'a subtle mathematician', was having a ship built to his design "which is to go with certain instruments without sail, with incredible strength and swiftness, either with or against the wind." By the mid 1700's steam-boats and locamotives were showing the world a new form of transportation By 1885 some of the first steam engined cars and motorcycles were being driven ...... Carl Diamlers wooden bike 1885: Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 In 1891, Daniel I. Lybe designed a vehicle powered by a wind up spring... .. Both arm and foot power assisted the winding, and 30 mph was claimed. It entered the first auto-race ever held in the U.S., in 1895, but it's not known if it finished: The 4cyl 1903 Pakard Model K,,, set the speed record for a 5 mile sand course at Daytona Beach Florida in 1903 The car had 24 horsepower, a two-speed transmission, a pressed-steel frame, and 34x3.5" tires. and it only weighed 1,310 pounds: Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . The same year, 1903, Glenn Curtiss set the Motorcycle land speed record of 64mph on his 1000cc Bicycle in 1907 he was back with a 4000cc V8 powered Bicycle... going 136mph ...... and the record held for the next 20 years: From 1912-1914 some of the first DOHC 4cyl. engines were being used in race cars for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Peugot. This is a 1914 Peugot gP8 racing engine .... 3 liter DOHC 4cyl, 16 valves, with exposed valve springs: Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . Datsun's first winning race car was the 1936 Datsun Midget powered by a 747cc side valve 4 cyl: Germany was hardly modest about their advanced technology in 1936: Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . From 1930-1937 Ernst Jakob Henne set the Motorcycle land speed record six times, at the German Autobahn, 6 different years His final record was set at 173mph on a 1937 BMW WR 500 (493cc)...... after using a 736cc bike for the first 4 records over 10mph slower The 1937 Mercedes V12 795hp Rekordwagen went 265mph,,, not a world record .... . so Hitler started building his own Bonniville salt flats .... for this 1939 Mercedes: The Mercedes never raced, and the track wasn't finished ...... Germany invaded Poland in 1939, and the next 10 years of auto-manufacturing was minimal . Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . Italy, Germany, and Japan were in ruins after WW2 ,,, but their cars from 1950-1970 were some of the most fuel efficient production cars ever made. The 1954 Alfa Romeo Guilitta Sprint got a 1290cc, 4cyl. aluminum block, DOHC 16 valve head, and made 65hp at an almost unheard of 6000 rpm (for a production street car). While the 1954 Porsche 356 still came with a standard 1100cc pushrod engine making 46 hp at 4000 rpm. Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . Alfa Romeo had over 40 years of racing history with these 16 valve DOHC 4cyl motors. In the 1920's they tried a DOHC V6, but it was unsucessfull Datsun had been building light weight cars since the 1930's: Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 . There's something about the 1950's and 60's ...... that makes me wish we never got past the simplicity and efficency we once had: Quote Link to comment
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