Thread: Cropley na avtomobile: Sunbeam Kopenski hitrostni rekord avto znova zažene

Je bil nekoč najhitrejši avto na svetu, in včeraj je 18. 3-litrski V12 motor rekordni Sunbeam gospod Malcolm Campbell je začel prvič v 20 letih, ko je bil slednji čas si videl avto oddajajo veliko oblaki dima olje? Če smo bili samo vožnje nekaj klasičnih, multi-cylindered in italijanski, slabo staviti svoje že več mesecev.
Vse zaradi izboljšave, ki maziva, ali tako inženir prijatelj mi pove. Življenje spremenil popolnoma, pravi, moj stari se nikoli ne bi voziti svoje stare MGB na zahodu države brez rezervnih vrste batnih obročkov tucked v kotu škorenj. Danes youd nikoli ne pomislite na to.
Eden od razlogov za izboljšanje je, da so izboljšali materiale, pravi moj prijatelj, ampak večinoma svoj niz teh sodobnih mazivom. Motorjev samo ne obrabijo več.
Set kaj me razmišljanje o tem je bil obisk Narodnega muzeja Motor v Beaulieu včeraj, kjer prvič v 20 letih so začeli Sunbeam 1920 350 konjskih moči, v katerem gospod Malcolm Campbell nastavite več zemljišč hitrostnih rekordov, končno potiska skozi pregrade Nedostižan 150mph v Pendine Sands leta 1925.
Avto nazadnje tekel v javnosti na Goodwood leta 1960, nato pa po "eksperimentalni" start-up utrpela katastrofalne blow-up v 90-ih. So nam je pokazala slike luknjo v bloku pol velikosti večerja plošče, kjer je dovolj podmazani bata in conrod udaril svojo pot do svobode.
Ena od prvih mest v Sunbeam popravila-nadzoruje Beaulieus glavni inženir, Doug Hill-je za dleto ogromne količine utrjeni olja iz vseh kotičkov in ozki bloku.
Treba je bilo Srceparajući čas: to je edinstven, 18. 3-litrski V12, ohlapno temelji na Sunbeam aero motor, vendar precej razlikujejo v gradbeništvu. Ima dvodelno conrods, ki poveže bata iz vsake banke ročične gredi preko skupne nosijo velik konec. Ta čudni funkcija pomeni ena banka šest cilindrov je različne stroke iz druge, in zagotavlja stalno neravnovesje, morda pojasnjuje, zakaj je največja moč dostavljeno na samo 2000 rpm.
Kakorkoli že, vse nazaj skupaj po sedmih letih težko delo, in včeraj lepo tekel. Beaulieu bo zdaj uporabljajo v Sunbeam kot prenosen razstava oglaševati svoje dejavnosti v letu-toliko kot Brooklands z Napier Railton.
Tik preden ena njegova bolj mišičast pomočnice zavihtel začetno ročico nazaj v življenje prinašajo 18 litrov motorja, Hill opozoriti, da za večino svojih 96 let, avto je bil v lasti Beaulieus ustanovitelj gospod Montagu, ki navdihuje njegovo obnovo in je bil na strani včeraj za ponovni zagon. Zahvaljujemo se vam, šef, je dejal Hill. To je bil privilegij.

It was once the fastest car in the world, and yesterday the 18. 3-litre V12 engine of Sir Malcolm Campbell's record-breaking Sunbeam started for the first time in 20 years When was the last time you saw a car emitting large clouds of oil smoke? Unless youve just been driving something classic, multi-cylindered and Italian, Ill bet its been many months.
Its all because of the improvements made to lubricants, or so an engineer friend tells me. Life has changed completely, he says, my old man would never drive his old MGB to the West Country without a spare set of piston rings tucked into a corner of the boot. Today youd never think of it.
One reason for the improvement is that materials have improved, says my friend, but mostly its down to those modern lubricants. Engines just dont wear out any more.
What set me thinking about this was a visit to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu yesterday, where for the first time in 20 years they started the 1920 350-horsepower Sunbeam in which Sir Malcolm Campbell set several land speed records, finally pushing through the elusive 150mph barrier at Pendine Sands in 1925.
The car last ran in public at Goodwood in the 1960s, then suffered a catastrophic blow-up in the 90s after an 'experimental' start-up. They showed us pictures of a hole in the crankcase half the size of a dinner plate, where an insufficiently lubricated piston and conrod had punched their way to freedom.
One of the first jobs of the Sunbeam's repair – overseen by Beaulieus chief engineer, Doug Hill – was to chisel huge quantities of solidified oil from every corner and crevice of the crankcase.
It must have been a heartbreaking time: this is a unique, 18. 3-litre V12, based loosely on a Sunbeam aero engine but quite different in construction. It has two-piece conrods, each of which connects a piston from each bank to the crankshaft via a common big-end bearing. This strange feature means one bank of six cylinders has a different stroke from the other, and ensures a permanent imbalance, possibly explaining why maximum power is delivered at only 2000rpm.
Anyway, its all back together after seven years of painstaking work, and yesterday it ran beautifully. Beaulieu will now use the Sunbeam as a mobile exhibit to publicise its activities during the year — much as Brooklands does with the Napier Railton.
Just before one of his more muscular helpers swung the starting handle to bring 18 litres of engine back to life, Hill noted that for most of its 96 years the car has been owned by Beaulieus founder Lord Montagu, who inspired its rebuild and was on hand yesterday for the re-start. Thank you, boss, said Hill. It has been a privilege.