mechanician Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) I was fortunate to be able to visit The Old Motor Shop last weekend for the first time. David Greenlees who runs it showed me this photo of an unknown streamliner from the UK that had just arrived in the mail. They posted it just this morning,so take a look and see if you can help ID it for them. Edited January 13, 2012 by mechanician (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim_Edwards Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Certainly an interesting looking power plant in that car even if it appears to be otherwise flat ugly. Wonder if anyone today has any idea of the nature of the engine type and transmission arrangement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Aircraft engine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oracle Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I can say that it was registered in Berkshire County Council in June 1930. I know I have seen a photo before but cannot recall anything about it. It does indeed look as though it had an aero engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim_Edwards Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Aircraft engine?Sure looks like it might be or have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 (edited) That is a Burney Streamline. It was designed by Sir Dennistoun Burney after he completed work on the R100 airship for Vickers.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamline_CarsThe complete story of the R100 and R101 airship were given in a book called R100, also sold under the title Slide Rule. The book was written by Nevil Shute whose day job was engineer on the R100. Edited January 14, 2012 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanician Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Rusty, Yes you are correct about that, a whole bunch of readers it seems had it all fiqured out on The Old Motor in no time yesterday morning.Here is a link to another post that they put up this morning with many more links with some really interesting photos and much more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 JIm Edwards, I would say the words "flat ugly" could be applied to several European cars of the 1930's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim_Edwards Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 JIm Edwards, I would say the words "flat ugly" could be applied to several European cars of the 1930's.And beyond! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Saxton Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I wonder did it handle well and safely, or like a centipede with the scrub itch? Other cars with an overhung engine out the back, such as Isotta Fraschini 8C, and the Steyr of the brilliant Hans Ledwinka, were the much more compact V8, and apparently handled well.That gifted sometime imitator of Ledwinka, his native countryman Ferdinand Porsche, used an even more compact engine axially in Volkswagen and Porsche. Perhaps that early streamliner may best be considered either as an experimental design concept; or as another triumph of workmanship over design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 My first thought was that it was a British version of the USA-built Scarab from back then, which used a Lycoming aircraft engine in the rear, as I recall. The rear styling of he Scarab was more "normal" in shape, though.Looks interesting, though!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim_Edwards Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 My first thought was that it was a British version of the USA-built Scarab from back then, which used a Lycoming aircraft engine in the rear, as I recall. The rear styling of he Scarab was more "normal" in shape, though.Looks interesting, though!NTX5467At least the Scarab had a metal body, if you look at the notes along the illustration, you will note it was fabric covered just like many small aircraft. Would definitely not fair well in an accident, not even one involving a Vespa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 The Burney was a fantastically advanced design for the late twenties. But proved to be somewhat impractical. The long straight eight or straight six hanging out the back made it somewhat tail happy in high speed corners and the suspension design did not help. Later rear engine cars were more refined and tamed the eccentric handling to some degree but could not eliminate oversteer entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Looks like a Duesenberg Model J engine to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Looks like a Duesenberg Model J engine to me.To a degree. The J engine has exhaust and intake ports on opposite sides while this seems to have both on one side - which odd for a DOHC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Engine appears to be the Beverley 22/90HP straight eight OHC model. A web search didn't turn up much information, this is the best I found, a report on the sale of a Beverley Barnes chassis with the same engine. Note the connection to the airship company.Lot Details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Block Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 That is really sweet, a real special car, i would love to have one even today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Casper Friedrich Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) Browsing the Austrian Allgemaine Automobil-Zeitung on Österreichische Nationalbibliotek's site.The same Burney cut-away drawing appers in a feature from the 1930 London Olympia motor show.It says that the streamliner already caught much attention previously at the Paris Salon, but that the idea is infact old. The text says that already before WWI there was a similar bodied Renault in Vienna. The Rumpler-Tropfenwagen is of course mentioned, although it's admitted that it in some technical details differs from the English car.ÖNB/ANNO AustriaN Newspaper Online Edited January 22, 2012 by Casper Friedrich (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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