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Location: Malvern, Victoria, Australia
A question for the historians- did the Factory ever produce a pre-war V8 engine using two Austin 7 blocks mounted on a special crankcase with the standard Austin 1 5/16" crank?
I have been told this could have been for Herbert's boat engine.
I believe that the few V8 engines mentioned over the years are a recent build and nothing to do with the Austin Motor Company.
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I've never heard mention of a Longbridge V8. There were a couple of prototype V8s assessed by the American Austin factory in Butler but I don't think even these were factory built - I seem to remember they were an initiative from a dealer. There have been several more recent engines.
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Location: North Yorkshire
I believe the Harker special was originally built with an 8 cylinder engine using two Austin 7 blocks on a different crankcase.
Somewhere I read that Arthur Waite wanted to build a 1500cc engine using two A7 blocks for use in a racing car but Sir Herbert vetoed the idea.
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Location: Malvern, Victoria, Australia
05-05-2023, 03:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-05-2023, 07:29 AM by Tony Press.)
From Bill Sheehan,
Austin V8 engine.
It may be of interest that in the '30s Jamieson designed a racing car for Austin that included a rear-mounted V8 engine, but because it was nothing like the products Herbert sold, it was rejected. So much for the post-war Formula Ones being innovative. Jamieson then went on with the magnificent Twin Cam engines which Herbert reluctantly accepted, so Arthur Waite told me. Cheers, Bil lin Oz
Austin 7 V8s. Correction please - On reflection I may have made an error. I think now that Jamieson's design was for a mid-engine V8, not rear-engined as I wrote. Cheers, Bill in Oz
