Des Hammill - Coventry Climax Racing Engines: The Definitive Development History

COVENTRY

CLIMAX

RACING ENGINES

The Definitive Development History

Des Hammill

The Michael Sedgwick Trust

This work is published with the financial assistance of the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. This Trust was founded in memory of the famous motoring researcher and author, Michael Sedgwick, 1926-1983.

The Trust is a registered charity (Charity no. 290841) set up to encourage the publication of new motoring research and the recording of motoring history. Full details and contact address can be found on the Trusts web site,

www.michaelsedgwicktrust.co.uk

The Trust welcomes suggestions for new projects, and financial donations to help with future work.

Publishers note

As a mark of deference the author would have preferred to use the formal prefix Mr. in every reference to the engineers mentioned in this book. However, the publisher feels that such repetition of title is unnecessarily formal and tends to spoil the flow of the text and the accessibility of the story. Therefore, throughout this book, individuals are generally referred to by first name and surname only.

First printed in paperback format in 2004.

First published in ebook format Aug 2012 by Veloce Publishing Limited, Veloce House, Parkway Farm Business Park, Middle Farm Way, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 3AR, England Fax 01305 250479 e-mail .

Ebook edition ISBN: 978-1-845845-10-0

Paperback edition ISBN: 978-1-903706-83-1

Des Hammil and Veloce Publishing 2012. All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of review, no part of this publication may be recorded, reproduced or transmitted by any means, including photocopying, without the written permission of Veloce Publishing Ltd. Throughout this book logos, model names and designations, etc, have been used for the purposes of identification, illustration and decoration. Such names are the property of the trademark holder as this is not an official publication.

Readers with ideas for automotive books, or books on other transport or related hobby subjects, are invited to write to the editorial director of Veloce Publishing at the above address.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All Ebook design and programming by Veloce Publishing Ltd on Apple Mac.

Contents

www.veloce.co.uk

Foreword & Acknowledgements

Foreword

The first Coventry Climax engine I ever saw close up was the FWA in the back of Jamie Aislabies Bob Tail Cooper (the rear cover was off), while he was trying to negotiate his way through the hundreds of high school kids (myself included), streaming out of Papatoetoe High School on bicycles in the mid-1960s. I clearly remember looking down at the engine and reading the name Coventry Climax on the cam cover. I assumed that he was going to test the car on the Great South Road between Papatoetoe and Manurewa!

Years later, in 1997, a chance meeting with Adrian Hassan (grandson of Walter Hassan), at a race meeting in Cornwall, brought the names Walter Hassan and Coventry Climax back to my mind. A year or so later, with Coventry Climax and Walter Hassan still in my mind, I decided to dig a bit deeper and find out more about him and the racing engines.

Like many car enthusiasts, Id acquired some knowledge of Coventry Climax through a general interest in racing engines. I never delved too deeply into the subject, though, being largely content to assume that what was common knowledge was all there was. I found out quite recently, however, that much of what I had acquired over the years proved to be largely incorrect.

In March of 1999, however, I eventually made contact with Peter Hassan (Mr & Mrs Hassans eldest surviving son), with a view to writing a book about the Coventry Climax racing engines and the activities of his father during those years.

Although Coventry Climax was never a dedicated racing engine facility, its been estimated that, on average, about 40% of Walter Hassans working time was devoted to the racing engine programme (more than he could really afford to spend on it). From time to time, other company directors complained that he didnt spend enough time on the companys other activities. They were probably right, of course, because he was undoubtedly more interested in racing engines than he was in forklift trucks!

Ultimately, its largely because of Walter Hassans dedication that the companys race engine project was so successful. Despite the companys limited budget for racing engines, and the continually changing engine capacity formulae and the limited development time, he made sure that the venture was a success. Although Leonard Lee, the major shareholder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director of Coventry Climax throughout the racing years, also figured large in the whole proceedings, the overall success of the venture ultimately rested on Walter Hassans technical abilities.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Autocar and Motor magazines for permission to use some of their original photos and diagrams. Id also like to mention the fact that the vast majority of the excellent photos of the engines taken over the years for Coventry Climax were actually taken by Richard Bailey, a local industrial photographer. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to trace him, despite trying for several months.

Thanks go to Peter Hassan, Harry Spears, Richard Hassan, Sir Stirling Moss, Ron Burr, Joe Parker, Gray Ross, John Hilton, John Cooper, Richard Atkins, Fred Cooper, Ray Townshend, Cyril Linstone, Stuart Rolt, Tony Russell, Duncan Rabagliati, Marion Lovell, John Hardy, Trevor Humphries, Jack Cramp, Bill Hawley, John Winter, Sue Manning, Keith Douglas, Keith Duckworth, Rick Hall, Graham Capell, Sir Jack Brabham, Peter Knight, Ron Tauranac, John Judd, David Judd, John Giffith, John West, Peter Anslow, Mike Daniel, Patrick Lister, Keith Shaw, Ray Gibbs, Andrew Getly, Bill Morris, Cyril Kieft, Paul King, Neville Atkins, Stan Suckling, Hugh Reddington, Julie Farley, Lindsay Windsor-Smith, Jay Windsor-Smith, Claude Jephcott, Bill Colson, Bob Blurton, Morris Edwards, Lionel Lawrence, Kelvin Gardener, Jacqui Cannell, Neville Howard, Norman Jukes, Michael MacDowel, Eve Skidmore, Dick Scammell, Derek Sexton, John Cronin, Tim Cronin, Ted Walker, Brian Wills, Norman Busby, Derek Hensby, Ross Parker, Mike Pearce, Paul Densham, Mike Costin, Bill Hassan, John Jakeman, Norman Seeney, John Emerson, Derek Merfield, Jeannie Chapman, Ken Gregory, Peter Tutthill and Ray Ashmore. Id also like to thank Barry Collins of The British Museum of Road Transport Coventry for his help.

From the above list, which is actually in order of my contacting individuals, special thanks go to ex-Coventry Climax employees Harry Spears (now deceased), Hugh Reddington, Joe Parker, Gray Ross, Fred Cooper, John Judd, Neville Atkins, Ray Townshend, Richard Atkins, Ron Burr, Neville Howard and John Hilton, for spending the necessary time discussing, at length, their various areas of involvement.

Thanks also go to Jacqui Cannell for locating Walter Hassans papers. These were a major factor in my research, and they answered many questions and led to many new lines of enquiry which I otherwise might not have known about. This was a very significant development.