[Fern]

New Hemi is a pent-roof design isn't it? Not a real 'Hemi'.

Peugeot used hemi (or maybe a pent-roof) design combustion chambers in their Grand Prix cars in 1912 or 1913 I believe. Ford created a V8 during war-time to power the Sherman tank (GAA, GAN, GAP) with hemi combustion chambers, DOHC's, aluminium block... quite a high level of exotica for the time. Was based on a V12 aircraft engine they were developing (remember Ford was the largest commercial airline producer before the war - the Tin Goose?) and were inspired from the Merlin and Allison aircraft engines of the time. Made more torque than a Buick.... 1050 ft-lbs. and 500 hp but I don't think it can rev easly past 3000 rpm. In the late 1940's Ardun (Arkus-Duntov) made a hemi head conversion for the flathead Ford V8 and Joe Davis also made a DOHC conversion.

[Terry Haines]

...Bentley had 4 valves and pent roof in the Le Mans cars around 1910'ish....Hemi re Jag was late 30's re XK engine by the engineer Haynes for Lyons at Jag.....all 'old stuff'....anyway you cut it 4 valves or 5 are better than two 'big ones' due the the lighter weight of two small Vs one big ...and the increased valve curtian area of 2 Vs one....

[Fern]

Guess the engineers way back then definitely knew how to make power but may not have had the means to put that knowledge into mass production. So when are we going to see a camless engine? Another 50 years?

Ford's GAA/GAN/GAP tank engines in WWII had 4 vavles per cylinder. Any truth to the notion that 2-vavles per cylinder can make more torque? Those tank engines made over 1000 lbs-ft mind you that their displacements were enormous.

[Terry Haines]

...here is another 2.0 V8 from Moto Power 'RST V8' FIVE valves per cylinder, 340 BHP @ 10,200 rpm ,190 lbs /ft @ 7800 rpm, 104 lbs ft @ 1300 rpm...around 15,000 UK Pounds....or the Cylclone2.0 Y40R...302 BHP @ 10,000rpm, 171 lbs ft @ 8,500 rpm, 109 lbs ft @ 2000 rpm........the list of small capacity multi valve V8 race engines goes on...this is the shape of thing to come... :wink

[Fern]

Track day specials seem to be springing up everywhere in the UK. Seems like everytime I buy a British car magazine, there is always a new track-day cars like the Palmer/Jaguar JP1, or a new track-day car engine like the ones mentioned above. Tons of ads for track-day vacations and pro track-day preparation services. I even saw ads for car storage that were on or very close to a road course aimed at track-day fanatics. I wonder why this phenomenon hasn't caught on anywhere else.

[BuckeyeSVT]

Because this is the US. We couldn't handle speeds in excess of 75MPH here without utter regard for safety and road manners.

Personally, I wish they'd open an Autobahn here - Somewhere closer that I could get my fill of speed without the consequence of a hefty fine. But then you have all the naysayers that will want to bring their SUV's there and float along dangerously at 100+... Makes me think I'd be safer on the highway after all.

-Dom

[Fern]

BuckeyeSVT, on Feb 17 2004, 04:53 PM, said:

Because this is the US. We couldn't handle speeds in excess of 75MPH here without utter regard for safety and road manners.

Personally, I wish they'd open an Autobahn here - Somewhere closer that I could get my fill of speed without the consequence of a hefty fine. But then you have all the naysayers that will want to bring their SUV's there and float along dangerously at 100+... Makes me think I'd be safer on the highway after all.

-Dom [/b]

Well, track-day events usually occur in a closed road course so there's no danger to the general public. Personally I'd love to be able to take a car (many track-day events are open to all sorts of cars) to a track-day event, pay a fee and run it on a road course for x amount of time. That is, after I get the proper driver training, of course. It is much more appealing to me than going to a drag strip or an auto-x event.

Cars like, say the ERA from Tiger Motorsports that is pictured on HMS's gallery. You can tell that thing is made for the track-day fanatic (or those who wants to participate in their one make racing series). It drives like an 60's single seater but the Zetec is easy to maintain, people over 6ft can drive it comfortably, relatively cheap.... Then the z100wr with two Kawasaki engines. Ford RS200 Evo still holds the record for fastest 0-60 time but that's probably because the z100wr may not be considered a production car. But definitely a track car rather than an everyday kit-car/replica. Now you have all these small high-reving V8's springing up from the UK.

Autobahns are not all that they are cracked up to be. I've never been on a German autobahn but I've regularly travelled on the Portuguese A1 that, like the autobahn, has no speed limits. Its the highway that joins the capital Lisbon to Coimbra and then Porto; Portugal's three principle cities. Of course, its thrilling the first few times but after that, travelling at 180-220 km/h gets pretty boring... there is hardly any curves. Its like travelling down an Interstate. The only excitement is the kind that you don't want... like a Fiat Punto cutting you off. There are areas of heavy traffic near cities or during rush hours where you must slow down considerably for long periods of time. The Portuguese highway is fairly modern but I heard that some sections of the German autobahn date back to the Third Reich.

BTW, I think the Jaguar V12 was an excellent engine. It was made for the XJ13 (gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous car) to challenge for the World Championship and wins at Le Mans back in the 60's. Kind of got lost in the Ford vs Ferrari war at the time. The V12 eventually did win Le Mans on multiple occasions.

Here's some good info on it.
http://www.jagweb.co...gine/index.html

[Terry Haines]

....the standards of driving in Europe are better .....re speeds. Engines...I look forward to seeing the first 100% USA design & built F1 engine win a season....

[Terry Haines]

...used in IRL cars,not F1, but correct a good home grown race engine....

[SeiCoRacing]

In re standards for driving, Autobahn, etc.

Yes, Terry, you are absolutely correct. First, just to obtain a license in Germany, you have to go through a process that in the US is only matched by getting a pilot's license! Classroom, X hours, documented; followed by dual driving, with a licensed instructor (not dear ol' Dad), also minimum number of documented (in a logbook) hours; then followed by"solo" (not autocross) in a vehicle followed by a licensed instructor, also with a set minimum numberr of logged hours. After that, you can sign up to take the exams, written and practical -- and oh, did I forget to mention, you must also be trained in first aid and pass both types of exams for that. [Germany has a Good Samaritan law with TEETH! If you don't stop and render aid, you can be fined, go to jail, or both, depending on the outcome.] Last time I checked in the 70's, the cost for the average German to get a license was in the neighborhood of $2000 for schools, etc. Then you add to that traffic laws with teeth, too: just get caught passing on the right some time, or speeding in a construction zone, for example.

As one who had pretty close to a perfect Autobahn sleeper at one time (1975 Chev Cosworth Vega), I had quite a bit of experience in the late seventies & 1983. My German neighbors wanted to know where I had gotten a "mini-camaro". I kept it in immaculate trim until cheap-a$$ stamped GM sheetmetal rusted in critical places, causing rear axle to try to go in two different directions at once (now there's a rush for you at 120 kph on a back road). But back to the subject, there was nothing more frightening then seeing a 20-year-old GI in a big block muscle car as old as he was, with USA tags, trying to prove he could keep up with a whale-tail 911. :rolleyes: Yes, Virginia, the real Autobahn DOES have some curves, and the main highways abound with twisties, switchbacks, and all kinds of interesting obstacles like tractors and manure wagons!


Just my $0.02 on driving in Germany.

BTW, for those who would like to wind out their higher revving sports sedans in the eastern Midwest, check out www.racenasa.com for the HPDE (track days) events this yer. MidOhio, BeaverRun, Gingerman, Putnam Park, Nashville Speedway (in three weeks!?!), and RoadAmerica are all on the venue this year. C'mon out & play! LOTs of seat time, good instruction, and high speed in a safe, controlled environment an the same tracks and days as there are also actual race sessions. :D