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People's car? - Tony Griffiths - 19-04-2023
Not quite in the A7 (or VW) class - but an interesting concept. There's more online about the car and the designer, Dennis Kendall. https://www.britainbycar.co.uk/grantham/445-kendall Click the images for larger versions.
RE: People's car? - Steve kay - 20-04-2023
Tony, what a splendid obscurity. In olden days, Georgano would have to be consulted, and then discover that Caunter decided to completely ignore the Kendall. However, whilst IT makes modern cars unmanageable, it gives access to hidden historical gems.
A first glance at the engine made me think of Granville Bradshaw, and his "oil cooled" engines. The V twins had crankcases full of oil and circulating gasses. Second thoughts summoned up Charles Redrup, whose three cylinder radial engines began pre WW1, providing the basis for aircraft engines, and then never quite found a use. However, post first war, Redrup went into business with Monty Beaumont, who is the person credited in reports on the Kendall as the engine designer. Redrup was most upset by such blatant plagiarism, and a dispute broke out but I have not yet found out how, if at all, it was reconciled. As the machine never went into production, legal action would have been a total waste of time and money. Certainly, whilst mechanical reference books give lots of technical details, web sites produce snaps of naughty behaviour. Monty Beaumont, as well as being a motor cycle builder with his brothers, was sometimes in serious trouble. As for Kendall, he seems to have been from the same school as Robert Maxwell, yet managed to get away with it, surviving court cases, divorce arms trading and bankruptcy into his nineties.
A bookstall on Abergavenny Market recently had a copy of William Fairney's book "The Knife and Fork Man" probably the only volume on the life and work of Redrup. If any forum member does not already have a copy on their shelves I could snap it up and post it on. Some web sites suggest that "knife and fork" refers to Redrup's home workshop, though most of us would see the description of divided bearings and conrods on a single journal twin cylinder engine as per GN for example. .
Sad ramblings, but to continue, who can come up with a comprehensible description of how a toroidal or wobble plate engine works?
RE: People's car? - Duncan Grimmond - 20-04-2023
I love the idea of a "non-puncturing type" of tyre...
RE: People's car? - Ian Wegg - 20-04-2023
It actually says "if possible the tyres will be of a non-puncturing type". It might as well say if possible the car will fly!
Great find though.
RE: People's car? - Chris Garner - 20-04-2023
I can endorse Steve's recommendation on " The Knife and Fork Man " book.
Well worth looking out for.
RE: People's car? - Dave Mann - 20-04-2023
Looks a bit like the VW Beetle.
RE: People's car? - Tony Griffiths - 20-04-2023
The Knife and Fork Man. It does sound interesting and, as ever, abebooks.co.uk can help: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&tn=The%20Knife%20and%20Fork%20Man%20