Pre-Select gearbox

[JoeRowing]

I was musing on silly ideas - there are some very small pre-select boxes out there, Has anyone fitted one to an A7 special?

[Greig Smith]

They take a fair bit of power to run compared to a standard cog box, so if you go down this route you will need a lightweight body and a hopped up motor and in the end you will most likely end up with a car that delivers rather less than you anticipate as the box will absorb most of the hopped up power leaving you feeling like you have a standard engine

My 0.02p's worth anyway

Aye
Greig

[goodwoodweirdo]

and they are expensive - bloody fantastic when working well ....

[JoeRowing]

I drove a lagonda with one in a few times and thought it might be enough of a laugh in a roadgoing A7 special that someone might have tried it. Power issues obviously aside.

Out of my price range to build a special with one!

[Dennis Nicholas]

easier option is perhaps to fit a Riley 9 engine/preselector.  Do I remember a 7 special thus fitted doing Whiscombe/Prescott when I was marshalling?

[David Stepney]

The Wilson preselector box was (and still is) the most civilised way to transmit power from the engine to the wheels. However, as Greig points out, they absorb a lot of power. The smallest cars that were fitted with them were the Riley 9, the Amstrong-Siddely 10hp and the Lanchester Ten. The Rileys went reasonably well, but weren't as quick as the manual cars, whilst the Armstrong and the Lanchester were pedestrian to say the least.

[Ivor Hawkins]

I had a Lanchester 10 with the pre selector box, it was wonderful to drive, but as David has already said...very leisurely as far as progress was concerned.

[Tony Press]

Or you could try that very odd flyweight variable transmission briefly fitted to an Austin Seven in the 20's. 

My memory has failed but I am sure there were pictures and details somewhere.