Details
c.1963 FWMW COVENTRY-CLIMAX H16 DISPLAY ENGINE
Without Coventry Climax the development of Lotus and of British motor racing generally would have been very different. Every sports racing car from the Lotus Mark 9 to 19 was designed to use a Climax engine and these were also used in every Lotus Formula One car from the first Lotus 12s to the end of 1965.
Competition engines were not built at Coventry Climax until 1953. Chief engineer, Walter Hassan, formerly of Jaguar was joined by Harry Munday, who had worked on developing the supercharged V16 BRM and due to their motor racing background, were asked by a number of British constructors to build an engine for the 2,500cc Grand Prix Formula of 1954 onwards. This was the beginning of a long and successful career lasting until 1965 following Jaguar's take over.
The flat 16 1,495cc engine FWMW was to be the replacement for the highly successful FWMV V8. It was hoped to produce 240bhp, but when tested after the withdrawal from Grand Prix racing it only developed 209bhp, not much more than the V8.
This FWMW display engine is thought to be one of two built. Another display unit is known to exist in the Coventry Museum of Road Transport and one of the original test units is owned by Climax Engine Services. The pistons and some leads are missing, but the distributor remains along with the fuel injection system, spark plugs and flywheel remain.
This is an amazing piece of history of what might have been.
No Reserve
Without Coventry Climax the development of Lotus and of British motor racing generally would have been very different. Every sports racing car from the Lotus Mark 9 to 19 was designed to use a Climax engine and these were also used in every Lotus Formula One car from the first Lotus 12s to the end of 1965.
Competition engines were not built at Coventry Climax until 1953. Chief engineer, Walter Hassan, formerly of Jaguar was joined by Harry Munday, who had worked on developing the supercharged V16 BRM and due to their motor racing background, were asked by a number of British constructors to build an engine for the 2,500cc Grand Prix Formula of 1954 onwards. This was the beginning of a long and successful career lasting until 1965 following Jaguar's take over.
The flat 16 1,495cc engine FWMW was to be the replacement for the highly successful FWMV V8. It was hoped to produce 240bhp, but when tested after the withdrawal from Grand Prix racing it only developed 209bhp, not much more than the V8.
This FWMW display engine is thought to be one of two built. Another display unit is known to exist in the Coventry Museum of Road Transport and one of the original test units is owned by Climax Engine Services. The pistons and some leads are missing, but the distributor remains along with the fuel injection system, spark plugs and flywheel remain.
This is an amazing piece of history of what might have been.
No Reserve