Brooklands 3 by debbielove
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Description
Greetings Folks,
People go to Brooklands for the cars, there are many very famous ones to see..
Most go especially to see one..
This is it..
The Napier-Railton..
This has a history of some note, I will try to give you it..
The Napier-Railton is an aero-engined race car built in 1933, designed by Reid Railton to a commission by John Cobb, and built by Thomson & Taylor. It was driven by Cobb, mainly at the Brooklands race track where it holds the all-time lap record (143.44 mph) which was set in 1935. This stands in perpetuity as the circuit was repurposed for military purposes during the second World War and was never used as a racing track again. (Note : the track was used for another four years after the record was set.)
Between 1933 and 1937 the Napier-Railton broke 47 World speed records at Brooklands, Montlhéry and Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
The car is powered by the high compression version (6.1:1) (RAF specification) of the naturally aspirated Napier Lion, a W12 of 23.944 litres (1,461 cu in) capacity, producing 580 brake horse power at 2585 revolutions per minute (recorded at 5, 000ft - performance at ground level may be different). The 12 cylinders are in three banks of four (broad-arrow configuration), hence the triple exhaust system, and the engine has standard aerospace features such as dual ignition (magneto type) . The non syncromesh crash gearbox (aptly named for the horrible noises caused by a mis-shift) has 3 ratios. The fuel tank, located in the boat-tail behind the driver, has a capacity of 65 gallons and fuel consumption was approximately 5 mpg. Although capable of 168 mph the car has rear wheel braking only.
Amazingly, its still in full running order and races at U.K. Classic Car Meetings such as Goodwood still..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier-Railton#cite_note-Marriott_Library.2C_Napier_Railton-1
(If that works).
Fully zoomable picture, totally enjoy!
And I haven't started on the aircraft yet lol
Rob
Comments (10)
jayfar
I did totally enjoy Rob, both the picture and the info.
giulband
Very very beautiful car!!!!!!!
rangeriderrichard
Excellent photo, cool car and info!
bebopdlx
A fantastic piece of automotive history, thanks Rob.
Buffalo1
It looks like a fast car! Great history and photo.
goodoleboy
Excellent POV employed to display the length and breadth of this silver brute, mate. I like that jet intake on the front. And, I bet those aren't 1935 tires/tyres.
flavia49
excellent capture
RodS
Great shot of this sleek classic, Rob! It's wonderful it's still in top shape, and still thrilling folks. What a beauty!
Maxidyne
Excellent capture mate and the same goes about your comment on my image. These were designed and built by men and not machines so have the individuality that most vehicles today lack. Can you imagine the thrill of being at Brooklands back then and watching cars like this and the Bentley 4.5 L flying around the track
neiwil
Wow!!.... looks like a 'lump' compared to F1 cars of today but it's a beauty...this really was a supercar of it's day. Watching grainy old black and white film of these races, it's amazing to see this in 'real life' and it's fantastic that it survives.....