Coventry Climax was a British
forklift truckA forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. The modern forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing...
, fire pump, and speciality
engineAn engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
manufacturer.
History
The company was started in 1903 as
Lee StroyerLee Stroyer was a British petrol engine manufacturing company and a producer of a limited number of cars.Founded in East Street, Coventry in 1903 by H...
, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane,
CoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H. Pelham Lee, a former
DaimlerThe Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
employee, who saw a need for competition in the nascent piston engine market.
An early user was
GWKThe GWK was a British car made in Maidenhead, Berkshire, between 1911 and 1931. It got its name from its founders, Arthur Grice, J Talfourd Wood and C.M. Keiller. The cars were unusual in using a friction drive system....
, who produced over 1,000 light cars with Coventry-Simplex two-cylinder engines between 1911 and 1915. Just before
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
a Coventry-Simplex engine was used by Lionel Martin to power the first
Aston MartinAston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
car.
Ernest ShackletonSir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
selected Coventry-Simplex to power the tractors that were to be used in his
Imperial Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionThe Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
of 1914.
Hundreds of Coventry-Simplex engines were manufactured during World War I to be used in generating sets for
searchlightA searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
s. In 1917 the company was renamed to Coventry Climax and moved to East Street, Coventry.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s they supplied engines to many companies manufacturing light-cars such as
AbbeyThe Abbey was a short-lived friction drive car assembled by the Abbey Auto Engineering Co. Ltd in Westminster, England. It used a 10.8 hp 1498 cc Coventry-Simplex engine. It was built in 1922 only and cost £315. It also had Marles steering and friction drive...
,
AJSAJS was the name used for cars and motorcycles made by the Wolverhampton, England, company A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd, from 1909 to 1931, by then holding 117 motorcycle world records, and after the firm was sold the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on...
,
AlbatrossThe Albatros was an English automobile manufactured in Croft Road, Coventry and founded in 1922 by H.T.W. Manwaring. The origin of the name is reputed to be derived from a play on the name of one Albert Ross, who was Manwaring's mentor and boss earlier in his career.There were two models, an 8 and...
,
Ashton-EvansThe Ashton-Evans was an English car manufactured in Birmingham from 1919 to 1928 by an engineering company who also made railway locomotives and aircraft parts...
,
Bayliss-ThomasExcelsior, based in Coventry, was a British bicycle, motorcycle and car maker. They were Britain’s first motorcycle manufacturer, starting production of their own ‘motor-bicycle’ in 1896...
,
ClynoDeveloping from a motorcycle manufacturer, the Clyno Engineering Company Ltd, founded by Frank Smith, became the surprise success of British car manufacturing in the 1920s becoming the country's third largest car manufacturer in 1926...
,
CrossleyCrossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...
,
CrouchCrouch Cars was a company founded by JWF Crouch in Coventry, England in 1912 which manufactured cars until 1928. It was located at first in Bishop Street moving in 1914 to Cook Street....
,
GWKThe GWK was a British car made in Maidenhead, Berkshire, between 1911 and 1931. It got its name from its founders, Arthur Grice, J Talfourd Wood and C.M. Keiller. The cars were unusual in using a friction drive system....
,
MarendazMarendaz Special cars were made in Brixton Road, London SW9, England from 1926 to 1932 and in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England from 1932 to 1936.DMK Marendaz served as an apprentice at Siddeley-Deasy before the first World War...
,
MorganThe Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...
,
TriumphThe Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
,
SwiftThe Swift Motor Company made Swift Cars in Coventry, England from 1900 until 1931.Founded by James Starley as a sewing machine maker in 1859, the Coventry Sewing Machine Company as it was then called, started making bicycles in 1869 and changed its name to Coventry Machinists. In 1896 they became...
, and
StandardThe Standard Motor Company was founded in Coventry, England in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay . The Standard name was last used in Britain in 1963, and in India in 1987.-1903–1914:...
. In the 1920s the company moved to Friars Road, Coventry and in the late 1930s they also acquired the ex-
RileyRiley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. The company became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was later merged into British Leyland: late in 1969 British Leyland announced their discontinuance of Riley production, although 1969 was a difficult year for the UK...
premises in Widdrington Road, Coventry. In the early 1930s the company also supplied engines for buses.
With the closure of Swift in 1931, the company was left with a stock of engines that were converted to drive electric generators, giving the company an entry into a new field. The economic problems of the 1930s hit the business hard and Leonard Pelham Lee, who had taken over from his father, diversified into the production of water-pumping equipment and the "Godiva" was born. This fire engine (which saw widespread use during the Second World War) was better known to the public as the "
Green GoddessThe Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the Bedford RLHZ Self Propelled Pump, a fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service , and latterly by the British Armed Forces. These green-painted vehicles were built between 1953 and 1956 for the Auxiliary Fire Service...
". Post-war Coventry Climax users included
ClanThe Clan Crusader was a fibreglass monocoque British sports car based on running gear from the Hillman Imp Sport, including its Coventry Climax derived, rear-mounted 875 cc engine. It was first made in Washington, Co Durham, England, between 1971 and 1974, but since then several efforts have...
,
HillmanHillman is a British automobile marque created by the Hillman Motor Car Company, founded in 1907. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles...
,
KieftKieft Cars founded by Cyril Kieft was a British car company that built Formula Three racing cars and some road going sports cars in a factory in Derry St, Wolverhampton.Cyril Kieft was born in Swansea and spent his early working life in the steel industry...
, Lotus,
CooperThe Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
, and
TVRthumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
.
In the late 1940s, the company shifted away from automobile engines and into other markets, including marine diesels,
fire pumpA fire pump is a part of a fire sprinkler system's water supply and can be powered by electric, diesel or steam. The pump intake is either connected to the public underground water supply piping, or a static water source . The pump provides water flow at a higher pressure to the sprinkler system...
s, and forklift trucks. In 1946, the
ET199 was announced, which the company claimed was the first British-produced forklift truck. The ET199 was designed to carry a 4000 lb (1,814.4 kg) load with a 24 inches (609.6 mm) load centre, and with a 9 ft (2.7 m) lift height.
In 1950,
Walter HassanWalter Hassan OBE, C.Eng., M.I. Mech.E. was a distinguished UK automotive engineer who took part in the design and development of three very successful engines: Jaguar XK, Coventry Climax and Jaguar V12 as well as the ERA racing car....
(previously employed by
JaguarJaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
and Bentley) joined Coventry Climax, and a new lightweight overhead camshaft engine was developed. This was designated the
FW, for "Feather Weight". The engine was displayed at the Motor Show in London and attracted attention from the motor racing fraternity. Lee concluded that success in competition would lead to more customers for the company and so Hassan designed the FWA, a FW engine for automobiles. The first Coventry Climax racing engine appeared at the 1954
24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in the front of a
KieftKieft may refer to:*Kieft Cars, the British motorcar company founded by Cyril Kieft* Willem Kieft director-general of New Netherland* Jan Jacob Kieft a Dutch gymnast* Wim Kieft a Dutch footballer...
chassis, but this car failed to finish the event. The engine became popular in sportscar racing and was followed by a Mark II and then by an FWB which had a capacity of nearly 1.5-litres. The new
Formula TwoFormula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
regulations suited the 1.5-litre engine and it quickly became the engine to have in F2 racing. The following year, the first Climax engines began to appear in
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in the back of Cooper chassis. Initially, these were FWBs but the FPF engine followed. Stirling Moss scored the company's first Formula One victory in Argentina in 1958, using a 1.9-litre version of the engine. In general terms, however, the engines were not powerful enough to compete with the 2.5-litre machinery and it was not until the 2.5-litre version of the FPF arrived in 1959 that Jack Brabham was able to win the World Championship in a Cooper-Climax. At the same time, the company produced the FWE engine for the
Lotus EliteNot to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....
and this enjoyed considerable success in sportscar racing, with a series of class wins at Le Mans in the early 1960s. In 1961, there was a new 1.5-litre formula and the FPF engine was given a new lease of life, although the company began work on a V8 engine, designated the FWMW, and this began winning races in 1962 with
Jim ClarkJames "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
. There would be a total of 22 Grand Prix victories before 1966 when the new 3-litre formula was introduced.
Away from the car engine business, Coventry Climax used their marine diesel experience to further develop and build the
Armstrong WhitworthSir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
supercharged
H30 multifuelMultifuel, sometimes spelled multi-fuel, is a term applied to any type of engine, boiler, or heater or other fuel-burning device which is designed to burn multiple types of fuels in its operation...
engine for military use. This has been fitted as an auxiliary engine in the British
ChieftainThe FV 4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. It was one of the most advanced tanks of its era, and at the time of its introduction in 1966 had the most powerful main gun and heaviest armour of any tank in the world...
and
ChallengerThere have been three tanks named Challenger in British military service.* Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger in service during World War II* Challenger 1 in service from the late 1980s to early 21st century* Challenger 2 in service from 1998 onwards...
battle tanks and
RapierRapier is a British surface-to-air missile developed for the British Army and Royal Air Force. Entering service in 1971, it eventually replaced all other anti-aircraft weapons in Army service; guns for low-altitude targets, and the English Electric Thunderbird, used against longer-range and...
anti aircraft missile systems.
The company was purchased by Jaguar Cars in 1963, which itself merged with the
British Motor CorporationThe British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
(BMC) in 1966 to form
British Motor HoldingsBritish Motor Holdings Limited was a British motor company known until 14 December 1966 as British Motor Corporation Limited .-History:...
(BMH). BMH then merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968 to form the
British Leyland Motor CorporationBritish Leyland was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd . It was partly nationalised in 1975 with the government creating a new holding company called British Leyland Ltd which became BL Ltd in 1978...
, which was then nationalised in 1975 as British Leyland (BL). Coventry Climax became part of the British Leyland Special Products division, alongside Alvis,
Aveling-BarfordAveling-Barford was a large engineering company making road rollers and dumper trucks in Grantham, Lincolnshire. In its time, it was an internationally known company.-Ruston and Hornsby:...
and others. At the end of 1978, BL brought together Coventry Climax Limited, Leyland Vehicles Limited (trucks, buses, and tractors), Alvis Limited (military vehicles) and
Self-Changing Gears LimitedSelf-Changing Gears was a British company, set up and owned equally by Walter Gordon Wilson and John Davenport Siddeley to develop and exploit the Wilson or pre-selector gearbox...
(heavy-duty transmissions), into a new group called BL Commercial Vehicles (BLCV) under managing director
David AbellDavid Abell or Abel Ebel was a Danish-German composer and organist. He worked in the Kantoriet of Christian III....
.
In the early 1970s the fire pump business was sold back into private ownership, and the
Godiva Fire PumpsGodiva Fire Pumps was an off-shoot from Coventry Climax, directed by Charles Pelham Lee, son of Leonard Pelham Lee.Godiva Fire Pumps modernised the fire pump initialised by the design team at Coventry Climax and with the aid of many skilled toolmakers, craftsmen and women continued to provide parts...
company was formed in
WarwickWarwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
.
In 1977 Coventry Climax acquired the Warrington forklift truck business of
Rubery Owen ConveyancerRubery Owen is a British engineering company which was founded in 1884 in Darlaston, West Midlands.-History:In 1884 the company was started by John Tunner Rubery and his two brothers , as an ironworks manufacturing gates and fences...
, renaming it to
Climax Conveyancer.
1982 saw the sell-off by BL of the Coventry Climax forklift truck business back into private ownership, to Coventry Climax Holdings Limited. Sir Emmanuel Kaye, also chairman and a major shareholder of
Lansing Bagnall-History:The company was bought out of bankruptcy in 1943 by Emmanuel Kaye and John R Sharp. At that time the company made petrol and electric, industrial and station platform tractors. Later the company went on to produce forklift trucks...
at the time, formed the company, independent of his other interests for the purpose of acquiring Coventry Climax.
In 1986 Coventry Climax went into receivership and was acquired by Cronin Tubular. In 1990, a further change of ownership came with the engine business being sold to Horstman Defence Systems of Bath, Somerset, thus breaking the link with Coventry.
Kalmar Industries acquired the forklift truck interests of Coventry Climax in 1985. The company traded as "Kalmar Climax" for a few years, but is now trading as Kalmar Industries Ltd.
'Coventry Climax' logo is owned by Peter Schomer's company Coventry Climax Engineering Ltd. (England)
www.Coventry-Climax-Engines.com
Registered Trade Mark # 2527892 is protected under the Trade Mark Intellectual Property and Patent Office of Great Britain.
OC
The
OC was initially made with a capacity of 1122 cc
straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
with bore of 63 mm and stroke of 90 mm with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves producing 34 bhp. It was introduced in the early 1930s and also built under licence by
TriumphThe Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
.
JM
A six cylinder version of the OC engine, the
JM, was made with a capacity of 1476 cc developing 42 bhp. The
JMC version had a capacity increase to 1640 cc by increasing the bore to 63 mm and produced 48 bhp.
FW
The
FW 38 hp 1020 cc straight-4 SOHC was designed by
Walter HassanWalter Hassan OBE, C.Eng., M.I. Mech.E. was a distinguished UK automotive engineer who took part in the design and development of three very successful engines: Jaguar XK, Coventry Climax and Jaguar V12 as well as the ERA racing car....
and
Harry MundyHarry Mundy was a British car engine designer and motoring magazine editor.He was educated at King Henry VIII School in Coventry and went on to serve his apprenticeship with Alvis. He left them in 1936 to join English Racing Automobiles in Bourne, Lincolnshire as a draughtsman...
as the motive unit for a portable service firepump. In 1953 it was adapted for automotive racing as the 1098 cc
FWA, with a bore of 2.85 inches and a stroke of 2.625 inches it initially produced 71 hp and was first used at Le Mans in 1954 by
Kieft CarsKieft Cars founded by Cyril Kieft was a British car company that built Formula Three racing cars and some road going sports cars in a factory in Derry St, Wolverhampton.Cyril Kieft was born in Swansea and spent his early working life in the steel industry...
. The larger bore (3 inches) and longer stroke (3.15 inches) 1460 cc
FWB engine followed, it retained the FWA head and produced a nominal 108 bhp. The most significant of the series was the
FWE which used the
FWB bore size and the
FWA stroke; it was specifically designed for the first generation
Lotus EliteNot to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....
but became a firm favorite with a number of sports car racing firms for its racing durability and high
power-to-weight ratioPower-to-weight ratio is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine or power sources...
. Other FW variants included a short stroke version (1.78 inches) of the
FWA to produce the 744 cc
FWC, as used by
Dan GurneyDaniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
early in his career in US club racing. The objective of this engine was for Lotus to campaign for the 750cc Le Mans Index of performance prize in 1957, three engines were made for this purpose and they successfully won the prize; Lotus also campaigned in 1958. The
FWMA engine was a 742cc follow up to the
FWC but was based on the smaller
FWM marine engine. In its automotive guise as the
FWMA it was less successful than the
FWC when used by
LotusLotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
cars, but was eventually adapted by Rootes to provide the lightweight engine for the
Hillman ImpThe Hillman Imp is a compact, rear-engined saloon car that was manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group from 1963 to 1976...
.
FWE powered
Lotus EliteNot to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....
cars won their class six times and the 'Index of thermal Efficiency' once during the
24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
. Notably
FW series engines in modified forms also powered
Lotus ElevenThe Lotus Eleven was a racing car built in various versions by Lotus from 1956 until 1958. The later versions built in 1958 are sometimes referred to as Lotus 13, although this was not an official designation...
cars which took three class wins at Le Mans and one 'Index of Performance' win.
Technical significance of the
FW series includes an interpretation of Sir
Harry RicardoSir Harry Ricardo was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine....
's intake
turbulenceIn fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
theory, whereby intake and exhaust valves are tilted to the same side of the engine where intake and exhaust ports are located. In the SOHC
reverse-flow cylinderheadA reverse-flow or non-crossflow cylinder head is one that locates the intake and exhaust ports on the same side of the engine. The gases can be thought to enter the cylinder head and then change direction in order to exit the head...
design, this arrangement allowed intake and exhaust flows to encourage a swirl in the combustion chamber to increase efficiency. Later
crossflow engines such as the DOHC
FPF design incorporated the same concept in a completely different arrangement where the tracts in the intake manifold are connected to the intake ports adjacent to the valves in a staggered fashion, unaligned to the center axis of intake valve seats, to create the turbulence.
FPF
The
FPF was a pure-racing development twin cam version from the basic FWB layout. It started life as a 1.5 L
Formula TwoFormula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
engine, and was gradually enlarged for use in
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. A 2.0 L version took
Stirling MossSir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
and
Maurice TrintignantMaurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of F1...
to
CooperThe Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
's first two Grand Prix victories against 2.5 L opposition in 1958. The engine was subsequently developed into a full-sized 2.5 L Formula One unit and Jack Brabham won the
World Championship of DriversFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in both 1959 and 1960 driving FPF powered
CoopersThe Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
. The FPF was then adapted to the new 1.5 litre Formula One of 1961 and won three World Championship Grand Prix races in that year. In addition, capacity was increased to 2.7 L for the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
and this larger variant was also utilised for sports car racing, the Intercontinental Formula and
Formula LibreFormula Libre is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the opportunity for some compelling driving performances against superior machinery...
racing. It also served as a stopgap in the new 3.0 L Formula One which was introduced in 1966. The seemingly obsolete 2.5 litre FPF gained a new lease of life in 1964 with the introduction of the Tasman Formula and the
Australian National FormulaThe Australian National Formula was an Australian motor racing category which was introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1964 and remained current until the end of 1969...
, both of which had a maximum engine capacity of 2.5 litres.
FWMV
Another successful engine from the company was the 1.5 litre
FWMV V8, developed from the marine unit. It produced 174 hp and made its debut in 1961. From the following year through to 1965 it powered
CooperThe Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
,
LotusTeam Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
and Brabham Formula One cars to victory in a total of 22 World Championship Grand Prix races. Scotland’s
Jim ClarkJames "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
won the
World Championship of DriversFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in both 1963 and 1965 with FWMV powered
Lotus 25The Lotus 25 was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season. It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in F1...
and
33The Lotus 33 designed by Colin Chapman, was a Formula One car built by Team Lotus. Its development was based on the earlier Lotus 25 model, taking the monocoque chassis design to new development heights. The 33 was again powered by the 1500 cc Climax engine. The 33 was almost identical to the 25,...
models.
FPE
Coventry Climax built two notable engines un-raced in their original form — first the V8
FPE ("Godiva"), which was intended for the start of the 2.5 L Formula One in 1954. It was withdrawn due to fears about the rumoured power of Mercedes and other engines, but in fact it would have been competitive.
Paul EmeryPaul Emery was a racing driver from England.Paul built a number of front wheel drive 500cc Formula 3 cars and drove them himself. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 14 July 1956 and numerous non-Championship Formula One races...
acquired a Godiva and fitted it to an old F3 chassis to make the Shannon F1 car in 1966, and the engine later ran in something close to its original form in the
KieftKieft Cars founded by Cyril Kieft was a British car company that built Formula Three racing cars and some road going sports cars in a factory in Derry St, Wolverhampton.Cyril Kieft was born in Swansea and spent his early working life in the steel industry...
Grand Prix car when that was finally finished in 2003.
FWMW
The other un-raced engine was the flat-16
FWMW; work on this continued through the later years of the 1.5 L formula with Lotus and Brabham the likely recipients, but there were a number of design issues still to solve before the formula ran out. At this time the engine had not only shown little power advantage over the V8 it had a number of design complexities that would either have taken a major rework to solve or at least resulted in the need for complete engine rebuilds after 3 hours running. The fact that the conjoined 3 part crank tended to move radially resulting in the engine becoming two aphasic V8s, also the central spur gear drive to parallel quill shaft driving the flywheel caused several problems.
F1 engines
The F1 engines were as follows:
- 1954 2.5 litre V-8 2.94 x 2.80" 264 bhp @ 7,900 rpm Godiva
- 1959 2.5 litre 4 cyl 3.70 x 3.50" 220 bhp @6,500 rpm
- 1960 2.5 litre 4 cyl 3.70 x 3.54" 240 bhp @ 6,750 rpm
- 1960 1.5 litre 4 cyl 3.20 x 2.80" Formula 2
- 1961 2.75 litre 4 cyl 3.78 x 3.74" Indianapolis and Formula Libre
- 1961 1.5 litre 4 cyl 3.22 x 2.80" 150 bhp @ 7,500 rpm
- 1962 1.5 litre V-8 2.48 x 2.36" 180 bhp @ 8,500 rpm
- 1963 1.5 litre V-8 2.675 x 2.03" 195 bhp @ 9,500 rpm fuel injection
- 1964 1.5 litre V-8 2.85 x 1.79" 200 bhp @ 9,750 rpm
- 1965 1.5 litre V-8 2.85 x 1.79" 210 bhp @ 10,500 rpm 4 valve/cyl
- 1966 2.0 litre V-8 2.85 x 2.36" 244 bhp @ 8,900 rpm 4 valve/cyl
- 1965 1.5 litre F-16 2.13 x 1.60" 220/225 bhp @ 12,000 rpm 2 valve/cyl (209 bhp measured)
Climax-powered vehicles
Some notable Coventry Climax-powered cars:
- 1929 AJS
AJS was the name used for cars and motorcycles made by the Wolverhampton, England, company A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd, from 1909 to 1931, by then holding 117 motorcycle world records, and after the firm was sold the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on...
Nine
- 1930 Crossley
Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...
10, 1122 cc straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
- 1933 Vale Special
The Vale Special was a British sports car made between 1932 and 1935 in Maida Vale, London. - History :The Vale Motor Company was set up in 1931 by Pownoll Pellew as a 'gentleman's hobby' in a rented workshop behind the Warrington pub in Maida Vale...
- 1935 Triumph Gloria
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
- 1935 Crossley
Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...
Regis, 1122cc 4 cylinder, 1476 cc and 1640cc 6 cylinder
- 1936 Morgan 4-4
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...
, 1122 cc straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
- 1954 Kieft GP F1 racer
- 1955 Kieft 1100 LeMans
- 1956/7 Lotus Eleven, 1100cc FWA, 1460cc FWB
- 1957 Lotus Elite
Not to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....
, 1216 cc FWE
- 1958 TVR Grantura
The first of the Granturas used a fibreglass body moulded to a tubular steel backbone chassis and VW Beetle-based front and rear suspension. The car was designed around a 1,098 cc Coventry Climax type FWA engine but many different makes were fitted from 1,172 cc Ford side valve to...
, 1216 cc FWE
- 1958 Kieft-Climax 2.5 FPF
- 1963-76 Hillman Imp
The Hillman Imp is a compact, rear-engined saloon car that was manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group from 1963 to 1976...
, 875 - 998 cc derivative of the FWMA, adapted by Rootes
- 1965-75 Bond 875
The Bond 875 was a small three-wheeled car, made by Bond Cars Ltd in Preston, United Kingdom from 1965 to 1970. There was also a van version from 1967, known as the Ranger....
and Bond Ranger, low compression version of Imp engine
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