Car Trivia

[Alec]

Hello Ted,

correct, although I suspect they went faster than that as it was the Le Mans team cars that were being tested.

In the early sixties, Aston's test driver used the relatively new M1 to road test the DB4 and his average for the run was near the car's top speed, again circa 140mph.

Your chance to catch us out?
Alec

[Jonathan Lewis]

A short while before I had been loaned a mates DB6 which I maintained for him, to go and pick up some bits from Malvern for my rally Morgan Plus 4 - and prompltly took that up to an indicated 140mph on the M5 past Tewkesbury.

Ah-ha! Now we know why they had radar-triggered cameras on this stretch of the M5 years before the Gatso era...

In the early sixties, Aston's test driver used the relatively new M1 to road test the DB4 and his average for the run was near the car's top speed, again circa 140mph.

A nice (though possibly apocryphal) tale is told about this, namely the late John Wyer (A-M's racing team manager) turning up to work early one morning and seeing a test car at the petrol pumps before going on its run up the M1. Wyer goes into his office, makes a few phone calls, comes out, sees Aston still at pumps.
Wyer to test driver: "Why haven't you started your run yet?"
Test driver to Wyer (with hurt look): "I've been..."

[Alec]

Hello Jonathan,

yes, I read that also in one of my many books I had on Aston Martin. I forget the title and author though.

Alec

[Umquat]

I believe the AC Le Mans car was clocked in the region of 185-190 mph.

[TedTaylor]

From what I remember AC would only admit to 140mph, probably because with the furore created by them doing testing of race cars on the public highway this speed did not sound so bad.

My offering - and there is a Triumph link.

The Trident Car Company fitted four different engines to their cars - Venturer, Clipper and Tycoon. Name which engines were fitted to which car.

This is a bit of a nasty one because there was only one example of the fitting of one of the engines before the company finally went bust, but it was sold by the factory as a supposed new model production car (I know because I nearly bought it from the first owner).

Have fun!

Ted

[Umquat]

Okay not necessarily in this order, but I seem to recall there were a couple of V8's, one of Ford origin and one from Chrysler, then a Ford V6 (Essex?) and... heres the Triumph link a 2.5 engine. Can't remember whether it was a pi or on carbs.

Technically there may be more engines but not in the models mentioned.. wasnt the Trident moniker resurrected a few years back? Cant say I remember what was intended to be fitted, or if they even got the company off the ground.

Okay correct me if I'm wrong... Its been a while since I read the article in whatever magazine it was, but my memory for this sort of thing tends to be fairly accurate.

[Jonathan Lewis]

I think you're right. I was about to answer:

Venturer - Ford 'Essex' V6
Clipper - Ford 'Windsor' V8
Tycoon - Triumph TR6

Don't know about the Chrysler V8, but perhaps that was the one-off to which Ted refers...

[TedTaylor]

You are getting there guys.

I need the precise engine that was fitted to the specific model, and of course if you are talking American V8s engine capacity is a important part of the description (in cu.ins.) There is another tag to one of the engines that only the hardened Trident nerds (and I was one in the 70s) may be aware of so I will not expect that.

Not making it easy am I but most of this info is in the public arena.

The Trident Car was never resurrected as such - there have been articles in the classic car comics over the years about the Trident and the TVR Trident and one of which may have implied a resurrection but it did all finish in the 70s. Unless the article being referred to was from the brief resurrection that occured after the first bankrupcy.

Ted

[David Withers]

You are getting there guys.

I need the precise engine that was fitted to the specific model, and of course if you are talking American V8s engine capacity is a important part of the description (in cu.ins.) There is another tag to one of the engines that only the hardened Trident nerds (and I was one in the 70s) may be aware of so I will not expect that.

Not making it easy am I but most of this info is in the public arena.

The Trident Car was never resurrected as such - there have been articles in the classic car comics over the years about the Trident and the TVR Trident and one of which may have implied a resurrection but it did all finish in the 70s. Unless the article being referred to was from the brief resurrection that occured after the first bankrupcy.

Ted

A search within that well known "public arena" by the name of 'Google' brought up this site: http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/makeHis ... story.aspx

That website says, due to a strike at Ford in 1971, the 2.5 litre Ford V6 in the Ventura was replaced with a 5.4 litre (= 331 cu in) Chrysler V8 and renamed Tycoon. But wasn't that engine long gone from Chrysler's range by 1971?

Since I haven't really answered the question, I suppose I can't claim the prize.

[TedTaylor]

Gawd what a mish mash of misinformation that site is - never seen anything so bad!

Suggest you ignore it and look elsewhere.