A while back I described the use of the monocoque to produce a very strong but heavy chassis that probably 90% of the world's mass produced cars use. As a follow on, I’ll talk about the space frame chassis that really took off after World War 2, however like many technologies had it’s birth closer to the start of the industry. A space frame is a truss – multi interconnecting … [Read more...]
Auto Italia 2017
A few weeks ago I headed down to Canberra for Auto Italia 2107. This was my fourth visit over the years having been down for 2013, 2015 and 2016. Each year there are two interesting points about the day. The first is that there is usually a "headline" marque - this year it was Ferrari for their 70th anniversary. The second point is that it brings out some of the rarer machines … [Read more...]
Ernest Henry
Born: 2nd January 1885, Geneva. Died: 9th December 1950, Paris. Ernest Henry was a Swiss engineer and the man who made a big leap with internal combustion engine technology - he developed the first double overhead cam engine! He studied engineering in Geneva before working on marine engines for a company that made a variety of products including bicycles, … [Read more...]
Ducatista Riders Festival – Sydney Motorsports Park
Today after a car club meeting at a local specialist, I headed over to the Sydney Motorsports Park at Eastern Creek to see the first Ducatista Riders Festival. Ducatista is a group of Ducati fans that appears to be a growing band of riders with a strong social media presence. Mother Nature wasn't kind however it didn't dampen the spirits or enthusiasm of the attendees. It … [Read more...]
2015 Road Trip #3 Day 7
The final day and I was heading home. Yesterday I didn't make it to Gloucester as planned due to the weather and I pulled in to the first motel I found - the Cundle Motel in what I discovered this morning was Cundletown. What can I say about this motel: (very) cheap and (reasonably) cheerful. However it was a good stop due to the heavy rain. The room was very basic, with … [Read more...]