Austin-Healey 100

The Austin-Healey 100 is a sports car built between 1953 and 1956 by the British Motor Corporation (the following model, named the 100-Six and built from 1956 to 1959, is a different car even though it shares the name "100"). It was developed by Donald Healey to be produced in-house by Healey's small car company in Warwick and based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals^[1]. Healey built a single "Healey Hundred" for the 1952 London Motor Show, and the design impressed Leonard Lord, Managing Director of Austin so much that a deal was struck with Healey to build it in quantity at Austin's Longbridge factory. The car was renamed the Austin-Healey 100.
The "100" name comes from Donald Healey, who selected the name from the car's ability to reach 100 mph (160 km/h), as opposed to the Austin-Healey 3000, which is named for its 3000 cc engine.

100 (BN1 and BN2)

Production Austin-Healey 100s were finished at Austin's Longbridge plant alongside the A90 and based on fully trimmed and painted body/chassis units produced by Jensen in West Bromwich — in an arrangement the two companies previously had explored with the Austin A40 Sports. The first 100s (series "BN1") were equipped with the same 90 bhp (67 kW) engines and manual transmission as the stock A90, but the transmission was modified to be a three-speed unit with overdrive on second and top. The 2660 cc I4 engine featured an undersquare 87.3 mm (3.4 in) bore and 111.1 mm (4.4 in) stroke.
Girling 11 in (279.4 mm) drum brakes are fitted all round. Front suspension is independent using coil springs and at the rear is a rigid axle with semi elliptic leaf springs. The steering is by a cam and lever system.
A BN1 tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 106 mph (171 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 11.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.5 miles per imperial gallon (12.6 L/100 km; 18.7 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1063 including taxes.^[5]
These were built from May 1953, and replaced by the BN2 model in mid-1955.
The BN2 was fitted with a real 4-speed manual transmission, still with overdrive on the top 2 gears. Other features that distinguish the BN2 from the BN1 are the slightly larger front wheel arches, different rear axle and being the first 100 with optional two-tone paint. The colour alternatives available to the 100 were: Reno Red, Spruce Green, Healey Blue, Florida Green, Old English White, Primrose Yellow, Black, and approximately 50 Gunmetal Grey cars. The BN2 two-tone colours were: White/Black; Reno Red/Black; Healey Blue/White; Black/Reno Red; and Florida Green/White.
In 1956, a BN2 100M (for Le Mans) model was developed as well, with larger carburettors, a cold air box to increase air flow to the carburettors, high-lift camshaft and 8.1:1 compression pistons. It produced 110 bhp (82 kW) at 4500 rpm. The front suspension was stiffened and the bonnet gained louvres, along with a bonnet belt. Most (approximately 70%) of the cars were finished with a two-tone paint scheme including two cars finished in unique colour schemes: one White over Red and the other (for display at the 1955 London Motor Show) in Black over Pink. There were 640 factory built 100Ms—all 1956 model BN2s. The 100M components (except for the high compression pistons) were also available as a Le Mans kit which could be installed in either a BN1 or BN2 with the engine in situ, improving the power output to 100 bhp (75 kW) at 4500 rpm. The Donald Healey Motor Company at Warwick retrofitted 519 cars with the Le Mans kit after they had been delivered to the original owners. The Le Mans kit and its component parts could be ordered from BMC, so additional cars were modified by Austin dealers and private owners.^[6].

Built primarily with racing in mind, the aluminium-bodied "100S" (for Sebring) model developed 132 bhp (98 kW) at 4700 rpm. Only 50 production cars were made, plus an additional five works development/special test cars which were hand built by the Donald Healey Motor Company at Warwick.^[7] The cast iron cylinder head was replaced by one made from aluminium and the overdrive unit was not fitted to the gearbox. Dunlop disc brakes were fitted front and rear. To keep weight to a minimum, there were no bumpers or hood (convertible top), a smaller grille and the windscreen was plastic. The 100S was also the first production car in the world to sport disc brakes at both the front and rear ^[8]. The car was approximately 200 lb (91 kg) lighter than standard. The majority of all 100S were two-toned White with Lobelia Blue sides. However, a handful of cars where ordered in Spruce Green, Reno Red and one single black 100S.^[3]The final BN2 was produced in July 1956.

100-Six (BN4 and BN6)

The final "100" models, 1956's "BN4" (2+2 seats) and 1958's "BN6" (2 seats) were six-cylinder 100-Six cars.
To make room for the occasional seats the wheelbase was increased by 2 in (50.8 mm). The bonnet had a built-in air scoop and the windscreen no longer could be folded down.
The cars used a tuned version of the BMC C-Series engine previously fitted to Austin Westminster which at first produced 102 bhp (76 kW) increasing to 117 bhp (87 kW) in 1957 by fitting a revised manifold and cylinder head.^[3] The overdrive unit became an option rather than a standard fitting.
In late 1957 production was transferred from Longbridge to the MG plant at Abingdon.^[3]
A 117 bhp (87 kW) BN6 was tested by The Motor magazine in 1959 had a top speed of 103.9 mph (167.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 20.8 miles per imperial gallon (13.6 L/100 km; 17.3 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1307 including taxes of £436.

My regards to Wikipedia.org

Triumph Stag

 Prone to various engine problems in its infancy, but surviving examples are mostly well sorted. Once an object of ridicule, now a cherished classic.

The Triumph Stag is a British car that was sold between 1970 and 1978 by the Triumph Motor Company, styled by the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti.Envisioned as a luxury sports car, the Triumph Stag was designed to compete directly with the Mercedes-Benz SL class models. All Stags were four-seater convertible coupés, but for structural rigidity – and to meet new American rollover standards at the time – the Stag required a B-pillar "roll bar" hoop connected to the windscreen frame by a T-bar. A removable hardtop was a popular factory option for the early Stags, and was later supplied as a standard fitment.

The car started as a styling experiment cut and shaped from a 1963–4 Triumph 2000 pre-production saloon, which had also been styled by Michelotti, and loaned to him by Harry Webster, Director of Engineering at Triumph from the early to late 1960s. Their agreement was that if Webster liked the design, Triumph could use the prototype as the basis of a new Triumph model. Harry Webster, who was a long time friend of Giovanni Michelotti, whom he called "Micho", absolutely loved the design and spirited the prototype back to England. The end result, a two-door drop head (convertible), had little in common with the styling of its progenitor 2000, but retained the suspension and drive line. Triumph liked the Michelotti design so much that they propagated the styling lines of the Stag into the new T2000/T2500 saloon and estate model lines of the 1970s.It has been alleged that internal politics meant that Triumph intended, but were unable, to use the proven but old technology Buick designed all aluminium Rover V8. The no-fit story is probably a myth as Rover, also owned by British Leyland, simply could not supply the numbers of V8 engines to match the anticipated production of the Stag.[3] "Brand loyalty" between Triumph and Rover was high as they were former rivals. Triumph engineers preferred their new design, despite being heavier than the Rover V8, because of its superior overhead cam design.

Harry Webster had also already started development and testing of a new unique, all Triumph designed overhead cam (OHC) 2.5 litre fuel injected (PI) V8 to be used in the Stag, large saloons and estate cars. The vision was to allow Triumph to compete in the V8 marketplace. Under the direction of Harry Webster's replacement, Spen King in 1968, the new Triumph OHC 2.5 PI V8 was enlarged to 2997 cc (3.0 litre) to increase torque and the troublesome fuel injection dropped in favour of dual Zenith-Stromberg 175 CDSE carburettors to meet emission standards in one of the target markets the USA.

The Triumph Slant-4 engine shared the same basic design as the Triumph V8, consisting of a single overhead cam cast iron block with aluminium heads. However the cylinder heads of the two engines do not share the same footprint on their respective engine blocks. This same engine manufactured by StanPart was initially used in the Saab 99. Using a gear driven water pump, the Slant 4 could be easily installed in a front wheel drive car. This same water pump design was used in the Stag V8.

As in the Triumph 2000 model line, monocoque construction was employed, as was fully independent suspension – MacPherson struts in front, semi-trailing arms at the rear. Braking was by front disc and rear drum brakes, while steering was power-assisted rack and pinion.The car was launched one year late in 1970, to a warm welcome at the various international auto shows, which soon turned sour after delivery to the market with reports of engine problems. Some of these were due to the perennial problem of poor build quality, endemic to the British motor industry of the time, while others related to design problems in the engine. These included:

long simplex roller link chains combined with inadequate engine maintenance and factory specified 7,500-mile (12,070 km) oil change intervals. The chains could last less than 25,000 miles (40,200 km) resulting in expensive damage when they failed;

inadequately sized main bearings in the early OHC 2.5 litre V8 design with short lives, changed in the 3.0 litre design;
aluminium head warpage due to poor castings, head gaskets which restricted coolant flow, leading to overheating;
water pump failures relating to poor drive gear hardening, prematurely wearing out the gear and stopping the water pump.
In some cases, overheating was caused by clogged waterways in the cylinder block which were found to be filled with casting sand left over from manufacture.

British Leyland never provided sufficient budget to correct the few design issues of the Triumph 3.0 litre OHC V8. Many owners adopted a popular conversion of the car fitting a Rover V8, Ford Essex V6, Buick 231 V6, or Triumph 6-cylinder engine but now such conversions fetch lower prices than a genuine Stag V8-engined car.

However, renovators over the years did iron out the V8 problems, rather than Triumph engineers.

Cooling Problems:
A larger radiator.
Annual coolant flushing.
A high dose of modern anti-freeze to overcome the overheating problems.
Modern fully synthetic engine oil clearly assisted in cooling the cylinder heads – fully synthetic oils can cope with far higher temperatures and resist degradation.
Lubrication:
Appropriate fully synthetic oils to give superior lubrication and keep the engine interior clean.
Improved metal finishes:
Hardened crankshafts.
Hardened metals on other components.
Ignition System:
Superior electronic ignition systems.
Modern rubbers:
Modern rubbers used on radiator hoses, heater hoses, fan belts and the likes are technically superior and more reliable than those installed in the 1970s.

These add up to an engine that now runs very well. If these glitches had been eliminated by Triumph, the engine could have been used in many other models in addition to the Stag.he Triumph Stag has sizeable club and owner support and a number of specialist suppliers. According to the main enthusiast club in the UK, approximately 9,000 Stags are believed to survive in the United Kingdom. The car's popularity is due to its performance, comparative rarity and its Michelotti styling. The problems associated with the car over the years have been solved by those enthusiast clubs supporting the Stag, elevating this classic to its intended place in popularity envisioned by its designers.

BRABUS 800 E V12 Cabriolet

Yes, Brabus hid under the hood of a E-Klasse cabrio 800 HP.That's enough to reach a top speed of 229 MPH.That is just crazy ! Almost 230 MPH in a convertible !

We've first seen Brabus tune an engine to 800 HP on a sedan then on a coupe and now the time came for a convertible.Now Brabus can take pride having the most fast and powerful four seat convertible in the world.They specified four seats otherwise Bugatti would have been pissed.So for a cabriolet that reached 230 MPH you'll have to check your pockets for 478.000 euros or 681.197 Dollars.Maybe the hardest part of the guys at Brabus was to find space to place the massive 6.3L V12 biturbo engine and for the automatic 5 speed gearbox especially designed to handle the massive torque.

As I've said before the engine produces 800 HP at 5.500 rpm and 1.420 Nm of torque.Because of so much torque the engine has an electronic limiter that doesn't allow it to produce more that 1.100 Nm.It manages to reach 60 in 3.7 seconds and 160 in 9.9 seconds.The exterior modifications have mainly an aerodynamic role and the been designed in an air tunnel.Brabus 800 E V12 Cabriolet is equipped with 19 inch wheels,front tires of 265/30 ZR 19 and back tires of 295/30 ZR 19. Brabus recommends tires like Continental, Pirelli sau YOKOHAMA.The suspension was developed along Bilstein.I have to say also that the braking system includes 380 mm brakes on the front and 360 mm on the back.The model was presented officially at the Brabus showroom in Dubai the place where most of the BRABUS 800 E V12 Cabriolet's will find there owners.