Text 8999, 115 rader
Skriven 2011-04-01 10:34:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Dave Drum
Ärende: ENGINEERS  10401
========================
 -=> Quoting Dave Drum to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> I believe that engineers are born, rather than formed by university
 GJ> schooling.  The most brilliant engineer I have ever met had no
 GJ> degrees or certificates.  Phil Irving designed the Vincent HRD
 GJ> motor, LE Velocette and many other outstanding motorbike engines,
 GJ> and eventually the Repco V8 that powered the Formula 1 car that Jack
 GJ> Brabham used to win several world championships.  Come to think of
 GJ> it, I don't think Jack had an engineering degree, either, but he
 GJ> designed the cars that carried his name.  I doubt if anyone else

 DD> Phil Vincent bought the HRD firm from the receivers in 1928 ... and
 DD> was  joined in 1937 by Phil Irving as chief engineer. Irving's designs,
 DD> starting with the Comet 500cc unit made a lot of power - which the 
 DD> clutches and gearboxes of the time were poorly suited to handle. And, 
 DD> owing to the fiddly design(s) the Vincent motorcycles were not
 DD> adaptable  to mass production methods ... which proved the eventual
 DD> death knell for  the company. That and the fact that whilst the old
 DD> screaming Vincent v- twins were blazingly fast in a straight line,
 DD> their chassis caused them  to corner somewhat like a snake with a
 DD> broken back, Worse, even, than  the (also very fast in a line) Kawasaki
 DD> H1 two-stroke triple of a later  era. 

One of the Black Lightning Vincents was tried for road racing here.
It seized its gearbox when near maximum speed, which resulted in the
longest skid mark I have ever seen.  The weird rear suspension hung
off the back of the motor certainly did NOT give good cornering.  An
American, Rolly Free, held the motorcycle speed record for a while on
an un-streamlined Vincent, which he rode, stretched out horizontally
along the top of the bike, while wearing only bathing trunks.

 DD> They were also the wrong machine at the wrong time - no matter the 
 DD> elegance of design or fleetness of foot. Evidenced by the fact that
 DD> the  NSU-Vincent Fox, a small two stroke machine partnered by Vincent
 DD> and NSU  (of post-war Germany) sold 20,000 units in a single year
 DD> whilst the  TOTAL motorcycle production of Vincent post WWII until it
 DD> reached the  knacker's yard in 1955 was 11,000. The company carried on

 DD> According to my history of Velocette, designer Charles Udall developed
 DD> the Velocette LE as a "conceived-as-a-whole" design, with engine, 
 DD> gearbox, drive shaft and bevel box in a single unit to do a specific 

I don't know where I got the idea Irving was responsible for the LE.
He did design some other racing engines for AJS, including the 7R.
While in Adelaide he gave a very popular talk to a packed house of
motoring enthusiasts.  When asked how the Brabham F1 car managed to
consistently beat the Feraris, Lotuses, etc. although its V8 engine
was nowhere near as powerful as the V12s and V16s, he explained that
with the simpler engine was easier to keep all cylinders working at
maximum power, and the mechanic didn't get as tired.

While in Adelaide he stayed with my father-in-law.  He was accompanied
by a lovely, young, female "personal secretary".

A friend of mine had an LE Velocette, which was very much a "Lady's
bike", with its easy to clean step-through configuration, leg shields,
foot boards, hand gear change and hand lever starter.  Now there are
hundreds of little scooters using a similar configuration, but they
are all far noisier than the water-cooled LE.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Hush Puppies
 Categories: Cia, Ffbb, Side dishes, Grits
      Yield: 10 Servings
 
      1 pt Corn oil, as needed
      5 oz White cornmeal
     20 oz Flour
      1 ts Baking powder
      1 ts Salt, to taste
      1 ts Sugar
    1/2 ts Pepper, to taste
      1 pn Cayenne pepper
      1 ea Egg, beaten
      4 fl Milk
      1 oz Butter, melted
      1 oz Onion, minced
      1 ea Garlic clove, minced
 
  1.  In a deep skillet, heat 2 inches (5 centimeters) of oil to 365öF
  (185öC).
  
  2.  Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and black and
  cayenne peppers in a mixing bowl.
  
  3.  Blend the egg, milk, butter, onion, and garlic.
  
  4.  Stir egg mixture into cornmeal to make a stiff batter.
  
  5.  Drop heaping teaspoons of batter into hot oil, until skillet is
  full; do not crowd.
  
  6.  When they are golden brown, remove from oil with a slotted spoon
  and drain on paper towels.
  
  7.  Keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
  
  Note: Hush Puppies are a classic accompaniment to fried fish,
  especially catfish or trout that has been dipped in cornmeal and
  pan-fried. Add whole corn kernels and or diced jalape$o peppers if
  desired.
  
  Recipe by: The New Professional Chef (6th Edition)
  :          The Culinary Institute of America
  :          John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  :          ISBN:  0-471-28679-6
 
MMMMM
 

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 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)