Daimler V8 engines

Using a pushrod overhead valve system kept down design, development and production costs and allowed Turner to base the design of the cylinder head on those he developed for Triumph motorcycles including the use of hemispherical combustion chambers. Adapting the Triumph head design for use in a saloon car engine required much work in reducing friction and improving timing. Much of the development of the prototype engine was carried out by Dr. J. N. H. Tait. Tait had been involved with Donald Healey in the early post war years, working successfully on modified Riley 2½ litre Big Four engines, the final incarnation of which was used in 1953 Zethrin Rennsport prototype, delivering close to 200 bhp with surprising tractability. The two sizes of the Daimler derivative engines share similar but not identical external dimensions and design, the 4.5 litre being longer, deeper and wider. Although it is just possible to substitute one for the other, it requires a good deal of alteration of mountings, exhaust piping, etc. Limited investment in tooling for the 2.5 litre engine led to limited production capacity, with a maximum weekly output of 140 engines, and the 4.5 litre was only ever made in small quantities. This prescribed maximum output was never achieved during the production of the engine.

The 90 degree V8 engine has part hemispherical combustion chambers with two overhead valves per cylinder operated by push rods from a single chain driven camshaft positioned centrally high up in the vee. Aluminium alloy pistons with steel connecting rods run in a cast chrome iron block with sand cast high tensile light alloy heads and crankcase housing a short stiff dynamically balanced crankshaft carried on five bearings. The nose of the crankshaft carries a torsional vibration damper, a four or six bladed fan, and the pulley for the triangulated thin belt drive for the dynamo and water pump. The dynamo is located between the cylinder blocks on the smaller 2.5. At the rear the drive is taken from the back of the camshaft for the distributor positioned high above the unit behind the two semi downdraught SU carburettors. There is a separate exhaust system for each bank of cylinders. In 1980 it became the first drag car under 5.5 litres, and the first all British car to complete a quarter mile race in less than eight seconds. By the time of its retirement, the car, using mainly stock engine parts, produced 1400 bhp and ran the standing quarter mile in 7.2 seconds at 180 mph. The car was restored and was to be displayed at Dunsfold Aerodrome near Guildford in April 2014. In 2014 Russ Carpenter was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame for his development of this engine and influencing others to use a British engine in a largely American engine focused Motorsport.