11 replies to this topic

[Biggles]

Hello chaps,

Searches for a cross-section drawing of the Steyr air-cooled V8, as used by Sydney Allard in his sprint special, have revealed nothing. Specifically, the angle of the V is required. Help?

Neil.

 

[Allan Lupton]

I was going to be dismissive, as I haven't come across production V8s with angles other than 90. However in David Kinsella's 1977 book "Allard" he refers to the "60 degree Steyr V8 engine"

Hope he's right!

[Tim Murray]

From this page on the Allard Owners Club site:



Also check the photo of the twin-engined car on that page for a clearer view of the V-angle. It’s definitely 90 degrees.

[Steve L]

The original Steyr Allard was a serious bit of kit, but the twin engined car takes it to a whole different level!

 

I assume the twin engined car was broken up?  That would have been nice to see at Goodwood or somewhere similar.

 

Come to think of it, what has happened to the single seater of late?

[sabrejet]

This engine, as I recall, came from a Steyr 1500A (Kfz.70) staff car. There are a few around in museums etc: maybe an owner would have more documentation?

 

But the vee looks wider than 90 degrees.

[Steve L]

From Motor Sport magazine in 1947: -

 

The engine is, as we have said, a normal Steyr lorry engine, as used in German transports during the war. In a lorry it is fan-cooled through an elaborate ducting system, but Allard has dispensed with all that, trusting the alloy heads and well-finned cylinder barrels to keep cool enough for those brief periods during which the car is extended. The cast-iron crankcase has been mounted in the narrow chassis on two girder-brackets, one each side at the front, and on an alloy bell-housing at the rear, giving 3-point mounting. The cylinders are separate barrels, inclined in V-formation to constitute a 60 degree V8. Each cylinder head is a separate well-finned light-alloy casting carrying two inclined KE965 valves, the inlet valve having a diameter of 1 1/4 in., the exhaust valve a diameter of 1 3/8 in., and both valves seating on steel inserts. The crankshaft runs in five plain bearings of the thin-shell variety and there are two connecting rods per crankpin. Above it is the chain-driven camshaft, which is thus enabled to actuate the valves via simple short push-rods and the usual rockers. Cast-alloy covers hide the valve gear and each valve has two springs. Originally coil ignition was used, with the distributor set vertically above the engine, but this drive is now used for the rev.-counter and an 8-cylinder Scintilla “Vertex” magneto is driven-direct from the nose of the camshaft, it being mounted horizontal thereto. The ignition leads protrude from the bonnet sides and are led backwards through tubes above the outer valve covers, these tubes being concealed by streamline fairings when the bonnet is in place.

[Charlieman]

Does anyone know the original engine spec for comparison?

[Vitesse2]

Some Aussies restoring a Steyr 1500A, which seems to be the original vehicle:

 

 

This page has a not particularly helpful photo: https://www.o5m6.de/...yr_1500a_02.php

 

And a book - no pics of the engine in the preview though: https://wwpbooks.com...-in-detail.html

[Biggles]

I'm inclined to trust Boddy and Kinsella - 60° it is.

 

Thank you all for your interest.

 

Neil.

[Odseybod]

The Autocar of 25th May 1945 has a two-page description of an ex-Afrika Korps Steyr-Daimler-Puch 1500 A/01 staff car with an air-cooled V8 of 3517cc. Its cylinder banks are apparently set at 90 degrees.

 

If you PM me your email address, I'll send you PDFs of the feature (I probably can't link to them here without exciting assorted copyright guardians).

Edited by Odseybod, 06 March 2024 - 23:12.

[GregThomas]

I can't help boggling slightly at the sheer number of Amal TT carbs used. 16 would possibly be a weeks production.

They would have been made in relatively small numbers compared to the normal road going models.

[Tim Murray]

Here’s the photo of the twin-engined car I referred to earlier. The cylinder banks are quite clearly at 90° to each other.