5 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

On board recording was attempted upon racing cars at least from 'tween-war years way before modern-era computer technology brought us into the current dependent age.  Might anyone here be able to identify any of the to me bewildering gizmology jam-packed into the tail of the 4-wheel-drive Ferguson P99 here amongst fuel and oil tanks?  As an aside it looks as if I had wired it...

 

The venue is the British Road Research Laboratory test track at Crowthorne, Berkshire, and the date is November 9, 1961 - driver Major Tony Rolt MC** of Ferguson Research.  Photographer - Denis Jenkinson.

 

Any photos of similar early recording equipment installations on test cars might also, perhaps, be of interest?

 

 

 

 

Photos Copyright: The GP Library/DSJ

 

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 26 September 2024 - 10:21.

[Henri Greuter]

Sadly, the pix don't come onto my screen.....

 

But it is funny that the car in qestion is the Ferguson P99.

 

I do know however that the sister car to P99 was out on the track with a movie camera behind the driver attached onto the rollbar in order to keep an eye on the tacho and observe what drivers of the car didn't tell to the teamboss.

There are pictures out with visual evidence of the car being fitted with that camera but I don't dare to post them, even if I knew how to do that, due to copyright matters.

[Charlieman]

I don't think this is as awful as it looks...

 

The data capture rig is in the place of the normal fuel tank, so somewhere underneath it all there is a replacement.

 

The Exide lead acid battery is supplementary. I couldn't find the normal battery on any diagrams but I can't imagine it being there.

 

Above it is the data collection box with a white-ish fascia. Perhaps a standard 19" instrumentation box? From left facing forward, there is a row of five or more status lights or press switches, suggesting the number of data channels. The wires from the chassis mounted transducers seem to go into the multi-legged connector. The rats nest appears to be a load of disconnected wires "secured" by string. An elegant fabric wrapped loom connects the box to the rustic box above on the left. I think this is the box protecting the data recorder.

 

Box in the middle on top? It may be something off the shelf because there is a label on the side.

 

The rounded box on the right looks like an electric motor case. My theory is that the hot bits (amplifier, valves) in the right hand side of the data collection box needed cooling.

[PJGD]

Back in that era in the laboratory, we would use a multi-channel "UV Recorder" to capture dynamic data wherein galvanometers responsive to sensor output would direct the light onto UV sensitive paper to give the dynamic record.  However, such instruments were not particularly robust so may not have withstood the shaking in this sort of application.

[Roger Clark]

Sadly, the pix don't come onto my screen.....

 

But it is funny that the car in qestion is the Ferguson P99.

 

I do know however that the sister car to P99 was out on the track with a movie camera behind the driver attached onto the rollbar in order to keep an eye on the tacho and observe what drivers of the car didn't tell to the teamboss.

There are pictures out with visual evidence of the car being fitted with that camera but I don't dare to post them, even if I knew how to do that, due to copyright matters.

What is the sister car to P99?

[Henri Greuter]

What is the sister car to P99?

 

 

 

OK, make it halfsister.....

 

1964 built Ferguson P104-Novi

Edited by Henri Greuter, Yesterday, 13:53.