15 replies to this topic

[David M. Kane]

Hewland was started in 1957. What was the driving factor is establishing
this stunning business? The need for quick change ratios, etc.?

[TEJ]

To produce an affordable relatively low cost gearbox for the increasingly popular rear engined small displacement racing cars in Formula Junior and similar applications. I don't think the earliest versions had the easily inchanged gear sets, but used VW internals

Tom Johnston

[BRG]

Originally posted by TEJ
I don't think the earliest versions had the easily inchanged gear sets, but used VW internals

Wasn't it the other way around? Hewland made new internals but put them into the VW casing?

[ian senior]

The thing I always liked about Hewland was the names they gave to their products. LG - Large Gearbox. DG - Different Gearbox. FG (obviously one that gave them grief) - F*****g Gearbox.

[David M. Kane]

Makes sense, the first Lotus 18 FJ had a Renault gearbox which didn't work
out too nicely, and yes, they used VW cases with Hewland internals on their
first boxes. In fact, they use VW cases on all the FF boxes too.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by David M. Kane
Hewland was started in 1957. What was the driving factor is establishing
this stunning business? The need for quick change ratios, etc.?

Hang on...

Originally posted by TEJ
To produce an affordable relatively low cost gearbox for the increasingly popular rear engined small displacement racing cars in Formula Junior and similar applications. I don't think the earliest versions had the easily inchanged gear sets, but used VW internals

...now is that right? 1957 was too early for Formula Junior, and I don't know what Hewland may have been doing with VW stuff before 1961, but I know that Lotus 18 Juniors ran Renault boxes... were they carrying Hewland internals?

Originally posted by BRG
Wasn't it the other way around? Hewland made new internals but put them into the VW casing?

Indeed they did... but I suspect they made other stuff first, as broadly touched on above.

For instance, 1172 racing and Austin 7 stuff was popular in England at the time. Maybe they were making fresh gearsets for these strange devices... or maybe for trials cars?

I think we need someone who knows exactly what they were doing... or is there a book on the subject?

[rdrcr]

In 1960, Hewland started to modify VW gearboxes. There were 12 of these done for Lolas. This trans was called the Mk1. The next modified units were used in Elvas in '61. 1962 brought forth the 5 speeds with the loose gear clusters.

In 1963, the Ford free differential was fitted into Hewland sideplates. IT was a 4 speed that used Mk8 gears. This was the first really successful unit designed by Hewland.

The Mk series continued until 1973, though other series were introduced as early as 1964 with the H.D. 4.

The H.D. 4 was the first Hewland designed unit. A Cam and Pawl L.S.D. that was first seen on Brabhams with 2.7 litre Climaxes, these were 4 speed units.

[Ray Bell]

What's this 'Ford free differential'?

The HD4 must have come before 1964... Frank Matich had a Hewland in his Brabham, I'm sure, and that was running it 1963.

Apart from that, there were no 2.7 Brabhams built after 1963.

[rdrcr]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
What's this 'Ford free differential'?

The HD4 must have come before 1964... Frank Matich had a Hewland in his Brabham, I'm sure, and that was running it 1963.

Apart from that, there were no 2.7 Brabhams built after 1963.

Re: the Ford diff, I think this is a non-posi type.

Right you are on the year... finger slippage on the keyboard, my error there.

I guess that the H.D. 4 would be as early as 1963 as well, they were used extensively from '63 to '65.

[rdrcr]

But to try to answer David's question... Hewland was first credited with inventing the bespoke gearbox. As to what was his impetus for creating racing gearboxes was, I can only assume that he thought he could build a better mousetrap than what was currently available.

[Cirrus]

I think that there were a number of factors that contributed to the dominance of Hewland. Firstly, they used the VW casing, and therefore did not have to produce costly patterns, and get involved in large-scale machining at a time when they could not afford it. Secondly, they produced the beautifully simple gear cluster allowing ratios to be changed quickly (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course - Colin Chapman referred to them as "mangle gears"). In the sixties, most formulae were based on engines in a high state of tune, and the ease of changing ratios was a godsend. Very quickly, everyone needed to change ratios to be competitive, resulting in more gearbox and ratio sales for Hewland.

The Mk 6/8/9 gearbox was the mainstay of F3 and FF until the late 80's, and as Ron Tauranac pointed out - it didn't matter which car was flavour of the month, they all had a Hewland box, and Mike Hewland was in a no-lose situation. For a long time, Hewland produced 'boxes based on the proven concepts of the VW-based designs, but in various states of "beefiness" ie the FT, DG, FG etc. They now have a very wide produce range, and despite more competition these days, are still at the sharp end.

BTW - I have no connection with Hewland, but they are representitive of a hardcore of down-to-earth engineering companies who took the plunge and got involved with racing, made it more accessible, and were the impetus behind the British racing car boom of the 60's and 70's.

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[David M. Kane]

Cirrus you are absolutely correct, the English "cottage" industry in racing
change the whole face of the racing planet. It opened the door to racing for so many by making it reasonably affordable and reasonably easy to maintain your "kit". Some of based this "kit" concept as being not pure
enough, but from practicality point it was pure genius. Very, very few
can/could afford exotics from Italy, Germany or France. That is why England
is the spiritual home off International auto racing in my opinion. The big
exception to that might be Dallara who have an awfully good run for a long
time.

[Milan Fistonic]

Originally posted by ian senior
The thing I always liked about Hewland was the names they gave to their products. LG - Large Gearbox. DG - Different Gearbox. FG (obviously one that gave them grief) - F*****g Gearbox.

Sports Car Graphic claimed the DG gearbox, as fitted to the Eagle, was named in honour of Dan Gurney!

But then they would, wouldn't they.

[Gerr]

It is probably true that the DG was named after Gurney as he scored the first Formula One victory for Hewland.

[Jaxs]

Lots of info, straight from

http://www.hewland-e...vga/history.htm

Rgds

Jaxs

[Ray Bell]

That list's not as informative as it might be... but it's a start...

For instance, it doesn't mention that the FG400 is the FT200 gearbox with the larger final drive out of the DG300.